"You aren't an idiot, ok. What could you have done anyway? Even assuming you were able to disable two highly-skilled and well-armed samurai with nothing more than your hands, Rei still would have been killed on sight," Bleary said, awfully sick of Amada's self-pitying bleatings.

"She didn't kill any 'un," I growled back, starting to feel the effects of my spur of the moment drinking binge.

Bleary sighed, the fact that the both of them had gone over this same subject about every five minutes or so did nothing to improve his attitude. He should have expected that Rei might have been involved with the Temple, but he hadn't. He had suspected that Hideko was one of them, but how did he find out about Rei? He pushed the thought to the edge of his mind for future contemplation and got back to the immediate problem: his best friend.

"The old Amada wouldn't be sitting here, drinking, and feeling sorry for himself," He began, "He'd be sitting in Harmonia, drinking, and thinking of a way to rescue his damsel in distress!" If there was one thing he could do, it was giving pep talks and this one was no exception.

"Maybe you're right," I mumbled as the possibilities ran through my now-foggy mind. I could get off of my sorry ass and go bail her out, she'd have done that for me. Then we'd live happily ever after or something! Yeah, we'd have a nice picket house and a spacious four-room fence. I was fairly disturbed that I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with that thought. I decided it didn't matter and started guzzling down one mug after another and told my mind that it could take a break for all I cared. Right now, I had some serious celebratory drinkin' to do.

A smile lit up Bleary's face, glad that his friend was done torturing himself and consequently boring the hell out of him. "Tell you what, I'll go dig up some info while you finish your drinks," he said, waving to the other seven mugs that Amada had ordered, anticipating another day of some more good-natured self-recriminations. I gurgled my approval through the eight ounces of frothy goodness in the process of rolling down my throat.

Bleary strode out of the tavern with a purpose. His purpose was different from his friend's, but he did intend to help Amada to the best of his ability. While in Harmonia, he was going to gather as much dirt on the Temple of the Silver Moon as possible. All his contacts could tell him was that it was located in the Western Crystal Valley in Harmonia and that many of it's members had been implicated in various crimes, such as kidnapping and murder, but none had been conclusively proven guilty to any of the allegations.

He pulled out the note Rei had sent a day after the dinner party. He'd intercepted the letter when Amada had been out drinking and had decided it would only upset him more. It ran thus:

Dear Amada,

I am very sorry for any pain my leaving may have caused, but it was necessary, so that you would not be killed. It is important that you know I went of my own free will and that I don't desire you to follow. The first day I met you, I saw a man who cared for a complete stranger, even one who wished him harm. I knew then that it was my destiny to be with you, to learn from your example. In doing so, I earned the enmity of those who had raised me. Still I selfishly clung to you, knowing the punishment of their enmity was death. So I go to face the penalty of my betrayal, not out of a misplaced feeling of honor, but to set things right. Finally I have found a purpose in life. You, Amada, are my reason for living...and the reason that I walk proudly before my executioners with a smile upon my face. Because you will live on. Goodbye...

Sincerely,
Rei

It wasn't the first time he'd read it, but he still had to blink back tears. For obvious reasons, she couldn't say where she was or where she was headed, but it was easy to guess. They would be heading back to the Temple of the Silver Moon.

Though, at the moment, he had no intention of looking for information. It pained him to lie for such a simple thing as getting a breath of fresh air, but he needed some time to think. Bleary raised his eyes to the heavens, watching the storm clouds move as a cool breeze caressed him. The overcast sky brightened briefly from a distant flash of lightning. He inhaled deeply, as if hoping to trap the essence of the moment, reveling in the weather he loved so dearly. Dark and tumultuous, so much like his soul, and Rei's, he assumed. He'd heard the story from Amada about how Rei's parents were massacred and she taken to be trained by those same murderers. How many others had been the victims of this mysterious organization? Victims like Rei, and like him.

Bleary remembered the day distinctly. He had been seven. There had been a storm and the pouring rain had thundered on the roof, almost blocking out the sound of someone knocking at their door. His father, Jerad, had answered it. At the door, stood a young man easily twice as big as his father who, when asked what he wanted, claimed that Jerad's son had been selected to attend the Temple of the Silver Moon. After that, the story was short. Jerad told the man off and was the first to die, killed before he could finish his refusal. The young man had entered, calling for him, but at the first sign of violence he had hidden under his bed, afraid to make a noise in case the bad man found him. When he didn't answer, the killer had dragged his mother out of the kitchen and threatened her with pain and, eventually, death to reveal her son's whereabouts. Like his father, she refused to surrender her son to the monster. To her last tortured scream, she'd protected him.

