Passion

To the East

"I told you" a boy shouted as he spun and pinned his sparring partner to the ground with a strong elbow, "you're wide open."

"Well," he coughed, "you could at least be a little nicer about it, Chris."

"You're gonna have to toughen up if you want to be a soldier, Kazuya."

Chris extended his hand to the boy he bested in combat and heaved him upward. He and Miyuki were the youngest in the courtyard, training to join the Royal Army. Miyuki had twice beaten every other soldier-hopeful in hand-to-hand combat, but when sparring Chris, he could never get the upper hand. Actually, he could never get the upper hand in any competition with Chris-- sparring, sword-fighting, archery, horse-riding, and even strategy. Miyuki really looked up to him in every way.

"Let's be honest, we're practically already soldiers. I mean," he leaned in and spoke quietly "we're only twelve and waaaay better than all of them."

Miyuki's true colors bled through his facade in the form of a mischievous grin. Chris was sure the only reason he isn't the constant victim of relentless beatings from the other trainees is because Miyuki is a damn good fighter and quick on his feet. In the two years he's known the enigma that is Miyuki Kazuya, Chris had never experienced a boring moment.

"You're forgetting, I'm thirteen" he responded with a smile of his own.

"Takigawa Yuu, report to the Lieutenant immediately!" 

Chris turned, confusion apparent on his face, and made his way to the office of the Lieutenant.

---------------------------------------------

That was the last time he had seen Chris. Only later would he learn that Chris' father had been killed by enemy combatants. Chris never returned to training after that, and Miyuki rose to the top of the ranks completely unrivaled.

Now here he was, ten years later, pushing Elara to her limits in the dead of night. His breath came in short puffs, chest heaving in time with the light sound of hooves. His steed was a miraculous one, light on her feet and quite clever. He fell in love with her the moment he saw her-- beautiful white coat and a light creme mane. She made a name for herself quite quickly as she was feisty and blessed with an abundance of energy. Miyuki can still feel the ache in his abdomen from laughing the day he picked her out from the field. Elara had outrun all of the handlers, toying with them, even. He knew right then and there that she was the only one for him.

He wasn't sure exactly where he was going, in all honesty. He knew that Chris came from the Eastern villages but an exact location was never mentioned. All he knew was that with Elara's quick pace and stamina, he could make it there by first light. 

His senses were battle ready, heightened to the maximum while analyzing every minute movement of the dense forest around him. It was a full moon which made it easier to see but made him all the more visible. Miyuki did his best to stick to the shadows and stay out of sight but he knew better than anyone that Elara's coat reflected the illumination of the moon. He made the swift decision to stop briefly for the sake of his steed.

They slowed to a trot and veered off the path, soon approaching a small stream. Elara busied herself with the water, lapping steadily. 

"Slow down there, pretty girl. Save some for me" he spoke affectionately to which she whinnied in response. "Hey, don't get that attitude with me missy!" Miyuki splashed some water onto Elara, completely unprepared to receive a splash from her in return. 

Well... splash was an understatement. He stood there soaked from the waist up.

Oh how he loved his girl.

He grabbed an apple from the bag he packed and tossed it towards her. While she snacked, Miyuki removed his top most layers and slung them over some rocks nearby. Thank goodness it's summer because otherwise, he would be quite cold at the moment. 

In the full light of the moon, the general stood exposed. His sun and battle tempered skin bore the scars of many fights. After successfully drying himself off with some extra cloth from his bag, Miyuki stood and wrung his garments of excess water and quickly redressed. If he remembered correctly, they still had a dozen leagues to cover and he couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"No time like the present, lovely. Let's get a move on."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scattered hues of orange and pink signaled the rapid approach of first light. Trees became sparse as the two travelers exited the Eastern Forest. A tinted landscape spanned before them. Within minutes of exiting the forest, rolling hills gave way to cobbled pathways. They were close.

The general slowed down the pace as they neared the front gates of the Eastern Villages. He dismounted and pulled up his hood, leading Elara into the villages.

Now how the hell am I going to find Chris?