She had done everything. She gave everything for the people she loved and the place she called home. "Ice Princess" was the title she was given by some of those not-so-loyal subjects. To her friends, she was just "Rima". To the kingdom, she was simply "the princess". Those who referred to her as the "Ice Princess", didn't know why she was so cold. They merely knew that she was. I, however, knew it was one of her many survival mechanisms. Having to rule a kingdom at war, while your parents are too busy at war with each other to help you, at only fifteen, would have you pretty messed up too. She had to be strong, for everyone. She couldn't be weak. So, she had to be cold. Yet, the ice princess had a weakness she would never overcome.
We were losing -badly. Everyone feared the day when it would all end. What would become of them? Would they be enslaved? Killed? They were all selfish. All of them. Even her parents. No one knew of her plan. Not even our friends. I, however, found out by chance. I didn't tell the others. I wouldn't until I was sure. I didn't know it would be too late.
-flashback-
I followed her. Sneaking out of the castle at this late of an hour? I forgot to mention that we all were living in the castle nowadays; all who considered themselves her friends. It was safer there. I trailed her through the night, keeping a close distance. She would just send me back if she knew.
She arrived in a clearing in the woods, a great distance away from the castle, and everyone else. I found a good hiding spot up in a quiet tree to watch. Venice Bartok emerged on the other side of the clearing. He was the one we had been fighting this whole war against; the one causing all this pain. It took all my strength to stay quiet and hidden at the sight of his face. It wasn't that ugly, he was just a major jerk.
They approached each other. That's when I noticed that they were wearing matching rings. OH MY GOSH THEY'RE ENGAGED! No. She wouldn't have done that, would she? Maybe, if it would end the war...
Just then, the rings started glowing, the nearer they got. I could now see that Venice had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. Yup, they definitely weren't engaged. He wanted her dead. They both reached out with their right hand and grabbed the other's. No. No, no, NO. They didn't...
Of course, I knew I was wrong for the second time. They had made one of those magical promise-thingies that binds the two or more people with rings. The name was in another language, so i didn't even bother with the pronunciation. The ring would kill you if you didn't do what you promised within the stated amount of time. I knew this was where the promises would be stated. Something would happen, but I didn't know what yet. I decided to wait and see. Their hands were still clasped together. Golden vines now emerged from the two rings, winding their way up the owner's arm.
Rima spoke, in an almost-whisper. Still, she sounded confident. "You will excuse all offenses against you, and rule the kingdom without changing the traditions. You will not change or make any laws for your own benefit. You will allow the law-making council to remain chosen by the public. You will not oppress the citizens of the kingdom. You will not detain, enslave, or punish citizens without proper reason and trial. You will not prevent citizens or the like from leaving the kingdom if they do so wish."
Venice seemed to ponder it for a moment. "Agreed." He said. It was his turn now.
"You will consume all contents of the potion vial so mentioned," he motioned to a vial of thick, red liquid one of his dumb goons was holding, "before you leave here tonight, and you will do nothing, magical or otherwise, to prevent or reverse it's effects."
"Agreed." I inwardly panicked. "Oh, and one more thing. You will not harm Nagihiko... Or any of my friends or family for that matter."
Surely she knew what she was getting into, right? Of course she did. She was doing it for her people. For her kingdom. So didn't she fear that it was poison she agreed to drink? Why did she mention me? Had she seen me?
The golden vines that bound them together seemed to sink into their skin. Their hands then looked perfectly normal. The rings remained. The two hands broke apart.
I held my breath as Rima was handed the vial. She stood back from everyone else. She was now right under the tree I was hiding in. She looked lost in thought and smiled, as if to say goodbye to whoever she was thinking of. Probably Amu and the rest of her friends. In one swift motion, she had drained the contents of the tiny bottle.
She groaned and clutched her head. I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped down from the tree, grabbing her shoulders. "Rima!" I yelled. She was still in pain, I could tell. She was swaying. She fell over, giving into it. I caught her before she collided with the ground. All I could do was glare at the evil man who stood before me.
"Isn't that sweet?" He smiled maliciously. "Well, now that you've caught her, you can carry her body back to my palace. You have three days to have your little pity-party before I'm moving in."
"You're a monster." I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.
