Chapter 4: Teasing

The princess had returned back to the palace after the kiss, and Haru was left alone in the garden where it had happened. He was touching his lips, still expecting the princess's to be there.

Though, a soft snicker from the trees got Haru's attention. He stopped paying attention to the tingling of his lips, and looked in the direction the snicker had come. "Who's there?" he asked.

The snickering continued as a rustle of leaves was heard as well. Haru narrowed his eyes and asked again, in a more aggressive tone, "Who's there?"

"Aw come on. Don't tell me ya don't remember me?" a figure stepped out from the trees, still snickering as he looked at Haru. "Long time no see, Haru."

Haru clenched his fist, obviously not pleased to see his counter-part, Hotaru Hiroka, standing before him. "I thought you were killed like the rest of them a long time ago. How are you still alive?"

Hotaru snickered again, answering in a snooty tone, "I don't know. I'm just alive, aren't you glad to see me?"

"No, I'm not."

The black haired boy chuckled slightly, glaring at the white-haired one. "Aw, well that's too bad. This time I'm not going away."

Haru's blue eyes glared at the other's red ones. "If you go near the princess, I'll hurt you."

"I wasn't planning on going near her," the other boy said, chuckling again, "Do you have a crush on her?"

The peasant boy immediately blushed, stuttering a bit, "I-I do not!"

"You've fallen in love with the princess, Haru. Admit it. You'll do anything to protect her. Won't you?"

"Shut it Hotaru!" Haru screamed.

Hotaru smirked at his counter-part, snickering yet again, "Haru Hikaroa, falling in love with a princess? How do you know she won't tell the palace guards about you? And then you'll be executed?"

"Princess Rin would never…"

"Rin is her name? Ha! Haru Hikaroa falling in love with Princess Rin!" Hotaru snickered again, his red eyes never leaving the blue-eyed ones.

Haru was getting tired of the other's words. Alright, he would admit that he had fallen in love with the princess. He would admit that he wanted to protect her. Though, he would never admit it to Hotaru. He couldn't be trusted with any secrets.

Hotaru snickered again, "Alright, so you like the princess? How do you know she's not using you? That she's pretending to love you? Maybe she just wants to see how far you're willing to go for her. Then leave you all alone, just like your parents did."

Haru froze at the coldness of those words. Hotaru was right. How did he know that she wasn't just using him? "Princes Rin would never do that! She has a kind heart! She cares for everyone she meets! She would never…"

The black-haired boy continued to speak, cutting the other off, "She cares for everyone she meets? How do you know that she's not acting? And you say she 'has a kind heart'? How do you know she's really that kind?"

The white-haired peasant was getting tired of this. "Stop it Hotaru! She's kind! Gentle! She would never think of anything to hurt anyone! Why can't you see that?!"
The other boy froze. Letting the words sink in, he looked at the other male. "Gentle? Kind?"

Haru nodded his head. "She's gentle and kind…and…and I love her."

"…you love her?"

"Yes. I do. I want to protect her. She lost her mother and father as well. She and I…were almost alike." The blue-eyed boy said softly to the red-eyed one.

Hotaru stayed quiet, letting all the things he had heard from his counter-part sink in. He's fallen in love with her. He claims that there alike. Yet he's just met her. Hotaru's mind said these things over and over, before finally speaking up again. "You've only just met her. How can you say you want to protect her and that you're in love with her, that quickly?"

It was Haru's turn to stay quiet now. After a couple moments, he spoke up, "…love at first sight I guess. I've never really fallen in love with someone. She's…special I guess you could say."

"You're crazy Haru. The princess would never fall in love with you. She's a princess, and she can't be seen with a peasant. She'll be a disgrace."

"I know that. Yet, I don't care. One day our love with be accepted. And we'll be able to see each other every day for the rest of our lives."

The boy who had lived in the forest for most of his life looked at the peasant, "The more you wait for that day to come Haru, the more you hurt both yourself and her. What if that day never comes?"

"I believe that it will one day come, Hotaru. One day we'll be able to love each other and not be judged for it."

Hotaru sighed, looking over to Haru once again, "A princess and a peasant falling in love? Ridiculous, and never heard of before. A princess is supposed to marry a prince of another kingdom, and she and her husband will become King and Queen. A peasant is supposed to find someone in their social class. Social classes never mix."

Haru looked at the other boy, staying silent now.

"One day she'll be forced to marry, and she'll forget about you. She'll become a Queen, and once she does, she won't pay attention to any of the peasants of her kingdom. A princess is allowed to leave her palace from time to time, as well as a prince. Once a princess and prince become King and Queen, they are no longer allowed to leave the palace. Face it Haru. Once she marries, she's gone."

The boy continued to stay silent, letting the words from Hotaru sink in. He was right. Rin would be forced to marry a prince of another kingdom, and when she became a Queen, she would no longer be allowed to leave the palace. She would become different.

Hotaru looked at Haru, noticing him in deep thought. "I'll leave now. I've been out too long. And once dawn comes, I can't be seen by anyone. Just remember, once Rin marries, she's gone." And with that, the red-eyed boy disappeared into the trees.

Haru continued to think even as Hotaru had left. Did she actually love him? Did she actually care for him? "I have to ask her the next time we meet…"

The peasant began walking back toward the house where Seiji would be waiting for him, asking him where he had been all night. Or, maybe if he was lucky, Seiji had gone to the palace already. Either way, he would have to tell his brother that he had met the princess.

At that time, a girl was in the shadows watching the peasant. She snickered quietly, murmuring to herself, "A flame burns with wind, and goes out with water. How about we play a little game, and see which one happens?" A snicker escaped the girl's lips, and in an instant, she disappeared from sight.