Chapter 7: Shirayuki's True Feelings

Shirayuki ran as far as she could and only stopped when her legs couldn't move anymore. She leaned on the nearest tree and heaved her chest up and down, trying to get her breathing to be steady. She tried to console herself as best as she could.

It's… not as if… he would follow… me here, right?

"Shirayuki!"

Her whole body immediately froze in shock, her eyes widening. He followed me out into the forest?!

She forced herself to run even more, pushing herself past her limit to do so. His footsteps resounded behind hers, echoing only a few feet behind.

"Shirayuki! Why are you running away?!" Zen asked, clearly annoyed he had to run after her.

"Sorry! I just can't face you right now!" She apologised over her shoulder, still continuously running.

He continued to chase her for a short while before abruptly stopping. "This is getting a bit ridiculous. Can you stop running? If you continue to, I won't go after you."

The authority in his voice, alongside his resolve, gave her pause to stop. She clutched her hand close to her chest as she turned slowly towards him. "I'm… sorry…"

"You've nothing to feel sorry for," He comforted her tenderly, smiling kindly at her. "If the tables were turned, I'd be running away for sure."

"No, it's not the kiss that has me all worried," She began softly, "it's the part afterward."

"The part where I asked you to tell me how you felt?"

He assumed her silence meant he was correct. She averted her eyes, her heart pounding inside her chest.

"We met in a forest just like this one, didn't we?" The Second Prince murmured softly in remembrance as he looked up at the clear, blue sky. He shifted his gaze back to her, giving her a slight smile. "Why don't we talk for a bit? I know a good place here for us to go."

She nodded twice, either unable or unwilling to say anything to him. He took the lead as he led them both towards the place and with the pace he had in mind.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! The diplomatic matter with Kiharu's people was resolved peacefully," Zen offered a bit of chit-chat as they walked together. "We've both mutually agreed to have a few birds and their bird-handlers sent over to Clarines to better train the soldiers on how to use the birds."

"That's wonderful news," She responded back politely. "I'm happy that Kiharu's wish was granted."

"As am I."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, both not sure what to say. They soon reached his intended spot; a stone clearing that was evidently bare, sa"Sove for a few benches. He led her to one of the aforementioned benches, but instead of taking a seat beside her, he sat down on the stone-hard floor beside her bench. They let the wind envelop their senses for a few moments.

"So, do you like this place?" Shirayuki decided to break the silence, clenching her fists close to her skirt.

"No. I haven't for a long time," He answered her honestly, his eyes closed as his bangs swished from side-to-side. "I used to have horseback training in this very spot, so it soon became stressful for me after a time."

The gentle rustle of leaves as they hovered with the wind gave the scene a surreal, fairy-tale-vibe. "That's how I felt about this place before I met you. Now that I've taken you here, it's become less stressful and more stress-relieving. You have a way of making something awful into something wonderful."

Those words made her jump slightly, her eyes fully open now. Tears began to stream down her face as she tried—and failed—to choke down her sobs, if one could call them that. They were more like semi-hiccups tinged with sadness.

Zen opened his eyes and turned towards her, her semi-hiccups startling him to alert. When he saw her rubbing her eyes in a futile effort to stop crying as her whole body became racked with her sobs, he hastily got up and knelt in front of her on one knee.

"Ze… Zen!" She hiccupped as she visibly began to tremble.

He cupped her cheek with one hand, the other clenching his sword, as he gently wiped her tears away with his thumb. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm… so-sorry…" She stammered, tears falling from her cheek to her skirt.

"As I recall, I already said you have nothing to feel sorry for," He comforted her.

"But I do!" She couldn't look directly into his eyes, lest she falter in her decision, so instead, she chose to look down at her trembling fists. She opened her mouth to say more, but he beat her to it.

He took his sheathed sword and placed it on the ground, a gesture that meant surrendering, and closed his eyes as he began. "Shirayuki, when I met you, my whole world became clearer. In a time where I was so unsure of myself, you helped me find who I was merely by being near my side. Your certainty of who you were soon rubbed onto me and I became sure of myself as well. You inspire me like no one I've ever met, and I dare say no one will I'll ever meet will ever do the same for me as you have done."

Oh, no, he's going to—!

"I cannot guarantee that the path we take will be easy if you so choose to be by my side. There will be times where I'll have to choose my duty over you; it's inevitable. Even so, I want you by my side. Together, I think—no, I know we can weather the storms. You give me that faith." He opened his eyes before taking his hand away from her face and holding it out to her for her to take. "So, tell me, Shirayuki, if I hold my hand out, will you take it?"

Strangely enough, she had suddenly stopped crying or trembling, stunned into silence. She wanted to just disappear and never hurt anyone ever again. No, you can't! Obi and Ryuu left you alone because they trusted you enough to let you make your own decision. You can't let them down!

She slowly got up from her bench and sunk down on her knees to his level, resting her body on her feet as she looked directly at him. "Zen, I'm sorry, but I cannot return your feelings."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"My heart already belongs to another," She admitted sombrely.

The Prince's eyes suddenly began to tremble as tears brimmed in his eyes. It wasn't because he was rejected; it was because someone decided to reject him, instead of falsely accepting him.

He looked up towards the sky as he remembered the worried talk he had with Mitsuhide all those years ago about love, almost as if it were yesterday.

He was sitting somewhat leisurely on a semi-window-sill, his hand cupping his cheek as he stared at the hard rain falling from the protection of his window. Mitsuhide, the only other person besides him, was only a mere foot away, putting away the Prince's collection of books accordingly.

"Hey, Mitsuhide?" He had asked.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Mitsuhide had replied, stopping what he was doing to shift his attention to the Prince.

"If I ever find someone I truly love and they loved me in turn," He had begun, "do you think I could ever accept it as love? Do you think I'll ever stop worrying that they only claimed to love me for my title or because they were afraid to reject me?

"What if I never learn what love is, and instead mistake avaricious zeal for it? If that indeed comes to pass, will I ever be fit enough to love?"

Even though she hadn't taken his hand, he took hers in his own, gripping it tightly. "T… Thank you, Shirayuki."

Now it was her turn to blink in confusion. "Huh?"

He gave her a slight smile as he tried to blink away his tears. "You rejected me not because of my title or status, but because of me alone. You didn't accept my hand whilst not truly loving me; you were motivated only by the feelings of your heart, not voracity. Even if this is not what I justly wanted, I can respect your decision enough to let you set down our boundaries. I promise I won't overstep them.

"Will you still be my friend, though?" He asked hesitantly, gripping her hand tighter. "I know you may not share the same feelings as I do for you, but what I said still holds true. You inspire me in a way I could never hope for anyone else to. I don't want to lose you because you didn't feel the same way."

"No, I'd never do that!" She quickly uttered, shifting closer to him as she tightened her hold on his hand back. "Albeit I may not feel the same way, I still care about and for you, but merely as a sister would her brother. You also inspire me to be better, to give more. If you'll still have me, I'd love to continue being your friend!"

He loosened his grip on her hand only to pull her towards him, pulling her into an embrace. "Of course I'd still want you to be my friend!"

TBC

A/N: That's all for now! I kinda have a sequel(?) to this fan-fiction where it shows Obiyuki in the future? It's titled "The Girl Who Overcame Time." It's focuses on the 'Naomi x Zen' ship, so if you like Obiyuki yet don't want Zen to be all alone, consider reading that fan-fiction?