Chapter 8
Kagerou and Soushi… have met?
"Ah, lovely to see you as well Soushi," Kagerou said with a smirk on his sadistic face. "But now if you'll excuse us, we will be going now."
Kagerou grabs onto my wrist tightly and starts pulling me towards the hole.
"Wait, wait! Hold on a second!" I yelled.
Surprisingly, Kagerou stops and listens to what I'm about to ask.
"How did you guys meet?" I asked.
Kagerou and Soushi were silent.
Impatient, I asked again. "Well? How did you two meet?"
Kagerou chucked slightly, then finally said, "Met? My dear fiancee, we have known each other for quite a while. It's hard to remember how we first met, it was quite a while ago."
"Well, then tell me how you know each other!" I demanded.
He chuckled once more then said, "It was a long time ago. Before you were even born, my fiancee. When the hatter and I were friends."
⊰ . . . . . ⊱
(A/N: This is a repeat of Ririchiyo's dream of Soushi's past. We apologize if it sounds repetitive, but there are a few other details added to it. c:)
"Where is Sou-tan? I have many bunny stories to tell today!" Zange exclaimed excitedly.
Watanuki laughed slightly and replied, "Don't worry Zange, Soushi will be here any minute! Kagerou is coming as well!"
"Kage! Oh what excitement! More bunny stories to tell!"
At the table, Karuta was already eating the cake for the party.
After a while of waiting, Kagerou and Soushi showed up to the tea party.
"I apologize for the wait, everyone," Soushi said politely. "I was getting an extra chair for the party."
"Sou-tan! I missed you so much~" said Zange, clinging onto Soushi.
"I missed you too, Natsume."
"Well then, shall we start the tea party?" Watanuki said in excitement.
"Ah, Karuta already seems to be enjoying herself~" Zange said.
"This cake is delicious…" Karuta said licking the frosting off her fingers. "Come share with me, Watanuki."
Watanuki blushes and replies, "O-Okay Karuta."
As everyone were about to take their seats, loud trumpet sounds filled the air. Everyone stopped.
"Presenting princess Ririchiyo, the princess of Ayakashi Kan!" yelled a guard holding his trumpet. Soon, the princess came out of her carriage with an envelope in her hand. As the princess walked gracefully to greet them, Soushi had his elbows on Karuta's cake while staring at the princess astonishingly.
"My cake…" Karuta said sadly.
Not only was Soushi staring, but Kagerou as well.
"Wow… isn't she beautiful?" Soushi asked without realizing what he was saying out loud.
"Yes… very breath taking…" Kagerou replied in a dreamy tone.
The princess stopped in front of the gate of the mad hatter Soushi's house. Soushi got up quickly from his seat, with cake on his elbows and walked quickly to where the princess was standing.
"Hello princess Ririchiyo." Soushi greeted, slightly blushing.
The princess looked down at his elbows and giggled slightly.
"Mad Hatter Soushi, would you and your friends be delighted to attend my party tonight?" The princess asked with a friendly smile.
Soushi slowly took the invitation out of her hands slowly and replied, "It will be my honor… Princess Ririchiyo."
Kagerou ran up beside Soushi and as well said, "It will be my honor as well, princess!"
The princess giggled at them both and replied, "See you then, all of you."
She walked back to her carriage gracefully and rode back to her kingdom.
Soushi sighed lovingly as he watched the princess's carriage ride off.
⊰ . . . . . ⊱
"You see, before we attended the party, I knew Soushi would try to take my bitch away from me, so I sent her a letter threatening her to not lay eyes on another man or else her kingdom will be burnt down, and of course I signed it anonymously."
I gasped when I heard him say that. I looked at Soushi and his face was all emotionless. I can see that just talking about his past makes him lifeless.
"T-That's enough Kagerou, I understand now" I said, trying to avoid Kagerou from continuing.
"Oh, but my fiancee, you asked for it and now I'm giving you it" Kagerou said with an evil smile. "As I was saying…"
⊰ . . . . . ⊱
Everyone arrived at the party. Everyone and everything at the party was lively. Everyone from everywhere in Wonderland came to the party. The party was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the royal kingdom of Wonderland.
As soon as Soushi entered the kingdom, he started looking everywhere for the princess.
Kagerou knew that Soushi was looking for the princess so he placed his hand on Soushi's shoulder and gripped onto it tightly and said, "If you talk or even look at MY bitch, you're done for."
Soushi turned to Kagerou, shocked at what he said to him and eventually replied, "How dare you call the princess that!"
He slapped his hand away from his shoulder. Everyone stopped and looked at them both. Watanuki was shocked to see them fighting for the first time.
"Oh? So you want to play that game, right Soushi?" said Kagerou, taking off his coat, ready to fight him.
"Kagerou, I'm not going to fight you." Soushi said calmly.
"Aw, but why not? Too afraid now?" Kagerou said mockingly. "If you really love her, you would fight for her. I'll end up getting that bitch for myself because I fought for her!"
Right when he was about to punch Soushi, Watanuki grab hold of his fist and yelled, "That's enough Kagerou!"
"Get out of the way, Watanuki! This is between Soushi and I!"
Kagerou then pushed Watanuki to the floor and yelled, "Zange help!"
Zange dropped his bunny cards and came to help Watanuki stop Kagerou from hurting Soushi, but he was too strong from their grip. Then a random stranger from the crowd helped them both and yelled for the guards to kick him out of the kingdom. The guards helped kick out Kagerou out of the palace then closed the gates on him.
In anger, Kagerou yelled out, "Fuck you Soushi!"
