Chapter One: A Promise from Long Ago

"As long as I'm alive you'll never be free. You'll be stuck as a shadow forever, but don't worry. Someday, maybe in another life, we'll meet again and the two of us will start anew. Once you are free, my Shadow Warrior."

That was a promise that was made long ago between a princess and her protector known as the Shadow Warrior. A promise that the two of them would meet again, even if it had to be in a different time. A promise that has seemed to have been lost throughout the centuries. A promise made by a dying princess to her protector. The two were bound to remain together as master and servant, but Princess Ume Kohaku didn't want this for her protector. She wanted him to be free.

Living in a time of war, Princess Ume was always a target to cripple her people. For if she were gone, her homeland would soon follow. But she didn't believe that. She knew her people were strong and if she was to fall her people would stand against the enemy in her name and bring victory to their homeland. The day she sacrificed everything was also the day when the Shadow Warrior lost everything.

"Father! You can't do this to your people! Those villagers look to you for guidance when times are like these! Why are you abandoning them when they need us the most!?"

Ume's father stood up from his seat after his daughter's angry outburst. With his height the setting sun caused his headpiece to give off a golden shine against his mud brown hair. His skin was pale white but not a sickly pale white like most would think.

"Ume, I can't afford to risk my army to defend a small village of a few hundred people when they're needed here to protect the capital. I'm sorry, but their sacrifice will be the greater good for all."

"Good for all? How can you say that father?! You're going to abandon them? People who trust you! How do we expect the other villages to trust us when they see you abandoning them one by one for our enemy to pick off!?"

"Don't question me Ume!! Don't you ever question me!! When the day comes when you're the one sitting up here, making the decisions for a land that is at war you will not question me! Now, get out of my sight before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

"A bigger fool of myself you say father?" Ume couldn't help but clench her hands into tight fists. "I rather be a fool then be a ruler who couldn't give a damn about his own people! You sicken me father with your cowardly thinking that sacrificing this one village will satisfy the enemy in their goal to conquer our homeland!! You will be the one who will bring our homeland to its knees and when the enemy comes knocking on our front door you will be the one pleading for mercy, just like the villagers you're choosing to abandon!!"

"Ume! That is enough of your childish outburst! You may be my daughter, but don't think I won't treat you like everyone else with this defiance of yours! Go to your room! I don't want to see your face for the rest of the night!"

"As you wish my Lord," Ume sarcastically said as she bowed and then made her way out of the meeting hall before stopping again. "not like I have any choose to begin with." Ume finished with a whisper, but loud enough for her father to hear before quickly leaving before her father could say anymore to her.

With his daughter now upset with him Emperor Kohaku let out a heavy sigh as he sat back down in his seat. He understood where his daughter was coming from and he hated hearing those words come from her, but he also knew that the enemy was getting stronger each day and he couldn't risk his arm to protect one small village when there were so many others who needed his attention.

"Seems that Princesscchi is really upset with you my Lord. Aren't you afraid that she might take action and go to defend the village by herself behind your back?" A male figure came out from one of the pillars that outlined the sides of the meet hall. He was of averaged height and his blonde hair and eyes shined when the sun's rays shined on them. A sliver loop earring in his left ear and he had a natural pretty face.

"Kise, being sneaky as usual, but that's one of the reasons why you're part of my special group of warriors."

"And I am grateful for that my Lord, but if I may speak freely about what Princesscchi said."

"Giving you permission has never stopped you from specking freely before Kise. What is it you have to say?"

"Well sir, I'm afraid I would have to agree with what the Princess. If the other villages see that you won't protect this one village they're going to think that they'll be next. They'll think, what's going to stop the Emperor from sacrificing us next. This could cause a problem for you in the people's eyes." Ryōta Kise knelt down in respect to his Emperor as he spoke.

"I can see where Ume is coming from. She has a big heart and she wants to protect everyone. But what she doesn't get is that when your land is at war with another... you can't always save everyone, no matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone." Emperor Kohaku tightly held on to a pendent that hung from his robs.

"You're talking about your wife, right my Lord?"

"Yes, I couldn't save her from this war and I know Ume wants to be out there, fighting to defend her homeland from invaders alongside you and the other warriors. You all have trained together since the day the group was established, but I can't let her. I can't lose her like I lost her mother. I want you to keep an eye on her Kise, you and the rest of your group. Tell them what you have heard here."

"Of course, but, what about Kurokocchi? You know he'll follow the Princess to the ends of the earth. The two of them are very close." Ryōta stood up to fulfill his orders his Emperor had given him.

