A/N: This is Haruka's Part! :3 If you are not a ContestShipper, then I suggest that you just skip this chapter.

Note: Shuu/Drew, Houen/Hoenn, Touka City/Petalburg City, Masato/Max, Wakana/Brianna, Minamo City/Lilycove City

Ribbon of Royalty
CH
7: Spring Roses

I left in the afternoon before Valentine's Day. Shuu also insisted that I come to Houen after eating lunch. Well, if that's what my master/prince wants, I will do so. But seriously, he better not be hitting on girls again. That is not the correct behavior of a prince!

Haha, but then again… I'm not exactly your average maid either. The relationship between Shuu and me is almost similar to Shinji-San and Hikari-Chan's. Of course, Shuu is more… conceited and less polite. Geez, I don't know how I was able to put up with him all these years. We had our share of fights and good moments.

The boat went on its way to Houen. I stood at the deck, leaning on the rails. I gazed ahead of the blue sky. It was as if I can see Houen, even though it's far. "I'm on my way, LaRousse City."

Hmmm… I wonder how Hikari-Chan's doing with Shinji-San.

~.~.~

The sun began to set along the horizon, the sky tinted with red, pink, and orange colors.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

My alarm on my Pokétch kept ringing annoyingly in my ear. I wanted to shut it off, but I was too sleepy! "Geez… Okay, okay! I get it already!" Blowing the covers off me, I shut the alarm off. "Ugh…" I trudged to the bathroom. When I looked at the mirror, I saw a brunette with strands of hair sticking out and the back is all spread out like an afro.

I shrieked. "Gyah, my hair!" I quickly grabbed my brush and started combing it down. "So this is what Hikari-Chan goes through every day…" Wow, it must suck for her to have such long hair.

When I looked outside the window of my room, Houen was nearing! I smiled, cheering to myself like crazy in the inside. "Yes!" I quickly washed up and rushed out to the deck. Houen was only about an hour away.

"Damn it!" I mentally smacked myself as the boat continued to near my home region. "I forgot to tell Shuu that I was coming!" I blew my bangs away. "Ugh, he should be able to forgive me… right?"

The boat finally arrived to Houen. I immediately ran out of the boat to the Pokémon Center. But something stopped me. Someone grabbed my wrist and slightly pulled me back.

"Haruka?"

I turned around to see the very prince of Houen: Shuu. It's been a year since I saw him, but he hasn't changed… except his height. He still had that same green hairstyle and hot-headed emerald eyes.

"Shuu!" I attempted to embrace him, but it was going to be awkward if I did that. I smoothly moved my hands to grab his. "I was going to go call you! Why are you here?"

Shuu flicked his hair. Oh, how I sometimes hated that flick. "Well, I figured that you will be here in the early morning, so… here I am." He smirked, rubbing my head. "That's how much I know you after all." He gave me a bright red rose, almost making me blush.

I rolled my eyes, taking the rose. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." I slung my bag over my shoulder as I stretched. "What did you ride on this time?"

He shrugged. "Just my boat." He led me to the other corner of the pier, where a small boat was floating below. "Are you surprised that I brought something ordinary this time?"

"Maybe, maybe not," I giggled. He helped me down to the boat and jumped down after me. "So do you have any plans for Valentine's Day tomorrow?"

Shuu suddenly chuckled, glancing at me. "It's the usual, and you know that."

"Ah… All your fangirls will gather around the gates of LaRousse Palace and pour their hearts out in their chocolates." I sighed, doing a facepalm. "Don't you ever get sick of that? I know I would."

"That's probably because you don't understand how popular I am," he smugly replied.

A vein popped in my forehead. "Yes, of course! There's absolutely no way that I can understand how popular you are, Prince Shuu!" I gushed sarcastically. "Oh, please teach me how to be popular like you!" I nearly choked on my laughter when I saw Shuu's eye twitch in irritation. "How does it feel to be treated sarcastically, hm?"

