The Sunny Kingdom was a fairly quiet place in the early afternoon. Despite all the guards standing dutifully at their posts, advisors rushing around the halls with countless documents tucked under their arms, gardeners tending to the grounds, kitchen staff preparing meals, and the maids and butlers milling about their daily chores, the castle was just a murmur of busy noise and not much talking and giving of orders. Prince Shade honestly enjoyed the quiet of the castle. It gave him reprieve from his usual stress of his duties. With his mother being as ill fit as she was, it was up to him to take over a good majority of her usual tasks on top of his own obligations. He often had to replace her in meetings, see to her less important documents, and many more menial tasks among other things. Though his sister Milky was steadily growing into her role as the Moon Kingdom's princess, he still watched over her from time to time to keep her out of trouble. At times it was all very overwhelming. All the stress and pressure of making sure everything was perfect often exhausted him to the point where he just wanted to call it quits. And just when he was fed up with it all, she would come rushing in and make it all right again.

Princess Rein. The love of his life and his fiancée since 5 years ago. He was now a man of twenty years, and she, a growing woman of seventeen. It took him forever to build the confidence to propose to her. She, like him, had a lot on her plate to deal with; even more than he did since the Sunny Kingdom was the high monarchy in the entire star and they basically ran everything. Sure the other countries ruled their own kingdoms and provided support with each other, but you'd have to be a fool to not know that the Sunny Kingdom's Blessing of the Sun kept everything functioning. And right at the center of it all were the twin princesses who wielded its power: the Prominence. Just having the weight of his own kingdom's problems was enough for Shade, but to have the entirety of the star depend on you? At times, the placid prince questioned how they dealt with it all. When he finally did drop to the knee and asked her to be his for as long as they lived and onward, well, it was the happiest moment in their lives to say the least. Of course the only reason they hadn't been married quite yet was because they weren't of age. Legal marrying age in the Sunny Kingdom was eighteen years and they had been under that at the time. 'One more year' he had mused and then they'd officially be married. Until then, though at this point it was highly unnecessary, he had continued to court her as tradition dictated. Though, she quite did enjoy the light weight of the simple band on her ring finger despite having to wait. It became a comfort for him as well; it reminded himself that she was going to be forever his, and he, forever hers. What a thought indeed.

When he arrived to the castle on one of his days off of duties, a date they set aside to spend time with each other, he promptly strutted to the twins' bedroom hoping to find her there. When she hadn't been he urged one of the nearby maids to tell her where he'd be waiting for her, knowing it would be a waste of time to look for her himself; she tended to move around quite a lot. Nodding respectfully, the maid went about her task as Shade settled himself in the room. This wasn't the first time Prince Shade had found himself in the twins' bedroom waiting for Rein. No, she tended to not be punctual for many things he discovered as he spent time with her and her sister. Then again, he supposed, her attention span wouldn't allow her to stay in one place for long and vice versa. That is to say, she'd be so wrapped up into what had held her attention for so long that time would flitter away from her, unnoticed. 'It's a terrible flaw of mine,' she had told him once when he inquired her about it teasingly, 'one that drives Camelot absolutely mad,' she snickered lightly. He found that he couldn't help but laugh slightly with her at the light jab to the strict governess. 'Well,' he had thought, 'at least she's not afraid to admit she has flaws.'

Shade heaved a soft sigh through his nose and laid a little further back in the cushioned chair he found in the center of the moderately sized room. He closed his eyes hoping it would make the time pass a little quicker as he waited for his fiancée to arrive. Luckily for him he didn't have too much longer, because after about 10 minutes the one he had been patiently waiting for had suddenly shifted into the room. He stood to greet Rein and let a small smile form on his lips.

"Good afternoon, Rein. How are you?" The prince went in for a hug and Rein eagerly accepted the gesture with open arms of her own.

"I'm doing alright! How about you? Sorry to keep you waiting for me so long," she gave a lopsided grin to show her apology. He shook his head dismissing her concerns. Patience was a virtue after all.

"Don't worry about it." He squeezed her a tad more firmly and he felt her tense in his grip, but her smile never left her face. The prince raised a brow but decided to drop the question on his mind.

Breaking the embrace, Shade went to sit back down in his cushioned seat as Rein went to shut the French doors to her and Fine's bedroom, allowing a bit more privacy for the both of them. Looking intently at her motions, he noticed that she rolled her shoulders and let out a muffled cry. She reached back to rub her tender skin through her blue and white cloak and hoped that it would ease her pain, if only a little.

"Are you feeling alright? You look stiff," his eyes roamed over her slender shoulders as she kneaded them with her fingers; his expression ever impassive. Rein turned to face him with a strained smile and furrowed brows, showing her discomfort.

"My back is killing me," she stated simply, knowing she wouldn't be able to hide her discomfort from him, "It's been like this for days. I can hardly focus on anything with it aching so much."

Though Shade's face remained ever stoic, his legendary perma-frown always gracing his features, the prince felt a pang of concern for her. 'What could of possible have made her so tense?' As he pondered all the possibilities for the unwanted aches her back caused her, he caught her sighing slightly.

"I probably just need to lie down or get a massage or something. Maybe I'll feel better then. I'm sorry about this, Shade. After you came all this way, too . . . ," she trailed off heaving another bout air from her lungs. Rein had obviously become very frustrated with herself for the turn of events. She was looking forward to spending time with him today. These days they hardly ever got to see each other. Shade thought on what she said and occurred to him that he couldn't quite remember when the last time she relaxed was. That most likely was a contributing factor to her back pain and her utter lack of energy he's been seeing today. He be damned if he let that go unanswered.

"Alright," Shade stood from his chair and strode evenly over to the blue-clad princess. She glanced up at him when he finally reached her position and smiled apologetically, ready for him to say goodbye for today. "We'll get you a massage. Hopefully that will make you feel a little better. Just lying down isn't going to fix the problem."

"Huh?"

She gazed at him dumbfounded. 'Did he say what I think he just said?'

"Um . . . okay. Uh . . . but, where? It's Sunday and all the places where we could go for one are closed."

"Then I'll give you one," he replied undeterred, "but only if you're comfortable."

Rein's eyes widened a bit at the proposition. She certainly wasn't expecting this of all things. It didn't even occur to her that he would volunteer his services just to alleviate her pain. The thought of a massage sounded heavenly; the perfect remedy to fix her sore muscles. And the idea of Shade being the one to give it to her was a pretty alluring one. Enticing even. She'd be a fool to turn down the offer, for sure. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he knew what he was doing or even getting himself into.

"As blissful as that sounds Shade, do you even know how to give a massage?"

Rein could deck herself for asking such an idiotic question. 'This is a whole new level of moronic, even for you. Who cares!? You don't!' she mentally chided herself. Her attention was drawn back to the stoic prince when he shifted and his passive demeanor broke somewhat as he adverted his eyes from hers. She stared at him quizzically; a finely trimmed brow cocked upward in query.

"Not exactly, per se . . . ," he mumbled, a tad embarrassed that he had gone through with telling Rein he'd personally give her a back massage. Shade was not well versed in the art of therapeutic muscle relaxation techniques; that he knew for sure. No, his expertise inclined more toward medicinal herb medication and analysis. It's the most prominent reason he grows so many plants and flowers with medicinal properties in his mother's garden as a matter of fact. However, Shade did divulge in some basic anatomy research and perused many medical texts in part to help him determine which of his herbs would aid in creating remedies for certain ailments. To say that he didn't know how muscles work and where they are situated was a far cry. A hesitant hand came up to scratch the back of his neck nervously as he glanced back at her before his eyes darted away from hers once more. "But I know how your muscles work and basic anatomy. I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out in no time."

Rein looked incredulously at him then before giving in to a small fit of giggles in amusement. Shade was willing to go out of his comfort zone to make her feel better. She couldn't help but find the gesture endearing and awfully sweet. Shade's indifferent façade returned and she smiled gratefully up at him.

"Alright," she nodded, "only if you're sure."

"I'll . . . do my best."

Nodding, Rein stepped over to her dresser and grabbed a bottle with a rather simple but wispy design embroidered onto it. She came back over and handed it to him and he took the time to admire the details of the design; delicate lines curved the bottle in light wisps like vines and minuscule leaves covered the available spaces. The label printed on the front read "Shea's Body Oil" in intricate cursive font. Below that read "Lilac Scent". Shade shot an inquisitive look at Rein.

"I always take that with me whenever I do go get a massage someplace. It's my favorite and not all places have that brand," she grinned. Rein was never unprepared for this type of stuff. Taking the explanation and stowing it away to the back of his mind for a later date, Shade placed the bottle down and began to remove his royal long coat. He threw the regalia over the back of the chair he'd been sitting in and started to roll up the sleeves of his high-collar, long-sleeve, form-fitting undershirt to the elbow. As he was preparing himself, Rein also began her own preparations. She paced over to the French doors of her and her sister's bedroom and locked them, just in case Fine decided to unexpectedly parade in during the middle of their . . . "session". That detail being taken care of, Rein shuffled over to her bedside and, with her back turned to him, proceeded to unbutton her sky blue and white travel cloak. Shedding the fabric and hanging it on her bed post, Rein moved onto her white dress shirt. Untucking the article of clothing from her blue pleated skirt, she carried on with removing the garment and laid it on top of her cloak, smoothing it out. Finished with discarding the necessary attire, she ambled up onto her bed and stretched out onto sheets, lying flat on her stomach. Grabbing a pillow, she tucked it under her chin and folded her arms underneath the cushion.

Shade had waited patiently for her to finish undressing. Showing her some respect, he had remained facing away from her while she shed her clothing and only turned back to her when the sound of shuffling garments had ceased. He had promptly noticed upon turning that she was now wearing nothing from the waist up, save for a plain baby blue thin-strapped bra. A light red color dusted his cheeks at the sight, though his face remained unchanged from his normal stoic façade. Shade was honestly astonished, and a little honored, at how easily Rein had readily accepted his proposal. He was genuinely expecting a little more hesitancy on her part than what he got. It's not like he hadn't seen girls without clothes on; he was the only male in his family of three after all. Milky often requested his opinion on outfits to wear on outings, covered with nothing but her undergarments, to many of the lady maids' chagrin; she was a growing lady after all. No, the situation as a whole was not foreign to him in the least. But, still. The lunar prince caught the solar princess's eyes with his own and took in her teasing smirk.

"You're looking at me like you want to paint me like one of your French girls," she beamed at him cheekily. He huffed out a puff of air, indignant at the remark. Grabbing the bottle of oil, the prince strode over to Rein's bedside.

"Your sense of humor is astounding . . . ," he droned. Rein snickered in reply.

"At least I have a sense of humor. I could be Altezza . . ."

Rein caught a cross between a scoff and a guffaw from Shade in response to her comment. The cheery princess turned her gaze to the wall in front of her and buried her chin into the pillow. "Ready when you are," she blew air into the cushion trying to relax. She heard him hum in acknowledgement.

"Tell me if I'm doing something you're uncomfortable with. I'll be doing your whole back, alright. I'll work around your bra as best I can," Shade popped the oil bottle's lid to let her know he was about to start.

"Hum? Oh! You can unclasp it if you need to."

He paused before pouring the oil on his hands and his cobalt colored irises widened a fraction. Was she pulling his leg or was she being completely serious? He eyed her carefully, judging her movements. She didn't indicate she was joking in any way. I was just a simple suggestion. Still, he begged the question.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh hum. I'm lying face down, so it's not like you'll be seeing anything," she stated simply like this wasn't a problem. He wasn't sure if she fully understood what she had just offered. He pressed.

"That's not—," she cut him off mid-sentence.

"I trust you."

That got him. He ceased his next words and beheld her in awe. She placed such certainty in this fact, such faith in him, that he wouldn't abuse her or this opportunity. Her confidence in him was unfathomable and it moved him; her tone certainly betrayed no ill-will. Shouldn't he trust her judgement? He swallowed his doubt.

"Alright, then."

Shade set the bottle down next to the bedside and leaned over to undo the clasps of Rein's bra. After releasing the last clasp, he noticed Rein shift under him and hurriedly snatched his hands away, thinking he did something unforgivable. He was ready to apologize and leave the room right then and there, except he observed that she had only moved to take her arms out of the straps carefully, replacing her arms back under the pillow she was laying on after she was done.

"You okay? Sorry if I startled you," she laughed apologetically. Shade evened his breathing once he realized that she'd done that to help him out. He also took notice that she had been right and her bra covered everything it need to; that fact put him more at ease.

"Um, yeah," he swallowed thickly and reeled in his quickened heartbeat. Picking the oil bottle up again, Shade poured a moderate amount of the oil into his palm and capped the bottle. Placing the bottle back down, he breathed in the light flowery scent of lilac that wafted to his nose. It wasn't overly strong and gaudy and the lunar prince couldn't help but appreciate that it fit the girl laid before him to a tee. He could understand why it was her favorite. Putting a knee to the bed to support himself, Shade leaned over Rein's stretched-out form and regarded her slender features. Shade was no fool, his mother made sure of that. Princess Rein held herself in high esteem and was a sight to behold. He was well aware how stunning she looked. She developed quite generously in all areas over the years. So much so that it kept heads turning her direction where ever she went and boy did she flaunt what her mother gave her. The delicate curves of her lightly tanned shoulders lead to long, lithe arms. Her back gently sloped to a waistline that was not too thin and risky, and the small of her back dipped pleasantly to her well-rounded hips. That in and of itself was enough to make any lesser man go delirious from desire. Truly Shade didn't have it in him to openly appraise her front features (especially now) fearing he may lose himself if he did. Also, he respected her too much to just ogle her like fine meat. Such actions were beneath him. Though, to his dismay, she had caught him a few many times eying her form shamelessly (usually when she would go out of her way to dress to the nines for him) when they were out of sight of others and she'd smirk at him knowingly over her shoulder. She definitely knew what she had. That being said, being here now, practically hovering over that same woman he's admired, about to indulge her in a back massage? Shade suddenly held a newfound appreciativeness for his position . . . and damn did it feel good. Despite this, he also couldn't help but feel a little under pressure as well as the weight of the situation fully settled in his mind. Exhaling slowly, he mental (and physically) steeled himself.

"I'm going to start now."

She nodded and expelled a long sigh to relax herself. Shade proceeded to place his oiled hands on her shoulders and tenderly coated her back with the scented oil, not thinking too much into the process. He went over the entirety of her back, evenly coating the area and ended back up on her shoulders after he finished. She gave no negative reaction to his roaming hands and showed no disapproval to his actions; so far, so good. Satisfied that he hadn't somehow incurred her wrath yet, he slowly, but firmly pressed his thumbs into her shoulder blades.

Rein gave a start, sharply sucking in air at the agonizing pressure that caused pain to fire down her back and arms. Her muscles were more sensitive than she previously thought. Forget killing her, her shot nerves were trying to crucify her. She felt the pressure suddenly leave her and heard panicked shuffling behind her. The solar princess swiftly reached behind her and grabbed Shade's wrist firmly before he could make a getaway.

"No! No, I'm—," she gasped heavily, trying to will the pain away, "—I'm fine. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just . . . I'm worse off than we thought, is all. Please, don't leave."

Once she was certain that he wouldn't dart off when she let go of him, she released his wrist from her grip and breathed in and out to force herself to relax again. A long, excruciating minute passed before she felt his hands return to her shoulders, glad he didn't decide to give up. It was reassuring to know that he took this (and to the extent, her safety) seriously. When he pressed his thumbs into her shoulder blades once more, albeit a bit more hesitantly this time, she bit back a pained cry if only to make him feel less guilty for causing her agony.

Shade had been alarmed at her initial reaction to the pressure he applied to her shoulder muscles. Afraid he mis-stepped, he practically threw himself backwards in distress before the girl snatched his wrist to keep him from going anywhere far. Her explanation calmed his nerves a little, but made him wonder if this was going to be a reoccurring incident during the duration of the so-called 'massage'. It unnerved him, being the cause of her discomfort. After she reassured him that all was well, the prince returned to his previous position and went to start again. The oil made it easier to maneuver his fingers across her silk skin and he navigated his thumbs over the area of her shoulders, using his knowledge of the area's muscles to determine where she had the worse knots. He heard her give off short puffs of air from her nose whenever he roamed over a particularly tight knot and quickly went to work kneading the bundle of nerves out as best he could manage. After a small chunk of time passed, kneading and rubbing and working Rein's wound-up muscles, Shade noticed that she had ceased letting out pained grunts and distressed gasps. She also seemed like she had relaxed more.

