I'm back everyone! Did you guys miss me? Also, Happy late Thanksgiving! I hope you guys don't hate me too much for making you wait so long. It's a long chapter, so please cheer up. Anyhow, as you may or may not know, the story is starting to come to an end. I'm thinking about making a sequel to the story 'My Prince, Please Smile' and 'My Brother, Be Happy' but I'm not sure. I might start working on Kyoya's side of the story after this, but only if you guys want it.

KIRI NO BASHOE: Well Happy Belated Birthday to you~ I'm glad I made your day that day. I hope you like that this chapter is long.

EternalyFalsity: Have fun reading Kaoru's pov then. Sorry it's very angst.

The ballroom was filled with laughter and chatter as it did a few weeks ago for my birthday. It would never have occurred to me that this would be my future as soon as Kaoru returned back from his training. I have always believed that once we were reunited, we would cause havoc in the castle again or spend every moment with each other. Now, I was married to a princess and became king of this kingdom.

Kaoru and Kyoya disappeared a few minutes ago at the balcony. I didn't catch much of their conversation, but apparently my brother had to chase the knight if he wanted to each a chocolate bread. Since we had a bunch that arrived during their talk, I felt the need to go over their and tell Kaoru that he didn't need to waste his energy. However, the excited look on his face made me stop and turn back my attention to the people around me. The next time I looked back at the balcony, they were already gone.

That was half an hour ago, and I haven't seen Kaoru ever since. A voice in the back of my mind told me not to worry, so I tried to enjoy the celebration. Key word, 'tried'. Haruhi disappeared a while ago since their was someone she needed to talk to, so I was left entertaining these nobles by myself. I still didn't like being surrounded by greedy nobles and dukes. I was hoping that Kousei would suddenly appear and take me away from these people, but I haven't seen him since yesterday.

"King Hikaru, may I talk to you for a second?"

I turned around then saw a blonde haired man with deep blue eyes motioning his hand to me as he hid behind a curtain next to a pillar. Immediately, I took this chance to excuse myself from the current crowd I was with. When I walked over to the man, he smiled at me. He didn't look like anyone I've seen before, so I'm guessing he was another son of an important noble. He didn't seem like a gold digger, so it wouldn't hurt to talk to him for a while. In fact, he looked rather innocent because of his features.

"I don't believe we've met. Since you already know who I am, may I ask for your name?"

His smile widen a little, but before he could say his name, another voice cut in.

"Hito wan wan! There you are!"

Suddenly, Kousei glomped the man and pulled him into a tight hug. When I realized what he called him, my mouth flew open. For a moment, no sound came out of my mouth, because of the shock I was in. My mind couldn't process at the moment that this innocent looking fellow was actually Umehito. Thankfully, I finally managed to pull myself together before someone noticed my gaping mouth. Once I recovered my voice, I manage to speak.

"Wait a minute, you're Umehito? Who would have known that this was what lay hidden under the hood and wig."

"Well I did tell you that Hito wan wan doesn't like brightly lit places right? He usually wears a dark wig and robe to protect himself from the light. For some reason, he believes that being directly hit by it will kill him."

After realizing that this was indeed the same gloomy looking person I met in town, I started to examine him more closely. Even if you didn't include the drastic change from a black hair wig to blonde hair, he looked much more innocent and friendly. His blue eyes held no malicious intent in them and his smile didn't look creepy at all. This just proved that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

"I'm still trying to have him conquer his fear, but he keeps threatening to move away if I continue to push him. Hito wan wan is such a meanie."

"You should be happy that I even came to this celebration, Kousei. I was planning not to come, but I did because of your constant whining. And stop adding the 'wan wan' to my name."

"Aw, I love you too Hito wan wan!"

The brown haired male started to plant light kisses on the other's cheek which caused a deep color of red appear on his face. Nekozawa buried his face in his hands then sunk deeper in the curtain. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight and feel happy for Kousei that he could hold his lover. Kaoru will always be far from my grasp as long as I was tied to the title called 'king'.

I could tell that Umehito's face was deep red even though he was hiding behind his hands. That poor man couldn't take all of the affection Kousei was showering him in. After one final kiss to his head, Kousei moved away from the curtain and allowed Umehito to hide their by himself. Then, he looked at me without his usual smile.