"Hmph."

Then, I remembered the chocolates I made. They were inside my bag, fresh and decorative. I wonder how he would reply to mine…

"Hey, Shuu?"

"What?"

"What if I gave you chocolates?"

Shuu seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "It depends on the type. What kind are you talking about?"

I tapped my lower lip. "Um… Giri?"

"Ha, of course, I'd accept it. It's probably your gratitude for me to let you be my personal maid."

"Oh, stop it with that haughty and conceited attitude for once, will you?" I laughed. "Then…" My heart skipped a beat. "What if it was H-Honmei?" He became quiet. If you were good at sensing aura, you can definitely sense the awkward atmosphere between us. I can mostly sense that the awkwardness came from me, not Shuu.

"If it was Honmei…" he started.

I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want him to answer that question. "U-uh, you know what? N-never mind! J-just don't answer that!" I swore that I was blushing. "Just pretend that I never asked you about Honmei Choco."

Shuu blinked at me confusingly. "Um… okay?" It was silent until he broke it. "Anyways, we're going to your house to meet your parents."

My heart lurched forward in joy. "My family? Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" He gave me a smirk as we went on our way to my home.

When we arrived to my hometown, Touka City, I immediately rushed to my house. I knocked on the door and Masato greeted me with a huge hug! "Haruka!" He grinned at me, adjusting his glasses. "I haven't seen you since… forever!" I giggled as I rubbed his head. "Oh! What's up, Shuu Nii-Chan?"

"Hello, Masato. Long time no see, right?" He flicked his hair.

Then, out came my mom. "Haruka! We haven't seen you for such a long time!" She looked a little sad. "Your father is repairing some things at his gym, so he won't be in today… His door is also barred shut, so I can't get in. I'm sorry, dear…" She gave me a welcoming hug. "I'll tell your father that you visited, okay?"

I nodded, slightly sad that I won't be able to see my dad. "Oh well, at least I got to see you and Masato! Oh yeah!" I dug through my bag and took out three bags of chocolates. "These are for you, dad, and Masato. I made them myself. Awesome, huh?"

Masato took it and ate one. "Wow! You really made these? These taste so good!" He went into the house and ate some more. I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Good morning, Mitsuko-San." Shuu bowed, taking out a rose. "You look very beautiful again, as always." I just wanted to smack him for saying that. That's almost like he's flirting with her! What do you want me to do?

My mom accepted the rose, bashful. "Oh, Shuu-Kun! You certainly know how to make a girl blush, don't you?" She giggled as she smelled the rose. "Well, you two should be on your way now. I'm sure Shuu-Kun has a lot of chocolates to receive."

Shuu and I both nodded. He looked indifferent about it, but I'm sure I looked nervous about it.

"I'll leave this for your father at the front of his gym. Thanks for visiting, Haruka." She pecked me on the head and waved us good-bye. Masato did, too.

~.~.~

LaRousse Palace…

"Wow! I missed this palace!" I opened the doors to my room. It was still clean, neat, and organized. "You actually cleaned my room?" I snorted. "I was expecting my room to be dusty, considering that you barely even care about it."

Shuu shrugged, smiling. "What can I say? I always anticipate the day you call me to come home." He leaned against the wall beside my door, crossing his arms. "About tomorrow…"

I already expected what he was going to say. "Are you gonna ask if I can help you with receiving and stacking the chocolates?"

He smirked. "You know me so well."

"What? I've been doing that for you for five years, ever since I was 10! Of course I would know what you would ask me." I entered my room and flung myself onto my fluffy bed. "Ah, I missed the fluffiness of my mattress!" I carefully opened my bag, making sure that the chocolates were crushed. They were safe and delicious-looking.

"So what's inside the bag? Is there something you want to give me?"

I puffed my cheeks, sticking out my tongue. "There's nothing I have to give you, Shuu. Stop being so nosy!" I hopped off my bed and shoved him outside my room. "Get out. I'm gonna change into my pajamas."

Shuu chuckled as he let me push him out. "Alright, alright… Get some rest."

I closed the doors and went to my wardrobe. All my dresses, shoes, and accessories were still in place. My maid uniform was hanging on the hanger… improvised! Hooray! I quickly tried on my uniform.

The new maid uniform was… a little flashy. It was knee-length and the skirt flared from the hips. The apron was pink – for me, anyways – with ruffs on the sleeves. The dress was red, my favorite color. On the front of the apron, there was a small and cute design of roses. My shoes were also red, while my socks were just white.

"Ha, when did he decide to improvise the uniform?" I shook my head, smiling. "He has too much time on his hands…" I opened the door and found Shuu pacing around. "Shuu! You have too much time on your hands, you know that?"

Shuu looked at me, smiling when he saw me. "What, I can't change the LaRousse uniforms?" He smugly rolled his eyes. "You're the one who wanted yours customized in the beginning…"

"Yeah, but…" I twirled, examining my uniform. "Don't you think this will make me totally stand out?"

He flicked his hair again, smirking. "There's nothing to worry about, little Haruka. Red and green do stand out together, don't they?"

I giggled, shaking my head. "Yeah, yeah… Whatever you say, Shuu-Sama." I greeted him a good night before I went to sleep. I was so exhausted that I immediately fell asleep in a minute.

~.~.~

It was finally Valentine's Day. I woke up early to have breakfast, and boy, did I eat a lot! There was going to be a lot of company today, so I stocked up.

After an hour, it was time to let the girls come in. I looked outside, only to find a crowd – no – a town of girls.

I stood next to him, waiting for the first girl to come out with her chocolate. Apparently, it was a girl named Wakana. She recently "fell in love" with Shuu. It was so adorable how her eyes shined so brightly when she was talking to him. She gave Shuu her chocolate and left blushing like crazy.

"Hn, looks like I got new fangirl," he whispered. I smugly rolled my eyes. He gave me the box of chocolates, and I gently placed it in a huge box.

As time passed by, more and more girls began to walk in. I thought only one girl was allowed to enter. I just shrugged it off, going along with it. There must've more girls than any other years… Anyways, the box was starting to fill up with more and more chocolates. I've always wondered how Shuu can always finish them without going hyper.

Only once did he go hyper… I don't want to talk about it.

It was around 3 in the afternoon when all the chocolates were given. Shuu had called for Wakana to give her a rose.

"For you, miss." He handed her the rose. "This is a gift to you as a, well… the way you put it, recent fangirl."

"Thank you, Prince Shuu! You are the best!" she squealed. She skipped out of the palace, smelling the rose on the way out.

I sighed as I sat the floor. "That actually took shorter than I expected." I glanced at the huge box of chocolates next to me. "Normally, this would last until sunset, but it seems that two to three girls were allowed to come in." I tilted my head in confusion. "So… what's up with the sudden change? I thought only one girl was permitted to enter."

Shuu shrugged, gazing at the blue sky. "I just wanted to get things over with for today." He glanced at me, smirking. "You haven't come here for year, right? I should let you enjoy your time until you go back home tonight."

"O-oh…" I blushed. "Thank you, Shuu-Sama." I fidgeted with my new uniform for a moment before speaking. "U-um… Do you have any plans after this?" Shuu nodded, looking at me.

"Do you want to go to Minamo City together?"

My eyes widened at the name. "Minamo City? Really? Is it okay?"

Shuu smiled, mouthing a 'yes'. "I had a feeling you wanted to go there after staying in Shinou for so long." He gestured me to go to my room. "Go change into casual clothes. I'll be back too, okay?"

I squealed, excited about going to Minamo City. I skipped to my room and picked out the most casual outfit I could find. I wore a red t-shirt with a dark blue circle around my neck, dark blue shorts, a white mini skirt, red-and-yellow sneakers, and a red bandanna with a white maple leaf print on it. I went back out to see Drew.