"Why, thank you." I picked Rima up, as his burly goons shoved me in the direction of the palace. She was writhing in pain, and I doubt she knew what was even going on around her. She barely registered that I had picked her up. She whimpered and cried. There were tears staining her small, innocent face. I suddenly wanted to murder Venice Bartok more than ever before.
It seemed her pain had subsided, when we were halfway back to the castle. She stopped struggling. "Fujisaki?" I looked down at her, and smiled. "Why are you carrying me? I can walk." She hopped out of my arms, and started dragging herself along the path.
"Rima, you're too weak! You'll hurt yourself!" She stopped.
"I guess you're right. We'll get there faster if I let you." She collapsed, and I picked her up again. She was having trouble finding the strength to speak now. "Can we hurry? You know what's going to happen. I want to be in my room when... you know..." She trailed off. I nodded, tears streaming down my own face now. "Don't tell anyone, though. I don't want them to see me like this. I want them to remember me strong." I was running now.
"Stop talking, now. I know what to do. Save your energy for staying with us as long as possible." I told her. My voice cracked. Stay with me... I couldn't help but think. She closed her eyes.
I ran into the castle and dashed up the stairs. I tried to be quick and quiet so not to wake up anyone. There was no one around now. It was in the early, dark hours of the morning. I was in the hallway leading to her room. "Hurry" she croaked. It was barely audiable. I used all of my energy and focused on getting her to her room. We were running out of time. The tears were coming faster and hotter now.
I had burst into her room, finally. I took a few fast strides, and was standing beside her bed. She sensed that we had stopped, and her eyes fluttered open. She took in the familiar surroundings, and gave the faintest hint of a smile. "Thank... you," She whispered. He breath was raspy and struggling, and it took a lot of her effort just to say these few words. I smiled at her through the tears that clouded my vision. I wiped them away, not wanting to miss a second of her time left. "...Nagihiko." she finished. This was the first, and last time she would address me by my name. My first name. I smiled wider.
She closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "Go." I whispered, "You're free now. From all your trouble. Everything. Go." She smiled, and grew cold in my arms. Choking back sobs, I laid her down on her bed. She looked peaceful.
I knelt by her bed and stayed there for a long time, crying. For a long time we had been strong. We acted as adults, and were treated the same way. For once, I let myself be a fifteen year old boy that had just watched his friend die in his arms. This wasn't right. The peaceful-looking girl in Rima's bed wasn't her. Rima smiled rarely, laughed even less, scowled often, and didn't call me by my first name, if by my name at all. I gasped, coming to a realization.
She had chosen her words carefully. I had seen her thinking of the right thing to say. So what had her last word been? Me. My name. I cried harder.
I was angry. Angry at the people who had hated her, when they didn't know her. Angry at her parents, for being to absorbed in their own petty problems to stop this. Angry at myself, for allowing this to happen. For not getting the chance to tell her just how I felt about her. Mostly though, because I still didn't know.
After a while, I had gone to one of the first of the castle staff to be awake. I knew she could see that I had been crying. I didn't care. "Please wake all of the Princess's friends and her parents. Tell them to meet me in front of the door to her chambers. There's no need or time to get ready. This is important. No one is to see the princess until after then."
She did as she was told. Soon enough, everyone was standing just outside her room. When everyone had gathered, I emerged from her room. Everyone grew sullen, even her parents, when they saw me. I still had tears on my face.
"Nagi? What's the matter? Are you okay?" Amu started. I really did appreciate the concern, but my mood was too sour.
"I know you're worried. But let me tell you the story." I began. Everyone nodded. Her parents even, were listening intently. "Rima went out last night. She met with Venice Bartok." There was a collective gasp. "Please let me finish. You must understand her actions." They agreed, and I continued. "They made a deal. It was one of those magical promises that you can't ever break. It'll kill you if you break it. I'm sure you all know that. Her side of the deal was to end the war. It was more of a surrender. She made him agree to treat everyone fairly when he took power. But, his end of the deal was that she... drink a potion." Everyone gasped. They all asked something to the extent of "what kind of potion?!" I continued. "The potion's purpose, was to act as poison." I concluded.