"Oh, before I forget. Hikaru, I want to make sure about something, so I'm going to ask you this one more time. Are you sure it's alright that Kaoru doesn't know your feelings?"

"He doesn't need to know how I feel. It's better this way."

My answer caused him to frown as he placed his hands on his hips. I almost wanted to laugh because he looked like a mother scolding his child. He would be a good mommy in my opinion.

"What are you so afraid of? You were so intent on telling him a few weeks ago."

"He's already happy with Kyoya. I don't need to come between them."

"But you're not! You're just going to tell your feelings to him. You weren't going to force Kaoru to be with you right?"

I hesitated at first then shook my head.

"Then what's so bad in telling him?"

My mind joined in with Kousei and asked the same thing to me. I opened my mouth to disagree with him, but I couldn't find any reason. That made me realize again, that I won't lose anything by telling him. I didn't mind if he rejected me, so why was I stopping myself. Confessing my feelings were just so that Kaoru knows that I love him. A new sense of determination filled me once I realized my mistake. I couldn't believe that I was such an idiot sulking in my own misery by focusing on my duty to become king.

"You're right Kousei. I have nothing to lose, so I might as well tell him anyway."

I smiled happily this time while my former tutor did the same.

"Here, you're going to need this."

Kousei took my hand then placed something on it. When he removed his hand from mine, I saw that it was the ring I was going to give to Kaoru. I looked in the inside of the ring then smiled when I saw that Casanova engraved the words 'I love you' then Kaoru's initials on it like I requested. When I looked back at Kousei, I instantly hugged him. He returned it then patted my shoulder when we pulled away.

"Now you go get your man, while I comfort mine behind this curtain."

I chuckled then made my way to the balcony where I last saw Kaoru. However, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Kyoya coming back without Kaoru. Before he blended in with the crowd, I see him place a half mask on his face. I continued watching from where I was as he picked up his pace. Once he was beside a wall at the far side of the room, the lights went out.

Suddenly, I heard a crash before a woman let out a high pitched scream. I placed the ring in my pants pocket then felt someone grab my wrist. Everything happened so fast, I didn't even struggle as the person guided me through the darkness then pull me into what felt like a tunnel. The person grabbed the lantern that was hanging by a hook nearby, then moved the fire so that he could see my face. At first I panicked, but then I calmed down when I saw that it was Kaoru.

"Hi there, so good to see you my king."

He smiled at me then released my wrist from his grip. I didn't like the way he was addressing me since it felt that we were strangers now. However, I placed that thought aside then remembered Kyoya. When he was walking back into the ballroom, he looked suspicious especially the moment he placed the mask on his face. I looked up then noticed Kaoru walking, so I started following him.

"Don't worry about your queen, the soldiers will guard her with their lives. For now, please keep silent so that no one will be aware of our location. Once we're at the garden maze, then you may talk."

I nodded at him, but felt the need to tell him what I saw earlier. He must not have known that Kyoya was behind all this, but he had the right to know. Even if he was his lover, Kaoru should know the truth before it was too late. Before I can say anything, a loud crash from behind stopped me. Soon voices filled the tunnel and I felt my heart speed up.

"Tch."

Kaoru instantly grabbed my hand then started running ahead. I did my best to keep up, but I haven't been exercising as much as I wanted to lately. It felt like we were running for a long time, however I kept on going. Our lives were now in danger, so I had to keep up.

"I think he went this way!"

As soon as that guy said that, my brother made a sharp turn which lead us to a dead end with a ladder. Kaoru easily climbed it then knocked on the top which made an opening for us. Once he was at the top, he helped me up then placed me against the wall to rest since I was panting quite a bit.

"Good job, you just lost a few pounds. If only you can do that everyday."

I looked at him and managed a small smile in response to the one he had. At the moment, I was too tired to be annoyed at his comment. Once Kaoru closed the entrance, he pushed a wardrobe over it then looked at me.

"Hikaru, switch clothes with me."

My eyes went wide as he started unbuttoning his top. My mind didn't understand why he would be asking me to do that.

"Wha-"

"We have no time right now, Just please trust me on this and wear my top then I'll wear yours."

He placed his clothes on the bed then started undressing my top since I wasn't doing anything to take it off. When I realized what he was trying to do, I immediately held his fingers to stop his movement. He was thinking of being me and then lead them away.

"Kaoru, it doesn't have to be this way, and I refuse to let you suffer in my place."

"This is the best for this kingdom, Hikaru. If you were captured and killed, then everything will be in chaos."

I looked at him with a troubled look. The only reason that I became king was for him. If he was dead, then what was the use? Suddenly, I felt him kiss my forehead. He placed his hands on my cheek then lightly pinched them.

"Come on now, you look better when you smile."

That one sentence made my heart throb as tears started to form in my eyes. I shook my head to get out of his grip before looking at his coat which was on the bed. Since this may be the last time we see each other, I think I should tell him now.

"Kao-"

There was a loud bang from the entrance we came from, which made me unconsciously grab the coat on the bed. I still didn't want to do this, but Kaoru was intent on taking my place. He even cut off a few strands of his hair to make it the same length as mine.

Their were more banging which made the wardrobe start to shift to the side little by little. I reluctantly placed the coat on with Kaoru's help. Once this was done, he hid me behind a couch in the corner which was near the drape of the curtain. I remembered this as being one of Kaoru's favorite hiding spot when we were kids. As he held the drape with one hand while I was holding onto the other, he looked at me with what seemed to be a loving expression.

"I know you don't like me saying 'good-bye', but this has to be."

I heard someone curse from the other side of the secret entrance then felt my breath hitch when he gave me a sincere smile. My hands were holding his hand tightly while I tried to form the words to tell him how I feel. For some reason, nothing came out of my mouth which only made me want to cry. I couldn't believe that this would be that last time I would see my brother. It seemed like no matter how much I wanted to keep him by my side, something would always take him away.

Again, I tried to say something in the few seconds we had left, but all that came out were a few short breaths. Before he drew back completely, he placed his lips on my own then whispered a few soft words to me.

"I love you."

My eyes went wide as he started to pull away from me.

"I love you too."

My voice cracked so my words came out in a faint whisper when Kaoru drew the curtain over my face. It didn't look like he heard what I said cause his attention was focused on the wardrobe as it gave way. I shook my head and wished that he could have heard it. Soon enough, people dressed in black with their faces covered in masks entered the room through the secret entrance.

"There he is!"

I peeked my head from the curtain and watched as the intruders started attacking my brother. At first, I was worried because he was outnumbered, but he easily defeated the ones that came at him. I silently cheered him on from where I was since it was the only thing I could do.

Even though I wanted to go out there and help him out, I would be in his way. Plus, the sacrifice he made would be for nothing, so I will try to respect his decision. The only regret I felt was not being able to properly tell him my feelings and give him the ring to symbolize it. Suddenly, Kaoru ran over to the balcony then I guessed that he climbed his way down using the vines nearby.

"Don't let him get away!"

The men in black immediately follow him out to the balcony on to the ground below. I moved deeper into the couch and curtain to maintain my hiding place. As I stayed where I was, the footsteps ceased and I knew that I was now alone. Even so, I continued to hide so that our illusion will be maintain. Once in a while, I peeked out of my hiding place to observe the room. At that point, noticed that I was in Kaoru's room.

It's been a while since I've been in his room, so I took in everything that was in it. Although it looked the same, I felt better now that I knew I was in his room. I could imagine his presence as he looked out onto the balcony. When I thought back on the time he first skipped dinner, I could remember his sleeping face. It was very cute and peaceful. If only things could have stayed the way they were. I would have been happy with that, but fate had other plans for us.

Suddenly, the door opened and Kyoya came in with his mask still on, his sword by his side, and an orange rose in his hand. I quickly moved back into the curtain while his footsteps approached the area I was at. He stopped at the entrance of the balcony then looked out at the scenery. Seeing him now made me think that I was right to criticize him the first time. Still, I should have interrogated him to make sure he was the right person for Kaoru. Clearly he wasn't the one for him now.

"Forgive me, Kaoru."

His voice was even, but his eyes softened considerably. Before it looked serious and tense, but it all changed within a second.

"I know you love your brother very much, but please understand."