What I saw completely caught me off-guard. Shuu was wearing a dark blue shirt with a light violet jacket along with aqua-blue pants. I managed to suppress my blush.

"Wow, Shuu…" I approached him cautiously. "Since when did you know how to dress casually so properly? I always had to help you with that…"

Shuu rolled his eyes, flicking his hair. "I've been practicing, unlike you, who still don't know how to treat their master/prince properly."

"Oh, shut it!" I puffed my cheeks, crossing my arms. But all my anger was forgotten when I remembered Minamo City. I started squealing. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Shuu!"

He smiled at me, chuckling at my sudden behavior. "Let's go." He led me outside, where the walkways were moving along with the Block Bots. "I have a hot air balloon waiting for us." We rode the walkways to the outskirts of LaRousse City.

Like he said, there was a hot air balloon ready to leave. A Block Bot was waiting for us, resting on the rim of the basket. We hopped in the air balloon and took off into the air. We managed to arrive to Minamo City in half an hour, so there was plenty of time for me to shop 'till I drop!

But first, I should ask where Shuu wants to go. He is a prince after all. "So where do you want to go?"

Shuu shrugged. "I'm going to follow where you go. Besides, this is my Welcome Back gift to you. If you want to buy something, I'll buy it." His eyes became deadpanned and stared at me. "Just don't do anything reckless and/or buy an item over the usual clothing prices you buy."

I grinned, nodding. "Yes, sir!" I grabbed his arm and ran into the Minamo Department Store. I went to different stores, looking at each outfit, item, and accessory. There was so much that I wanted to buy! But I wasn't that selfish. I just bought enough for me to go home with and to give all my friends.

When I mean "enough", I mean four new outfits for me, one for Kasumi, one for Leaf, one for Nozomi, and one for Hikari! That pretty much meant eight outfits for Shuu to buy. I hope they weren't too expensive…

Either way, Shuu seemed okay with it. He simply smirked at me as he paid for it. I swear, if it wasn't for the bags of clothes covering my face, he would've seen my blush!

I suddenly felt Shuu tug at my hand. "Do you mind if we can stop by the jewelry store?"

"Nope," I chimed. I followed him to the jewelry store and I saw so many accessories of gems! Emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, pearls, and more! "So what do you need to buy here, Shuu?"

Right when I asked, he gave me a reply that nearly sent my heart into a hopeless abyss.

"I'm planning to propose today to someone I've liked for a long time," he slightly blushed as he said this. "Can you help me pick out a ring fit for engagement?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. "Of course!" I gave him the best smile I could give. "So who's the lucky girl?"

Shuu smirked, flicking his hair. "My, Haruka… You shouldn't be so nosy."

"Okay, okay, I won't ask." Inside, I was smiling sadly. I somehow knew this was coming… After all, he wouldn't marry someone like me. We both looked around the rings section and came across many beautiful gemstones. "What kind of gems do you have in mind to give her?"

"I'm thinking of a diamond – the ones that you usually do buy – or a sapphire – something I think is a little uncommon." He crossed his arms, looking at sets of the rings. "I'm going to need help choosing the metal band, too."

I thought for a while, thinking about what would go best with what. "What color of the sapphire?"

"Blue."

"If it's a blue sapphire, why don't you go with… hmmm… silver?"

"What about a diamond?"

"I'd go with white gold…" I shrugged. "I dunno – that's my opinion. You should go with what you think would look best on her." He scratched his head, examining the plating and gems. "Did you choose yet?"

Shuu then nodded. "Excuse me, miss." He called an employee over. "I would like a diamond with a white-gold band."

The employee took a note on what he wanted on a notepad. "How do you want the diamond to look? Round? Just as it is?"

"Hmmm…" He crossed his arms, contemplating. "What do you think, Haruka?"

I examined the diamond. Its size was as wide as my index finger, which I considered very large. "I think you should at least make it around 5 mm. You can make it round like the classical diamond shape." But I thought the sapphire looked nicer. I gazed at the sapphire for a while, mesmerized by its cerulean color. It's so pretty, too…

"Actually, miss, can I change it to the blue sapphire with a silver band?"

The employee smiled. "Of course, Prince Shuu." She scratched out the first order and wrote down the new one. "When would you like to have this ready by?"

Shuu looked at his watch, his eyes slightly narrowing. "Do you have any other orders at the moment?"

"No, sir."

"Then, I would like to have this done as quickly as possible."

"Well, if it's a sapphire this small," she held it up, "it'll probably take about an hour, including the metal band and base." She then looked at me. "Um, miss, do you mind if I can look at your finger? It seems like the perfect size for the girl he wants to engage with." I blinked in confusion, but let her measure my ring finger anyways. "Thank you, miss. I'll let the jeweler know to make this ASAP."

With that, she disappeared into a room.

I quietly sighed to myself. This was… all so sudden. He told me that he wanted to be engaged with someone and asked me for my opinion for an engagement ring. I felt a little heartbroken, but I kept my happiness for him and the girl.

~.~.~

It was now sunset. Shuu still hasn't told me who he was going to propose to yet. Plus, I'm going after dinner. He also said that he was going to propose today. Oh, how corny. If he does it right now, that would so typical of him.

"Hey, Haruka?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't really know how to tell you this…"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Tell me what?" But then, the questions that have been bugging me began to arise. I couldn't take it anymore. "S-Shuu, who are you going to propose to? I've been trying to ask you that all day, but…" I lowered my head. "… but I thought I might annoy you if I kept pushing the subject…"

Shuu smirked, patting my head. "Do you really want to know that badly?" Unconsciously, my eyes went to his right pocket, where the box containing the engagement ring was. "I guess you do."

"No, you don't have to tell me." I looked around me, realizing that we were in his botanic rose garden. There were so many roses of so many different colors! "It's not like I'm dying to know, anyways…" I was then reminded of my chocolates! "Oh yeah…" I dug through my bag. "Truthfully, I did have something to give you."

I took out my bag of chocolates. "I made these back at Shinou, you see." I held the bag as if they were precious. To me, they were. "And… I wanted to give this to you as Honmei chocolates."

Shuu's eyes slightly widened. "You… made these… for me?"

"Y-yeah…" I hid it behind my back. "But, look, you have someone to propose to. I probably shouldn't be giving you this as Honmei chocolates…" Just when I was about to put the bag away, Shuu grabbed my wrist. "Shuu? What's wrong?"

"Haruka…" His emerald green eyes bore into mine. "The person that I've liked, no, loved… is you." He slightly pulled me towards him, looking at the bag of chocolates in my hand. His usual hot-headed attitude had changed into a soft, gentlemanly one. "I would gladly accept them as Honmei Choco." He put his hand in his right pocket.

My heart froze from nervousness. Oh my gosh… Is he…?

"But first…" Shuu knelt down on one knee, took out the box, and opened it. It revealed the sapphire ring that I described for him. "Will you be my fiancée?" He smiled warmly at me. I thought I was going to melt! "This would also mean in the future… Will you marry me?"

But it wasn't just my heart that melted. My emotions melted along with it and flowed down into tears. I nodded, but muttered, "Yes, but you better not be joking with me, Prince Shuu of Houen!" I held back a gasp when he really did reach for the ring. He slid it on my ring finger.

"Perfect."

I tackled him into a hug, my tears running down so freely. "You are so cheesy, you know that?" He embraced me back, patting my back. "Why did you keep this from me so late?" I sniffed, wiping my tears away. "What about mom, dad, and Masato? Do they even know about this?"

Shuu smirked. "Of course they do. I asked them to let you be my fiancée last week." He sat up, caressing my hand. "They agreed, and I already told my parents. They've known you long enough to approve." He kissed my cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, Haruka."