Wondering if he had truly gotten out all the knots, Shade pressed slightly harder with his thumbs on her formerly tensed muscles. To his astoundment, she mumbled out a soft hum from her throat; a definite sound of approval. Her eyes slid shut and a content smile graced her features. The prince's placid expression broke to a raised brow. 'This is a welcome change of pace . . .' he mused as he pressed down again but in the nook of her shoulder. This time, a light moan of satisfaction burned his ears as she buried her face in the pillow.

That did things to him.

For a moment, Shade had forgotten how to breathe and stared incredulously at the girl that was blissfully unaware of his rising desire. He once again brought into question the situation they were in. As a man, he knew what this situation could entail for the both of them and, most importantly, where it could lead to if they weren't careful. Shade wasn't really questioning his self-control; he wasn't an animal. But, he realized, the whole reason they were doing this in the first place was to make Rein feel better and allow her to unwind. Didn't that also entail that he also does whatever he deemed necessary to make her feel relaxed? She certainly said as much before. He didn't want to betray the trust she put in him, but he also didn't want to leave things as is either. There was an opportunity to be had here and he sure as hell wasn't going to pass it up.

Finally deciding to just roll with it, Shade continued his ministrations on her shoulder blades and Rein purred in response to his motions. Spurred on by her vocal cues, he timidly slid his hands down her spine, kneading her silky flesh along the way for knots, and readied himself for her to tell him to stop. She gave no such notions aside from her blissful sighs. It gave him confidence that she had no qualms with his actions and it finally allowed him to let loose. The feel of her velvety skin beneath his fingertips drove his senses wild with passion as he glided across her form. The scent of lilac and Rein's delicious moans of contentment made him hazy to the point he almost couldn't reign himself back in. He continued to massage her skin with his palms, moving all over her back and down her delicate spine. Shade brushed his fingers along her waist and torturously dragged them up her sides. It had the desired effect as she shuddered and sucked in a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes closed in rapturous delight before he slid his sinful hands back down again.

Between all her gasps, sighs, and moans, breathing had suddenly become a virtue. The stoic prince hadn't let up his ministrations for a single moment, enjoying the experience as much as she was. Rein daresay had never had a massage quite like this one before. Truly a shame, really. She wouldn't mind going through Camelot's Spartan training in princess behaviors for months on end if this is what she had to look forward to at the end of the day. And he said he'd never done this before? 'Ah, his talents are wasted,' she huffed, 'Well . . . not on me'; the princess hummed in pleasure at a particular pop in her spine had finally been released. She could feel her blood flow finally returning to normal as Shade continued to work his magic fingers across her back.

Feeling the oil effectively being massaged into her skin, Shade realized that he would be finished soon and thought on what areas he hadn't gotten to yet. Her slender neck was the only place he hadn't touched that was within his limits and he wasn't going to let any available portion of her body go untraversed. Moving upwards towards his final destination, a thought came to him as he glanced down at a place on her back that lied right below her shoulder blades. Lingering for a moment and debating the pros and cons, the prince made a bold move and leaned down over the aforementioned area. Breathing softly and gliding his hands up along her sides, Shade gently, but purposefully, planted his smooth lips upon the spot for a few seconds. He let his eyes fall shut and savored the sensation. The placid prince felt her jolt in response and savored the wistful gasp that escaped her lips that followed. He pulled back slightly, his lips just barely grazing the spot he just kissed, hot breath fanning over her form as he studied the rise and fall of her backside before resuming his trek up to her neck at last.

"Wow. You sure do know how to make a girl feel special, Shade," Rein hummed her approval, delighted at his attentions. The kiss to her spine was sudden, sure, but definitely not unwanted.

"If that girl is you, then I'll gladly do anything," he murmured close to her ear, working on her neck muscles.

"Anything?" She smirked hotly at him, her flirtatious manner now coming to the forefront of her personality.

"Anything you so desired," he stated seriously. Rein appraised him with an enamored look in her shamrock colored eyes. 'He'd go that far . . .' she smiled, flattered he would go to any lengths to please her. 'In a year's time we both won't have to wait long,' Rein inwardly giggled. She let him continue kneading her neck for the next few minutes, feeling that the oil was being rubbed into her skin fully and efficiently; the return of normal blood flow had made her a bit dizzy.