I blinked at what I was hearing. Kaoru loved me. All along, his feelings were for me and not the knight. A smile formed on my lips now that I know the truth, but then I frowned when I remembered the danger Kaoru was in. Considering him, he would probably do anything to make sure that I was away from harms way. I'm also sad that he didn't know that I returned his feelings. Still, the only thing that made me wonder was why I didn't see the hints of his love for me.

"Someone has to die, I'm sorry."

Kyoya placed the orange rose on the ground then continued to look out onto the balcony. He stayed their for a long time to the point where it felt like twilight was approaching. The atmosphere felt nice and calm, but I could feel my heart continuously beating uncontrollably. All I could do was stay in my hiding spots, hoping that he wouldn't notice my presence. The next second, someone else came into the room with hurried footsteps.

"Sir, we captured the king. He was rather difficult to handle, but we managed to get him."

I held my breath, when I heard the person say that. As much as I wanted to go out there and kill Kyoya, I would die before I could lay a scratch on him. Those with the rank of knights are the hardest to deal with. It was easy to see that fighting Kyoya would be much more difficult than it would appear. Also, I kept telling myself to honor Koaru's decision by stay safe away from harm. Still, my stubborn nature kept saying to kill him.

"Move out."

Their footsteps disappeared out of the room which left me all alone once again. When a few minutes passed, I got out of my hiding place then looked out onto the balcony. The orange rose laid on the ground and was illuminated by the moonlight. I crouched down to pick it up then allowed my lips to touch the soft petals. My mind instantly thought of Kaoru, but I remembered that lilies suited him more.

I clenched my fist then walked out onto the edge of the balcony. When I looked beyond the walls of the castle, I saw faint black moving figures disappear into town. After I can no longer see them, the castle was quiet and appeared like nothing happened. There were no signs of life down below, and I could only wonder where everyone was. I just hoped that they were safe and no one got hurt. Koaru however.

"Kaoru..."

I slammed my fist on the cold, stone railing then felt scalding tears start to form in my eyes. Now that I was safe, I still questioned if it was the right thing for me to stay in hiding. Even though I was honoring his decision, I felt that it was a mistake to do that. Taking my place in order to drive the bad guys away, I should have fought against this even if it was selfish. I let my love be taken away from me a second time even though I could have done something to stop it.

"I'm so useless. Even after all these years, Kaoru is the one protecting me and there's nothing I can do to help him."

When I closed my eyes, a tear trailed down my face. I continued slamming my fists on the stone, not caring that I was hurting myself. Kaoru was in much greater danger than I was. After hearing Kyoya talk, it wasn't hard to know what he was going to do to him. It only pained me that I just watch this all happen. Everything is so frustrating right now.

"Kaoru..."

More tears fell from my eyes as I started to reminisce the time we spent together when he first came back to the castle. There weren't many, but I still treasured them in my heart since they are very precious to me. Even though there were some bad times, I was still happy to be by his side while I could. Always, I will keep these thoughts close to my heart, throughout the measures of time. After a while, I stopped slamming my fists then took out the ring from my pocket. I stared at it as my mind flashbacked to the moments when Kaoru was still beside me.

"Happy Birthday Hikaru."

"I'll protect you from now on, my prince."

"But eating sweets is what I do."

"Look! Look! They have bread with chocolate in it nowadays! Try one!"

"On second thought never mind, I'll just take another cookie from the kitchen."

"Be careful next time, you could have gotten hurt you know."

"Remember though, I'll always be by your side, even when I'm truly gone."

"Hi there, so good to see you my king."

"Come on now, you look better when you smile."

"I love you."

"Kaoru!"

I opened my eyes and glared angrily at the land beyond the walls. A faint throb formed in my stomach, but I pushed it down till I can no longer feel it. I wiped away my tears then covered my eyes with my hand. After I took in a long breath, I removed my hand. I made my face blank so no one could tell what I was feeling. When I felt somewhat better, I place the ring on my finger then threw the rose on Kaoru's bed before heading out of his bedroom.

"I will be the best king anyone has ever seen. I will make sure of it."

I kept that mindset while focusing on the task that was ahead of me. While I walked through the hallways, I was surprised to meet no one. Everything was oddly quiet, but I didn't let it bother me. Sooner or later I was bound to meet someone or else I'll just go get some rest. Today has been a long day, so sleep sounded very appealing right now.

