Me: Today I'm dedicating this chapter to Ghostgirl 2327 who sent me a wonderful PM asking me to update soon and telling me how big of a fan she is of the story. Not in a review, but in a PM. So here you are darling, I hope everyone enjoys.
Mai: Silver doesn't own Ghost Hunt. Please R&R! ^_^
Naru's POV:
Silence was all that surrounded me. Silence and books.. Currently I was in my study, nursing my slowly growing headache as I attempted to figure out what was going on in the world. Just a few minutes ago I found out that Mai Takigawa was actually Mai Taniyama and is the heir, rightful heir, to Sakura. As expected, this caused an outburst among the elder nobles and they were now questioning Takigawa since Mai had no clue about her lineage until we found out. Surprisingly, it made quite a bit of sense and connected all the dots. I had doubts from the beginning that a common girl could posse such drive and air.
However, a part of me wishes dearly that she was indeed just a common girl. For now the arranged marriages have now most definably resurfaced in everyone's minds, except of course Mai's, and they were now probably plotting on who can go with who. Just the thought alone brought me a new wave of pain as I pinched the bridge of my nose to try and relieve the pressure. Before I could focus any more on the matter, or make my headache worse, there was a soft clink that echoed within the room. My head shot up and there before me was a cup of tea and a broken Mai.
"Careful Naru, you might hurt yourself if you don't take a break." She said, smiling softly at me, even though it never reached her eyes. Gratefully, I took the cup she brought, truly tankful for her impeccable timing.
"I'm not you Mai. My mind works differently than yours." I said, taking a sip, and marveling at the taste that only Mai could produce. Relaxing significantly, my headache began to recede and I turned my focus onto the girl in front of me.
"Maybe so, but you can still get stressed and a headache."
"I supposed, is there any particular reason you came here?" I asked, raising a brow at her. She nodded her head in response, and curious, I gestured to the seat across from me so that she could sit down. Cautiously, she sat after a moment of hesitation. Her head was bowed and her hands lay folded in her lap. For a while neither of us spoke, and I was slightly cursing myself for not having Gene or Yasu with me to start a conversation with the girl. Sighing at my predicament, I looked up from the book in my lap and was startled to see that she was trebling and crying.
"Mai." I whispered, unable to think of anything else to say. