Sang's POV:

Once the meeting was over I went to talk with Wil privately.

My body moved through the house's corridors automatically, my face a mask of calm and control while my brain screamed at me in panic.

I wasn't prepared to assume the control of a clan. The responsibility was too much for me to handle.

A part of me, the more calm and analytical side of my personality, reminded my most emotional self that I had been trained my whole life to this purpose, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

Knowing that didn't make the task ahead any less daunting, however. My only saving grace were my ninjas. I had no doubt they were very good at what they did, and I trusted Blackbourne-san to keep them in line and focused in helping the clan.

Once I arrived in front of the door that led to Wil's rooms I knocked lightly at the door and waited.

The boys had wanted for me to take an escort with me while visiting Wil, but I wished to talk with him privately one last time before my departure the next morning and I couldn't do that with a ninja outside the door.

"Come in!" Said Wil from inside the room.

I opened the door and entered, seeing that he was sitting in one of the arm chairs to one side of the room, reading a book.

A few days ago I didn't even known Wil could read, now he was the heir to a clan, a clan that had been enemy to mine for generations.

My world was spinning without any chance of stopping and all I could do was keep moving so as not be left behind.

"You wished to speak with me Winchester-sama." I asked formally.

He smiled at me and put down his book after having marked the page.

I sat in the chair that was facing his, keeping my face blank of expression.

"Indeed, Sorenson-sama. I need to discuss with you something that is been in my mind for a few years now."

I raised my eyebrow at him. I had no doubt Wil had a lot in his mind after the long years he spent working and spying in my clan for whatever reason he'd chosen.

His smile turned apologetic, as if reading where my thoughts had gone. Since we were as close as siblings I could bet he knew what I was thinking.

"First I'd like to apologize once more for keeping so much information from you, Sang." He said, his voice sounding contrite and the look in his brown eyes showing his regret.

It didn't mean he wouldn't do the same thing again, but I knew that the weight of responsibility from his position as heir to a clan forced him to take certain actions even if he didn't like it.

The most powerful person in a room was the one with the smallest number of choices.

"Why?" I asked simply. It was the simplest of all the questions bombarding my mind, causing chaos and mayhem.

"I had my reasons." He said.

"Why Wil?" I asked again with more strength. Neither of us would be leaving this room until I got my answers.

He sighed. "I went to the Sorensons as a child to infiltrate the clan and find out if the things my father was saying were true. I was already starting to doubt his good intentions and began to investigate his stories to check who were really my enemies and my allies." His brown eyes looked into mine with a seriousness and directness I didn't see normally in the shy and playful boy I knew so well.

This person before me wasn't "Wil-the-childhood-friend" but "Wil-the-Heir".

"What I found was that most of the problems between our clans were started by my father's men instead of yours as he often accused. But I also found out that the Sorensons were no friends of mine. Until I found out about you."

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, eyes unfocused, staring into an old memory. "We had been friends for three years already when I found confirmation that you were indeed the true heiress to the Sorenson clan. It was then that an idea started forming in my head."

His eyes focused back on mine, a determined and excited light on them. "I wanted to ally our clans to each other and I knew that with us as heads of the clans, that would be possible."

"So you befriended me before you knew who I was?" This point was very important for my mental health. I had already had several revelations this past few days, I needed to know that something from my old life remained as it was.

"Yes." He said without hesitation and I sighed in relief.

"So, we are still friends?" I asked, this time feeling a little shy.

He smiled at me, his gaze hopeful, "I hope so, if you still want after I lied to you."

I nodded my head, having already forgiven him. "So we need to prepare for an alliance between clans, how do we go about that?"

He straightened and smirked at me, "Don't worry, I have a plan for that."

I didn't know whether to be happy or worried about that smile.

......

Kota's POV:

The next morning was going as we planned. Jack-sama was under close watch by Luke and Nathan.

Elise and Marie had locked themselves in their rooms but were under watch of other teams of ninjas from the clan Academy.

Sang had gone alone to visit with Wil-sama again, much to our dismay, but we didn't complain too much, mostly because we were still in shock of the amount of trust and autonomy she'd bestowed upon us.

Were it any other person I'd be calling them a fool for doing so, but I knew Sang was smart, and the decision she made, even if reckless for many, couldn't be better for her.