"Keep an eye on him as well. I know he means well but I'm afraid that his affection for Ume clouds his judgment."

"As you wish." Ryōta quickly disappeared in a flash, leaving Emperor Kohaku to his thoughts and worries about his daughter and his people. He gets where Ume was coming from. He loves his people, but more than that he loves his daughter. He put her before his people and doing that only made it harder for him to make a decision hard as it was.

"Rei, what would you have done if you were here?"

Ume quickly stomped off to her room after the argument with her father. On the inside, her blood was boiling with anger and frustration towards her father and his lack of courage to protect his people. If it was her leading her country she wouldn't hesitate to send out help to her people. But her father, in her eyes her father was nothing more than a coward. When she got to her room she angrily opened the sliding door and quickly slammed it, almost causing it to come off its sliding track.

"Stupid father! I can't believe he said that to me without even hesitating about it. How can he do this to the people who look up to him? I just... don't understand anymore about what's going though that head of his. Mother wouldn't want this. She would want to fight and protect the village." Ume looked over to her Kotatsu Table that sat in the middle of her room. Sitting in the middle was a picture of her late mother. A beautiful young women whom Ume missed very much.

Ume walked over to her Kotatsu Table and picked up the photo before heading over to the sliding door that led out to the garden. Her and her mother's favorite place to go when they were feeling upset or needed a peaceful place to think. The garden was filled with plum and cherry trees and both were in full bloom. Shades of white, light pink, dark pink and red petals danced in the wind as a breeze blew through the garden. Ume had been told several times by her mother that the trees were in full bloom like this on the day she was born. That's why her name is Ume, which means Plum Blossom. Also stating that the Sakura name was too over used. She wanted her name to be different and that's why Ume loved her name so much.

She sat on the wooden deck that went along the perimeter of the garden and the house. Sitting there she began to remember the days when her mother would be sitting underneath the plum and sakura trees, humming a tune as the wind blew through the garden.

"Mother.... mother sing me a song will you mother?!" Ume started to hear the voice of her younger self.

"Sure, thing my little Plum Blossom. What song would you like to hear?" Her mother's gentle voice echoed in her head as she watched her mother stroke her chocolate brown her.

"Any song is fine with me mother. I just love hearing you sing."

"Well, that makes me really happy to hear you say that. Now, let's see... witch one should I sing to me lovely Plum Blossom?"

Ume's mother was just about to sing her first note when the vision suddenly disappeared. Someone was watching her, hiding in the shadows. With a heavy sigh and a smile. Ume cleared her throat and stood up from her seat.

"I know your there, Tetsuya. You can't sneak up on me like you can the enemy." Ume look up to the roof, sitting there was a boy with light blue hair and matching eyes.

"You're the only one whom I could never sneak up on, Princess." Tetsuya jumped down from the Japanese style tiles that lined the roof of the Kohaku manor.

"That's because I've known you for a long time Tetsuya, since we were small children, so I know all your tricks when it comes to sneaking up on people. I'm the one person you'll never be able to sneak up on." Ume ruffled Tetsuya's bright light blue hair after he sat down on the wooden deck. Ume took a seat once again, this time by her long time childhood friend. The two sat there for a while, staring out into the garden at the cherry and plum trees. Tetsuya could tell that there was something on his Princess' mind.

"Did something happen again between you and the Emperor?"

"Huh, so you could tell? Yeah, I just can't believe that he would do that he would just abandon a village like that. Thinking that they don't matter if we lost them." Ume scratched the back of her head before falling back on her back. "I just don't get my father."

"Maybe you should try putting yourself in his place. He's leading a country that's at war with another. He as the pressure of the elders and everyone. He's looking to them for guidance. That will one day fall on you and he wants this war to end by that time. He's probably thinks sacrificing a few can save many."

"How can you say that Tetsuya?! I don't care how much stress I would be under if I was ruling! I wouldn't sacrifice a village just to make it easy. I would fight to protect everyone, so no one would have to die!" Ume suddenly jumped up from where she was laying.

Tetsuya was surprised with what his Princess had said. Fighting so no one else would have to die? It was a nice thought, but it was also a thought that Tetsuya knew wasn't possible. In the time of war, there will always be casualties, no matter how hard you try to prevent it.

"Princess, I just think--"

"Tetsuya, do you remember the promise we made when we were younger?" Ume looked back at her old friend with a strange look in her eye.

"Of course, I do. As long as I still have breath in my body I will protect you. I am your shadow and I will support you and this kingdom as long as I can."

"Then I need you to do something for me or, I should say, come with me to a place that needs the two of us to help it out."