Over the wail of the storm, their neighbors never knew of the horrid events taking place next door. However, one man heard. One man acted. He was outside, diligently tending the garden he shared with the Tomlin's. At the first scream, the old man had fetched his blade, the very same no-dachi that Bleary wielded today, and had rushed to the house to give what aid he could. As soon as the gardener entered, he was involved in a pitched battle to the death with the twice-accomplished assailant. Although old, the gardener had recently retired from the Jowston army after forty years service. The inexperienced samurai fought fiercely, and died.

The old man searched around, not seeing the young Tomlin boy and anxious to know whether he too had been slaughtered. Bleary's savior found him under the bed, sobbing for his mother and father. "It's ok lad, everything's fine now. I'll protect ye," the gardener comforted, embracing the youth. He raised Bleary from then on, teaching him how to use a sword until he was of age. When he was eighteen, his foster father had bequeathed the blade and the house to him and left, saying that he didn't want to be anyone's burden and that he knew a small village where he had some family. That had been five years ago. It struck Bleary that he hadn't seen his father in all that time, that he didn't even know if he was alive. By now, he would be in his late seventies. "I'm sorry Volvo," he whispered, "I'm not a very good son, am I?"

*Meanwhile at Yeshika...*

Unabated, the blaze spread, consuming the entire tavern in mere minutes. Out of the entire crowd, three wept. Not because a loved one had died, or anything of the sort, but because the place they spent more than half their time at had gone down in flames. Gegory couldn't help blubbering, "God! Why?" Volvo, on the other hand, was rather ecstatic. "Don't ye worry, boy. I know of a place where the beer runs like water," he commented, happy he finally had an excuse to get out of the god-forsaken village. Aye, maybe he'd pay his son a visit, along with that other lad, Amada. Maria looked confused, more than usual, that is, "What? We're going to Greenhill Academy?" Volvo frowned. "No, we ain't. Theys only have the watered down stuff, we're goin' to Radat town," he corrected, pointing where he assumed north was, "Follow me, both o' ye."

*And while that was happening, near the Cave of the Wind...*

Rosa crouched near the path, observing the tracks she'd been following for all of a day. They went east...probably to Radat. She continued to go in the direction the boot prints led until they met the road, eliminating any chance of her tracking them down. She adjusted both the bow and the quiver that rested on her shoulders as she berated herself for underestimating her enemy. They must have known they were being tracked. Oh Moldun, she thought, where are you? He had been taken by a group of people, foreigners from the way they were dressed. Not that she cared who the kidnappers were, the only thing she cared about right now was if her husband was alright. Moldun wouldn't have resisted, she knew, he had a gentle soul and was deathly afraid of hurting others. The road branched off to both Radat and Kuskus. After a string of curses, she decided on Radat, it certainly seemed the more likely place. There you could hire a boat no questions asked. Confident in her decision, she headed east.

*Yep, this happened at the same time also, but in Muse*

Man, did this suck or what? The young winger tried to massage the warmth back into his arms. Spring my arse, Jowal thought fiercely, but then again, I probably should have worn something more than shorts and a t-shirt. Sometimes he hated looking so much like a kid. He may have been seventeen, but to all appearances he looked thirteen. To enhance his youthful look, he often found himself dressing like the juveniles he resembled. He shook his head, brushing his mop of brown hair out of the way. He'd gotten the oddest looks every time he tried flirting with someone his own age, but that was bearable considering the salary he received simply to 'hear' things. Jowal shook his head once again, this time to clear his head.

Speaking of oddly dressed people, he was right now observing three of them. Reclining in the alley, he came to the conclusion that these were the 'missing persons' Bleary had wanted him to watch out for. Yep, no doubt about that, he jeered inside, look at those clothes, that's just asking for trouble! Four more Harmonians entered the unused district towing a monster of a man. Jowal paused to consider this new development. Hmm, who ARE these people, they certainly aren't missing persons. The man named Hideko had a little talk with the leader of the group with the giant. It was almost comedic the way Hideko's face would crimson and the other would try not to cringe. Jowal put his amusement aside for a moment and took a last look at the crowd in front of him. His left eyebrow rose as he noticed that both the giant and the good sister (Her name was Rei, wasn't it?) were shackled. Prisoners, eh? More to report then, he mused as he disappeared into the deeper shadows of the alley.

*The next day, back to Radat*

We agreed to meet in the tavern (Surprise!) at noon, before we started our rescue mission. This morning, after surviving the mother and father of hangovers, I'd decided that today I wasn't going drink anything and, so far, I'd succeeded. "Here's your sandwich," the waitress shot at me, placing the supposed food item in front of me. I looked it over and grimaced at my discovery. The ham had started to rot and the bread was very stale, but that was not what stopped me. Mustard. "Excuse me miss! There is MUSTARD on my sandwich," I called, waving her over. She walked over, boring holes in me with her eyes. I held her glare. It was a combat of wills. Nothing is wrong, you will shut up and eat that damn sandwich, her eyes said, or I will force it down your throat myself.