Everyone panicked. I opened the door, seeing that I had thoroughly explained what had happened. Everyone rushed in. Upon seeing her, Yaya burst into tears. Amu was crying, but her fists were clenched. Tadase couldn't look at her. Ikuto looked sullen. Kairi had a finger wrapped around his chin, but that didn't hide the shock in his eyes. Utau buried her head in Kukai's shoulder. Kukai was biting his lip and squinting his eyes shut, as if the sight gave him physical pain. Rima's father, however, was yelling.
"You! Fujisaki! If you saw what happened, why did you let her drink that? Why did you let this happen?!" Though I could tell he was only grieving, I felt my rage boil up inside me. I balled my hands into fists, but before I could say anything, Rima's mother spoke up.
"Were you even listening to the boy?! He said that when he realized what was happening, she had already made the promise! He couldn't have done anything! If she didn't drink it, then the magic or whatever would have killed her anyway!" she shouted.
"Look at you two! It's your own fault! While you two have been arguing, Rima has been the one holding everything together! The kingdom was at war. She was fifteen! You all should have been the ones sheltering her from all of this. She was a better ruler than you guys ever were!" I exploded. They both gaped in shock. Then, Rima's mother reluctantly ran to her husband's arms, and sobbed. He was too bewildered to speak. They both looked.. apologetic.
-end flashback-
That's how I ended up here, in the secret magic library or whatever, looking frantically through books. That was only yesterday. I had found a loophole while I was thinking. She couldn't do anything 'magic or otherwise' to bring her back, but I could. I had been here for hours, and found nothing.
I sat back in frustration, glaring at the portrait of Rima hanging on the wall. "What do I have to do?!" I shouted at it. To my surprise, it glared back.
"Now why should I tell you?" Rima asked, boredly.
"You can talk?!" I asked, bewildered.
"Oh, so you yell at a magical painting in a magical library, and expect it not to yell back at you?!" She exclaimed.
"I'd never seen a magic painting before..." I explained "so, will you tell me how to bring Rima back?!"
"You are so dense. Read that." She pointed. She gave me directions until I found the book she was talking about. It was Snow White. Though I knew the story, I did as she instructed.
"How does this help? It's only a fairy tale." I told her, after I had finished. It was fairly short, being meant for children.
"Well, in the story, who was the princess?"
"Snow White."
"Who wanted to rule her kingdom?"
"The evil queen."
"And what did she do to Snow White?"
"Poisoned her... Oh, now I see."
"Do you? So do you know how to cure her?"
"No. Stuff like that only happens in books. Rima hasn't even met any princes, much less any who love her."
"Why are you trying to save her, anyway? If you know it's hopeless, then why? The others are mourning. Why do you try?" She did make a good point. If Amu or one of them died, I surely wouldn't be doing insane stuff like looking for magic cures...
"Also, it didn't have to be a prince. It just had to be someone who she had accepted, and who loved her."
"But Rima never loved anyone like that! She was fifteen! How am I ever going to save her?"
"You really are dense. What was the last word she said?"
"My name. Why?"
"She chose you, idiot. Did you ever stop to question why she mentioned your name in the promise? She knew you were in that tree the whole time. Or why she chose for your name to be the last thing she said? Who was with her when she died? She was hinting that you were the one she chose, whether she realized it or not. She knew if anyone was going to figure out how to undo this, it would be you. You knew the most about the situation. You saw it happen. She made it so that you could do this, if you ever figured it out, even if she didn't mean to. She chose you. You have to be the one to save her. She might not even realize what she did, but this is the way it has to be, if she's to come back. And you're right. She can't do anything to save herself, but you can... If you stop being an idiot."
"But that only works in fairy tales! This is life!" I protested.
"Well, I hate to break it to you man, but you're living in a fairy tale." I guess that made sense. Magic is what made this happen, right? "Oh, and there is a catch. Since she unintentionally chose you, you have to love her back for it to work."
"I can't kiss Rima!"
"Why not?"
"..." I guess that made sense, too. Did I love Rima?
"Face it, man. You cried harder and longer than anyone else over her. You were so worried about her that you followed her. You were so distraught afterwords, you searched for days for a magic cure. You love her. You have for a long time. There's nothing you can do about it, either. If you want to save her, which you obviously do, you need to face the facts. Oh, and you're running out of time."
"... I guess... I'll need to figure this out on my own."