Now there was no way we could ever leave her the way we were leaving our current master.

Family was a choice but making Sang Sorenson a part of our family had just become a permanent decision.

"Kota-kun." Victor called and I turned from the servants who were carrying our bags into the wagons to look at him.

One of my oldest friends, Victor was the quieter in the family and the one with most difficulty in making a kill. Not because he wasn't skilled enough, my friends were all deadly, but Victor was the gentlest of them all.

"Yes?" I asked him, fixing my glasses in my nose.

Victor shuffled his feet, a decidedly uncomfortable expression on his face. "I was just thinking..." he paused and I prayed for patience, pasting on my "You-can-tell-me-anything" face which came with a gentle smile that spoke of a trustworthy personality.

"Now that we are free to work in any way Blackbourne-san chooses in order to help Sang and hers, our, clan I was wondering what I would be doing to help."

I blinked at him feeling confused. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to get a clear picture of the reason for his doubt.

He shuffled a little more before lowering his head and answering "I don't want to kill anymore, Kota. But I am good for nothing else." He said shamefully.

My mouth fell open in shock and I couldn't believe what my ears were listening.

"What?" I am pretty sure I shouted at him, considering the way he flinched away from me and I immediately controlled myself with a little counting.

One, one-thousand...

Two, one-thousand...

Three, one-thousand...

Calmer I asked again, "What do you mean you are good for nothing but killing, Victor? You were trained the same way we all were, everything we can do, so can you."

"Not everything." He said, raising his head to meet my eyes. "You all have some specialty. Nathan and North are very good at killing, you and Blackbourne-san at strategy, Silas and Luke in retrieval and Gabriel is the king of reconnoitering. Sean-san is a doctor. I am nothing."

I frowned at him, it was true Victor didn't specialize at anything, but that didn't mean he was "nothing", he was the gentle soul of our scarred family, the musician. I didn't know how to prove the importance of that to him thought.

I was saved from having to give him an answer by a servant who came running at us, a panicked look on his face.

"Lee-san! Lee-san! There is an emergency! The Sorensons disappeared!"

Well, shit.

......

Wil's POV:

The knock at the door sounded just as Sang and I were rising to hug and say good-bye.

I would miss my friend and didn't appreciate the interruption of our private moment.

"Come in!" I said a little loudly, my tone sounding annoyed, and Sang shot me a glare for being rude.

I smiled at her.

The door to my room opened and a servant appeared in the doorway, his skin pale and hands shacking in nervousness, "My L-lord, we have a pro-problem!" he said shakily.

Sang immediately moved closer to the man, instinctively wanting to stop his I distress but not knowing how.

I followed after her, keeping alert.

"The ladies from the Sorenson clan disappeared, my lord." The servant said.

Sang gasped, her eyes widening in shock, her hands covering her mouth.

I glared at the servant. "What do you mean by "they disappeared"?"

The man sputtered an apology saying that the women had gone for a bath and when they stayed out too long the guard went into the Onsen only to find it completely empty.

I felt the beginning of a headache and turned to Sang. "You need to go right now." I told her.

She turned her green eyes to me and nodded her head. She knew that if her step-mom arrived at the clan before her, the woman could poison the people against her and take her place as head of the clan along with Marie.

We ran out of the room and to the front of the house stopping at the gate where the servants were already running madly to obey the furious shouts and orders coming from Kota-kun and North-kun.

The two boys were obviously aware of the need for speed and doing all that they could to accelerate the process.

"Mistress!" Owen Blackbourne arrived mounted on his grey horse and leading a white one behind him, "I would like to suggest we travel ahead from the wagons, Sorenson-sama." He said politely. "I've already prepared your horse and called for an escort." He added pointing first to the white horse and then to Nathan, Silas and Gabriel who were already mounted and coming after them.

Sang smiled and thanked him before getting up into her horse with my help.

Once she was situated and ready to go she turned her gaze back to me, her deeply green eyes looking determined with the old steel-like strength I always thought would make of her a great leader someday.

"Until next time, my dear friend." She said loud enough for all to hear.

"Until next time, Sang-sama." I answered just as loudly.

And then she was gone, leading her escort back to the Sorenson clan, ignoring the whispers that followed.

By nightfall all would know about our words of departure, and speculation of our relationship would arise.

Hopefully, all would end well.