"Oh, Kao-chan!"

I stopped in my tracks then turned around only to be hugged by a small blonde boy. Behind him was a tall stoic man with black spiked hair. He looked intimidating even though it didn't seem that he was trying to act that way, kind of like Kasanoda. In my opinion, the two of them would be good friends. I should set up a meeting for them to get to know each other.

"Thank goodness your safe, when the bad guys left, I was worried something happened to you."

When he noticed I wasn't saying anything, he pulled away from the hug to look at me with a worried expression.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Kaoru."

As soon as I said that, the small boy's face instantly crumbled and tears started to form in his eyes.

"W-what do you mean? You've got to be Kao-chan. Stop joking around! You were wearing that this afternoon!"

"Mitsukuni-kun, calm down."

The stoic man laid a hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him down.

"I can't help it Takashi. I don't understand anymore."

I kept my poker face up, but felt somewhat bad for the blond boy since he seemed very close to Kaoru.

"Kaoru exchanged clothes with me at the last moment then allowed himself to be taken by the intruders. As you can see, the plan worked since I'm safe and the men in black are gone."

The young boy stopped crying for a moment then started bawling his eyes out once he heard what I said. Again, I had sympathy for the boy, but I had to push that aside. I was now the king of this kingdom, so I had responsibilities and expectations to live up to.

"Who are you two anyway. I've never seen you guys before."

"My apologize, your highness. I am Takashi Morinozuka and this is my partner Mitstukuni Haninozuka. We are both generals."

I almost gaped when I realized who they were. Back then, I remembered hearing about this duo and how incredible their skills were. I never expected that they would be these two. Especially since one of them looked like a child. A sigh left my lips before I decided to asses the situation.

"Are the royal families safe?"

"Yes, we made sure to get them to safety first before fighting off the intruders. We also have some soldiers looking after your father even though none of the intruders went after him."

"What are the damages?"

"The ballroom is a mess, but there's nothing that can't be replaced. Most of the nobles were able to run away, but some were injured. We've already started the process of tending to the injured. Since the intruders left all of a sudden, not many people were killed. We also have some people guiding the guest back to their homes. Everyone else is inside the castle."

I nodded and felt relieved that not a lot of damage has been done. Everyone can thank Kaoru for that. Now it was going to be a bit easier to recover from this tragic event.

"Take me to where the my mother and queen are. I have to let them know I'm alright."

"Yes sir. Mitsukuni, go check on everyone that is inside."

Honey sniffled then nodded at Mori before running inside. Mori nodded at me then lead the way. After a while, I noticed that we were heading into the garden maze. Once we went through the twist and turns, we ended up at the secret entrance. I flipped the switch when Mori wasn't looking then walked inside. Their, I saw my mother, Haruhi, and her father huddled up in the corner of the room. It seems that they were talking in hush voices for a while, but stopped when I came in. Instantly, my mother came over and pulled me into a hug.

"Kaoru, where is your brother? I'm glad you're alright. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you mother, but I'm not Kaoru."

She pulled away then took a closer look at my face and outfit. A look of shock covered her face before she held my hand.

"I'm not disappointed dear, I was just so worried for you both. I couldn't stop thinking of the worse possible outcome for the two of you."

I gently kissed her forehead then stepped back to look at Haruhi and hear father before turning to my mother.

"Just to make things clear, Kaoru switched clothes with me then allowed himself to be taken away. That's the only reason the intruders left so quickly. So if you want to thank someone, thank my brother. He's the real hero."

I removed my hand from my mother's then turned back to Mori who was still at the entrance.

"I only came here to let you know that. Now tomorrow I'm going to start my reign as king, and the first thing I'm doing is wiping out all of the members of the council. That is all, good night."

Before I allowed them to say anything, I left the secret room then made my way through the maze again. Mori followed me from behind until we were out of the garden.

"Go and send word to the members of the council to meet me in the grand room at the dawn of morning. Tell them if they aren't there before the sun is in the sky, they are banished. Afterward, go ahead and go back to your partner. There's a lot ahead tomorrow."

"Yes, your highness."