Shade finished the massage by placing an open mouth kiss on the side of her throat before pulling back fully and hopping off the bedside. He strolled over to where he left his long coat on the back of the chair and proceeded to unfurl his sleeves before donning the royal garment. After buttoning up all the necessary buttons, he turned back to the bed to see that Rein had sat up fully and had her back to him. Her long cerulean tresses slung over her shoulder as she glanced back at him, gesturing to her bra clasps behind her as she held the rest of the garment to her chest.

"Help me with this?"

Once Rein had gotten redressed, she sat on the edge of her bed and Shade resituated himself on the chair. The doors had been unlocked now that the session was over.

"How do you feel?" He peered coolly her direction to gauge a response. To answer, she gave an experimental roll of her shoulders and neck. Not experiencing any aches or pains, she gave a long, languid stretch of her limbs, grinning happily at the results.

"I feel much better, thank you!"

"Nothing hurts?"

She shook her head adamantly, "Not a thing!"

He sighed through his nose and allowed a small smile to grace his lips, satisfied that he had done a decent enough job. Leaning fully back into the chair, he lulled his eyes closed, "That's good to know. I honestly had no frickin' clue what I was doing . . ."

Rein hopped up from her bedside and strutted over to him, a look of genuine love gracing her features. Placing her hands on opposite sides of the armrests, she leaned towards him until their faces were only centimeters apart from touching. Her shamrock eyes gazed deeply into his cobalt ones.

"That was the best massage I ever had. I've never felt better. You did excellent," she whispered against his lips before closing the almost nonexistent space between them. He breathed her in as their lips connected and reveled in her taste, the faint scent of lilac permeating his senses. The leisurely kiss was short, but no less passionate than usual. The perfect reward for his services. Not that he did it for a kiss anyway. When she pulled away, she beamed brightly at him and he slowly grinned back.

The tender moment between them was short lived, however, as the French doors burst open and Camelot marched through. Rein was standing stock still from her position at the dresser she'd jumped back to when the doors slammed apart and Shade's perma-frown returned as the castle's head maid and twin's governess stalked in none the wiser to their previous proximity. Lulu was faithfully two steps behind her as usual. From the corner of his eye, Shade could see Fine cowering behind the open doors.

"Princess Rein! It's time for your studies! I hope you have the reports I gave you finished and properly written!"

Rein blanched and her pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks. A sure sign that she hadn't done a thing of what was mentioned. Knowing her, she most likely hadn't even started on them. Casting an apologetic glance his way, Rein hurriedly side stepped the strict governess as she advanced on her and swiftly dipped down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"Princess Rein! Come back at once!" Camelot and Lulu quickly gave chase to the escaped princess and Shade scoffed at the turn of events. He most likely wouldn't be seeing Rein the rest of the day now, so there was no point in staying much to his disappointment. He got up from his chair and evenly strode to the exit, ready to return home.

Omake

"What's that flowery smell?" Fine questioned.

Fine had caught up with Shade as he was leaving the Sunny Kingdom grounds and offered to walk with him to his balloon. Rein had just darted off because Ms. Camelot set her sights on the girl as soon as she was finished drilling Fine.

'So much for that massage . . . ,' he groaned.

Shade unconsciously put his hands in his coat pockets to hide the faint scent of the oil that lingered on them. He chose not to answer the question and continued to stroll down the hallway, albeit a tad bit more hastily, as if he didn't hear it. Fine pondered the thought aloud, not noticing the prince's awkward behavior.

"I remember Rein smelling like that before she ran off, but she went the other way. Where the heck is that smell coming from?" She placed a finger to her chin, wondering why the scent was lingering as long as it was when it's source of origin was long gone.

Shade's expression remained forever impassive, betraying no knowledge of the query. However, tiny beads of sweat formed on the back of his neck as he steadily hastened his stride to the balloon docks. Finally picking up on his growing distance, Fine raced to catch up the aloof prince.

'What's up with him?'

A/N

I LLLLIIIIIVVVVEEEE! I'm back and completely apologetic. I've still not gotten back to How to Save a Life but slowly but surely I'm getting back to the swing of things. In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot and leave a review! See you next time. God bless ya'll!