Under the gaze, I almost felt compelled to obey, but, mustering all my strength, I managed to declare, "There is mustard on my sandwich. I ... didn't ... ask ... for any." If you can't tell, she started to get to me near the end. Then it happened. That horror story people tell you about but you never believe. The waitress plucked the top bun off and proceeded to scrape all of the offending substance off. With the table. I couldn't help shivering as she replaced the now-inedible bun. Uggh, people put their faces on there, people with worse personal hygiene than me. I smiled at her weakly and shoved the said object away. "Um, check please," I gritted as kindly as I could. Well, I knew someone who wasn't getting a tip. As if reading my thoughts, she spun around and subjected me to another dosage of the Gaze. This time I was too weak to resist, one hand reached into my pocket to pull out a fiver (yes, five potch) tip regardless of my attempts to stop the disobedient appendage. Grinning wickedly, the waitress from hell went to get my check.

Having nothing better to do, I pondered what I could do with the thing I loosely referred to as a sandwich. I'd probably get slapped with an animal cruelty charge if I tried to hawk it off on some poor starving animal. Probably kill it too. All these thoughts fled my mind as three familiar shapes entered the bar. They were the first to react. The red-headed girl hopped up and down, "Oooh, Amada! Imagine meeting you here," Maria shrieked in joy as she rushed over to my table and took a seat. Gegory smiled nervously and grabbed a chair, "You don't happen to have any fruit on you, do you?" I laughed at the memories of the good old torture...I mean training I'd put the young guy through. "Nice to see y'all again," I said sincerely, "Hey, old man, come sit over here." Volvo grinned back at me, "I wouldn' be a callin' me old," he spat with glee, waving his metal rod around in emphasis. I feigned terror as he sidled on over and took the last seat at the table. "So what are you three doing here," I asked, genuinely curious. Both Gegory and Maria thought that this was a good time to look elsewhere as Volvo replied acidly, "These two idiots thought it'd be fun to throw perfectly good bottles o' beer at each other. Well, one landed in da fireplace and burnt the tav'rn down."

Wanting to change the subject of his stupidity, Gegory asked about Rei. "How is she," he asked eagerly, too eager for Maria's taste. Five minutes later though, he was conscious again and sitting in his seat. I'd overheard Maria talkin' to Rei one night back in Yeshika 'bout "leaving her man alone" and so on. It was kinda funny if you ask me and it help me focus on better times. "Well, I don't know how she's doing. Two days ago she was kidnapped. In fact, a friend of mine is coming with me to save her," I grunted. The three were actually speechless for once before they each busted in with condolences and etc.

Just then, Bleary entered, carrying three backpacks full of supplies for our journey. His face paled, "Dad, is that you?" Volvo spun around and stared at Bleary for a moment before launching himself at my friend and tackling him. Thinking a fight was erupting, the barkeep dove behind the bar, a hand shooting up a moment later to pull two bottles of expensive Kanakan wine down with 'im. Bleary stumbled to his knees as the short old guy pounded him on the back. "Bleary, me boy, it's good to see ya," the geriatric superman shouted as he tousled his hair with a fist. Bleary's arms shot out and grabbed Volvo in a massive hug as the both of them laughed. After another coupla minutes, they disengaged and slapped each other a little more, some lookin' like they'd leave bruises.

Bleary's head jerked towards me as he exclaimed something enthusiastically and thoroughly unintelligible. He paused a minute before trying again, "I know where Rei is, we need to go!," yet again, his head jerked, this time towards Volvo, "Sorry dad, I've got to help Amada out. It will be dangerous." "Don't ya worry! Us three 'ill go with ya," Bleary's father blurted quickly. Maria and Gegory didn't look too overjoyed to be volunteered, but they looked up to the old man, so they nodded their approval. The door burst open as a young blond woman entered, furiously brushing away the uppity young winger who had made close to twenty passes at her in the three minutes they'd known each other. Once again, recognition struck me. "Jowal?! Rosa?! What are the two of you doing here," I blurted loudly. Was this some kind of unannounced reunion or something? Aiming a kick at the winger's knee, Rosa explained, "Moldun was taken by 'Harmonicans' or some such nonsense. At least, that is what this fool claims." Jowal laughed at the feeble attempt to drive him away, "Hah, you'll have to do better than that to get rid of me, you luscious lady! And I wasn't lying, if he happens to be like eight feet tall and hairy, then they've got 'im."