"There ya go, moron. Good for you. Now go. Your stupidity is getting on my nerves." Geez, the painting even had Rima's personality.
I ran out of the little room in the top of the tower, and down the stairs. I had missed the service, and they were now wheeling a neat little box out of the front door of the castle to be buried on the grounds. Why was I so desperate to stop them? Was the obnoxious girl in the painting correct? And there's the most important decision I had to make; did I love her?
I did love her, but as what? A friend? No. I loved her? Maybe. As I stopped the men moving the box and begged them to open it one last time, I came to a realization. Maybe the guy realized it before I did, because he patted me on the back sadly. I loved her. He thought I'd never see the girl I loved after this, so he gently complied with my request. I sure hoped he was wrong.
A little girl in a little box, clutching a bouquet of flowers was facing me. I knew this face. I could see it in my mind; scowling. Glaring. Smiling. Laughing. She was imprinted on the back of my eyelids, and I knew I would never forget her. She was the one I fell in love with. I needed her in my life, and so did the rest of the kingdom. Everyone was watching me.
Without thinking, I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to hers. Slowly, hers grew warmer, and softer, and-
WHACK!
I rubbed my face where she had slapped me. Her eyes fluttered open, and she clutched her head as she sat up slowly, wincing. There was a collective gasp as they realized what happened. Yaya was the first to speak. "RIMA-TAN!" She squealed, running up and hugging her tightly.
"Rima!" Amu.
"Mashiro-san!" Tadase.
"Oi! You're okay!" Kukai.
"Fujisaki woke you up!" Utau.
"... Interesting." Kairi. His glasses glinted.
...Creep.
All of her friends followed Yaya's example, except for Ikuto, who just muttered a nonchalant "Shrimp's awake, huh?". Even Kairi somehow got pulled into the hug. They didn't even give her a chance to step out of her coffin. The crowd parted ways as her parents stepped forward.
"Rima, we're so sorry. For everything." was all her mother could say before she was overwhelmed by happy tears. Her father did the same.
"NAGI! YOU'RE LIKE RIMA'S PRINCE CHARMING!" Yaya exclaimed, causing me to blush crimson.
Rima's father, the king, broke away from her, nodding. "I owe you an apology, young man. You didn't deserve the way I treated you yesterday. I was looking for someone to blame, as I always did. You called me to my senses. I've been so blind for the past two years to not see how much I was putting everyone through. Then, you brought my daughter back. That's three things now. I'd like to repay you with my daughter's hand in marriage." Oh, how cliche, I thought. Then, I realized I had just kissed Rima, the princess, in front of her father...
"Nice! You just scored yourself a princess, Fujisaki!" Kukai thumped me on the back. I blushed again.
"T-Thank you, sir. But, I'd like to wait for a while before I consider marriage." I replied politely.
Rima's mother scolded her husband softly behind her hand. "... only fifteen... marriage? REALLY?... a chance... later." Then, she turned to her daughter. "Rima! You were dead, and someone brings you back and you SLAP THEM?!" she scolds. "That is not how a proper princess behaves! That young man deserves a thank you for all he's done, and I am going to make sure he gets it!"
Rima looked down at her feet, obviously not used to her parents behaving like parents.
"That's really not necessa-" I began.
"Thank you." She said
"Thank you who for doing what?" Her mother prodded. She was really trying to make up for the past two years.
"Thank you Fujisaki for stealing my first kiss." I laughed awkwardly. Her mother angrily glared at her. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"ThankyouNagihikoforsavingme." she muttered.
"That's better, Rima. Well, I think you two need to talk. ALONE." her mother said, pushing us up the stairs and into Rima's room. We heard her ask two guards to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and then she left, shutting the door. From behind the door, we heard her tell the guards that they weren't to repeat anything they heard to anyone, or she would have their ears removed. That seems kind of harsh. (A/N: I know what you pervs are thinking! It's not like that!)
"Why did it have to be you? Why couldn't someone else have done it?" She asked, as soon as we were alone.
"Well, who would you want to have done it?" I asked, disappointed. She thought for a moment. Then, she sighed.
"Well, I guess you aren't that bad after all, once I consider my choices..." I smirked.
"It wouldn't have worked if it was anyone else anyway."