Watanuki and Zange were out of breath from helping the guards kick him out of the palace.
Watanuki then looked up at the man who helped them both Zange and him.
"H- Hey… thanks for all of your help." Watanuki said out of breath.
"You're welcome," said the stranger with a smile.
"My name is Banri Watanuki by the way" Watanuki said., introducing himself. "And you are?"
"My name is Renshou, Renshou Sorinozuka." He said. "Nice to meet you, Watanuki."Not long after, the princess came outside from the castle.
"What is with all the commotion?" She asked in fright.
Soushi then looked at the princess and walked up to her.
"Everything is alright, Princess Ririchiyo. Just a drunk guest got kicked out is all." Soushi said lying.
"Oh thank goodness it's only that…" the princess said in a sigh of relief.
"I apologize for the commotion… would you like to dance… as a token of my apology?" Soushi asked lending out his hand.
The princess looked at his hand for a silent second then looked up at him, smiled and nodded.
Soushi returns a smile then takes her hand ever so gently and starts slow dancing with her. As soon as Soushi and the princess started slow dancing, everything went back to the way it was. Soon after, Watanuki asked Karuta to dance with him and they both start slow dancing as well. Zange as well wanted to slow dance with someone so he asked Renshou. Renshou did not say anything and walked off.
"Awww Ren-tan!" Zange pouted as he went after the man.
After a while of elegant slow dancing, Soushi and the princess stopped to take a break. They stepped aside from the dance floor to let others dance.
"Wow Mad Hatter Soushi… you are a terrific dancer," The princess said with a soft smile. "I'm glad I got the opportunity to dance with you."
Soushi blushed slightly at her little comment. "Thank you, princess Ririchiyo."
Soushi wanted to be alone with her so he can express his feelings towards her.
Slightly nervous, he asked, "Princess Ririchiyo… is there a place where we can be alone?"
The princess looked at Soushi curiously and asked, "Oh? What for?"
"Well, I… I have to tell you something important."
"Alright, Mad Hatter Soushi," she said with a smile. "Come inside."
With that said, she took a hold of his hand and led him inside the castle. She led him to her bedroom. Once she got to her bedroom, she sat down on her bed and patted a spot next to her implying Soushi that he can sit next to her. Quickly, Soushi made his way next to the princess and sat next to her.
"So, what is it that you wanted to tell me, Mad Hatter Soushi?" The princess asked politely.
Soushi nervously gulped a bit then grab a hold of her gentle, tiny hands and held them ever so tightly against his chest.
"Princess Ririchiyo… I… I love you. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one for me."
The princess blushed at Soushi's love confession. Her eyes were then covered by her bangs. Soushi then was puzzled by her reaction.
"Princess Ririchiyo… was it something I said?" he asked, putting one of his hands on her cheek.
The princess remained silent for a bit then placed her free hand on Soushi's hand on her cheek and replied, "No… I-I think I'm in love with you too."
Soushi's eyes widen in shock and disbelief.
"Really? You're in love with me?" Soushi asked blushing, smiling widely.
The princess nodded and said, "Yes… I, too, fell in love with you when I first saw you… I, too, knew you were the one."
Soushi sighed in relief and leaned down for a kiss. The princess placed a finger on Soushi's lips to stop him for a moment.
"B-But we can't…" The princess said sadly.
"We can't? Why not?" Soushi asked sadly.
The princess got up from her seat and walked up to her desk that was nearby her king sized bed. She opened a drawer and took a letter out of it then walked back to her spot next to Soushi.
"There was a letter sent to my palace today," She then handed the letter to Soushi. "It said that if I ever fall in love with another man, bad things will happen to me, my kingdom, … and to the man I fall in love with."
With that said, the princess started breaking down and crying in fear. Soushi looked at her then pulled her close into a tight embrace and held her.
"Princess… I will never let anything happen to you," Soushi said stroking her hair. "And if anything ever happened to you… I don't know what I would do."
The princess soon calmed down her crying and got a hold of herself. She then looked up at Soushi who wiped her tears away with his thumb.
"Soushi… this relationship will bring unfortunate events to the kingdom," the princess said in a sad tone. "I'm afraid of what'll happen to you… and me."
"None of that matters, princess. What matters is that I love you and I will always, and I mean, always protect you my lady."
With that said, Soushi took the princess's hand gently and kissed it.
"Soushi…" The princess said softly.
"Miss Ririchiyo…" Soushi replied, placing his hand on the princess's cheek and slowly leaning towards her face.
The princess closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss as well. The kiss was soft at first but then it turned deep and passionate. During their night together, Kagerou was watching from outside of her balcony window with anger building up inside of him.
⊰ . . . . . ⊱
"That night was when I lost my insanity," Kagerou said with his hands forming into a fist. "I will never forget the day when Soushi took MY BITCH and claimed her as his own."
I looked back up at Soushi. His face was still emotionless. It scared me greatly. I didn't know what to think. This was not the Soushi I knew.
"Kagerou, would you stop it now? I get it! You lost me- I mean… princess Ririchiyo and you were mad and-"
"Oh but don't you want to hear how I killed her?" Kagerou asked with an evil smirk.
Soushi's eyes widened. Kagerou looked at Soushi and chuckled slightly, knowing that he triggered his anger.
Soushi angered yelled out, "You killed her?! How did you kill her? TELL ME!"
Kagerou then starts laughing insanely then finally replies with, "Alright… I'll tell you.
(A/N: Well, there you go readers! Another cliffhanger because we love you! c: We hope you enjoy this chapter! The next chapter will be coming soon!)
