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Chapter 7: Mission

- Tell me again who made you qualified to do this?

Haruna felt like whining, but kept her composure. She watched miserably as another chunk of her hair was put aside by Tomomi. It was very annoying, really. Haruna might not have been the kind of person to place a huge amount of importance on her appearance, but she still enjoyed having hair. Now there she was, with a sorcerer she just met ripping her previously beautiful long hair away from her with a hunting knife.

- I grew up with two brothers and I was qualified enough to cut their hair, your highness.

- Do not call me that. I don't understand why we have to cut my hair, I've met lots of men with long hair, specially the knights.

- Would you like to make things easier or harder on us all? I don't believe the knights are as small as you, for starters.

- You're not exactly a pinnacle of height either, Tomomi.

- But I am not the one who needs to look like a man right now.

- That's a terrible idea, to be honest.

- But you agreed, now shush and let me do what I have to do.

Haruna did so. She didn't want to argue about that, her mind was way too tired for that right now. She hadn't slept very well, to say the least.

On top of her worries about her father and the people in the city, was a sequence of all the corpses she produced in that battle. The nightmare didn't let her sleep that night, it would come back every single time she closed her eyes. Soldiers hidden behind their helmets, she couldn't see their faces so the helmets were the things haunting her. She killed them. She had been in her obvious right to do so, given the situation, but she killed them. Those were lives that stopped because of her direct intervention.

It was a very unsettling feeling. She had no pity for the enemies, she knew it was either them or her, but she still felt so strange about it.

- Now you're way too quiet. Is there something wrong, your highness?

- I said do not call me that. And aside from losing my hair and my city, no, there's nothing wrong.

- You don't need to use that tone with me. - Tomomi told her in a lower voice, which made Haruna wonder if she made her upset - I know where you stand, I may have lost my city as well.

Haruna closed her eyes and sighed. Right, she wasn't really thinking about that part after reminiscing on her nightmares. Tomomi may not have fought a battle and killed a bunch of soldiers, but aside from that, they were in the exact same place.

- You said your brother put you on that boat, right?

- Right, my little brother. He's always been more of a fighting type than I was.

- How old is he?

- He's 14...

Tomomi's voice vanished and she stopped her movements with the knife for a moment. Haruna felt horrible. She made Tomomi think of what could be happening to her brother back in the islands.

- We're going to make sure he's fine. - she said without really thinking, staring at her feet - Once we figure out what to do with my arm, we'll find a way to go there and check on him. Who knows, maybe your people kicked Seiryu's butt off the islands by now.

- I appreciate the wishful thinking. - Tomomi continued her work on Haruna's hair. She was almost done now. - Your highness you don't want me to refer to you like this as a princess, so how should I address you?