"What? Why? What, am I in some kind of storybook?" I laughed.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're living in a fairy tale." I quoted. "You mentioned me in that promise you made with Bartok, I was the only person there when you died, and the last thing you said was my name. Apparently, that meant that you, unintentionally that is, chose me to be the one to cure you." She growled.
"Okay. So what took you so long then? It's been a day and a half. What did you all do when I was dead?"
"Really, after you died, I cried for hours, until morning. Then, I told everyone else. They all cried too. I think even Kukai did, but not Ikuto. Then, I spent almost a day combing this secret magical library thing to find a way to bring you back. I couldn't find anything, so I yelled at this painting of you that was hanging in there. It was a magic painting, apparently, and it told me I was dense and explained how to get you back, like I was a four-year-old."
"Ha, that sounds about right." she smiled. It was nice to see her radiant smile again, as opposed to her dull, lifeless face. I hoped I never saw that again. "So, wait. Why did you of all people spend all this time looking for ways to save me?" Dang it. I had hoped to avoid this. I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand.
"I love you?" I finally tried. I mean, why not? She wouldn't tell anyone. She'd be too embarrassed. And the guards wouldn't either. And everyone probably figured it out anyway. What did I have to lose?
She actually looked... Shocked. Dang it! Here it comes... I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. My hands formed fists at my sides. I let the air out fast and braced myself for rejection. I felt small arms wrap around me, and when I opened my eyes, Rima was hugging me. Her face was buried in my shirt. I hugged her back.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry." I heard her mumble against me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Thank you. You saved me. I slapped you. I'm sorry. Me too."
"'Me too'?" I was really confused now.
"You said you love me. I said 'me too'." She replied. Her voice was still muffled from her head being buried in my chest.
"What do you mean 'me too'?" I asked. Now I just wanted to annoy her because, frankly, it was adorable. She growled and looked up at me. My arms were still wrapped around her small frame.
"I... loveyoutoo." She said.
"Come again?" I smirked, "Could you say that a little slower?" She looked away from me. I was going to win this.
"I... love you too, idiot."
"That's better." I said. I pulled her in again and kissed her, before she could even react. When I pulled away, she gave a small gasp and touched two fingers to her bottom lip, looking shocked. "But, if you're nicer, next time I won't surprise you." I said, smirking.
"Or, I can stay this way. I tend to like surprises, thank-you-very-much." She said, turning away and crossing her arms in front of her. Her back was facing me. I took two steps forward and wrapped my arms around her, reminding myself of what Ikuto does to Amu.
"Please be nice, Rima-chan." I whispered in her ear, deciding to use this inspiration. I saw her face glow pink. She pushed me away.
"Get off me! I don't like perverts, you know! Quit acting like Ikuto!" She growled. I laughed, while she pouted. I was really glad she was okay. And better yet, I knew how she felt about me.
"Rima?"
"WHAT?!" She demanded. She turned back around, and saw I was serious. "What?"
"Don't ever do that again. Don't leave... Don't leave me. I was a mess with you gone. I'm sorry I was too much of an idiot to see it before, but I need you here. I love you. I don't want to lose you again. I know like that sounds like the cheesiest thing ever, but I mean it." I never looked away from her eyes. They seemed filled with wonder that someone could care about her and love her as much as I do. I hope I can show her that every day. Show her how important she is to me.
"You are an idiot." She just buried her head in my shirt again. "I promise." I heard. Then, there came a gasp of realization. "What are we going to do about Venice?"
Gently pushing her chin up, I forced her to look up at me. "Looks like we're going to have to kick some butt." She smiled.
"Can we burn that awful coffin, and then kick some butt?" Her eyes were big and pleading. Like a toddler wanting ice-cream or something. I smiled back.
"Sure. Come on. Let's get the others and come up with a plan. Your parents will really be helpful now. Let's go." I held out my hand, and she knitted her fingers between mine as we walked confidently out of her room.
"YES! Mashiro Rima is BACK!" She announced to the world, fist-pumping. Her eyes glinted in determination. I chuckled. So this is how the story ends... It wasn't a classic Happily-Ever-After, but hey. I'll take what I can get.
A/N: Yes, this is my first story. Please review! If you hate this, that's okay. Just tell me why. My second story is up, so please read! Reviews are always welcome.