"You know what?" I murmured. "You don't have to get me a White Day gift." I gazed at my engagement ring in joy. "I'm pretty sure that my joy for your proposal will pass White Day, so don't get me anything else. If you do, I think I'm going to break down from an overdose of joy."

He laughed, hugging me again. "This is one of the reasons I love you: You make almost everything I do into such a funny or lame joke."

"Hey!" I smacked him on the arm, a stupid smile on my face. We stayed in the rose garden, watching the sun set. "Happy Valentine's Day."

~.~.~

I managed to reach Tobari Palace before Hikari gave her chocolates to Shinji! I kissed Shuu good-bye before I rushed upstairs. Kasumi, Leaf, and Nozomi were waiting for me by Hikari's door.

"Finally, you're here!" Leaf whispered. "She just went inside Shinji's room. Let's go!" We quietly walked to Shinji's room. We leaned our ears against the door, trying to hear the conversation.

"Here!" we heard her choke out.

"What's this?"

"Chocolate…" Her voice was filled with uncertainty. Nozomi sighed at how nervous she was. Fight on, Hikari! Fight on! "U-um, it's not like these chocolates are to ask for forgiveness for that day, though. These are chocolates to show my thanks to you."

Aww, how sweet! I exclaimed in my thoughts. I peered through the keyhole, finding Hikari hold out her bag of chocolates out to Shinji.

He glanced at the chocolates. "You made these?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not sure if you like sweet things…" She averted her gaze to the window, embarrassed. "Y-you don't need to try one, if you don't like chocolate. I'm just offering."

"Oh my Arceus, what is she saying?" Kasumi anxiously whispered. "She worked so hard this morning to make them!"

"Shh!" Leaf hissed.

I looked back at the keyhole. Shinji opened the bag and took a chocolate. "He took one, he took one!" We all crowded around the door, anticipating his reaction.

Shinji took a bite and my heart was already racing! He swallowed and what I saw in his eyes was surprise! Then, he smiled. We all gasped! We never thought he had the ability to smile! Okay, that's a bit harsh, but you know what I mean!

He looked up at Hikari, warmly smiling. "They're delicious." He took another one, his face expression growing warmer and warmer. "Did you make all this?"

Hikari shyly nodded. "U-uh-huh." She nervously rubbed the back of her neck, a blush on her face.

Then, he asked the ultimate question. "Is this Giri Choco or Honmei Choco?"

She smiled at him, giggling. "They're Giri Choco. I want to show how thankful I am for letting me be here. If you haven't offered me that maid job, I wouldn't be having this much fun in Tobari Palace." She gave him a small bow. "Thank you so much, Master Shinji."

Shinji smirked, rubbing the top of her head. "It's no problem. Besides, you're the one who sparked some fun around here." He looked outside the window, where the moon was brightly shining.

"U-um… Master Shinji?"

"Hm?"

"You don't mind if I can give you a hug too, right?"

We were surprised! A hug? No way! Was she that thankful?

He smugly rolled his eyes and turned to her. "Why not?" Hikari grinned and gave him a quick hug.

Kasumi, Leaf, Nozomi and I smiled at each other and quietly walked away.

~.~.~

A/N: Yay for ContestShipping! 8D CS is my second best shipping, actually. ^^; PS comes next. Then, the others. xDDDDD The next part will be… Nozomi's part!

Questions

What did you think of this chapter? (A little too corny, maybe? x3)
What do you think Shuu was planning for Haruka the WHOLE DAY?
Do you think Hikari really wanted to give the chocolates to Shinji as Giri Choco?
Is Haruka's ring good enough? (It matches with her eyes, so I gave her a blue sapphire)
How bad do you think Haruka wanted to know who Shuu was going to propose to?
What do you think will happen in Nozomi's part of Ribbon of Royalty?
What will Kengo play in this fanfic? (Haha, spoiler…! xD)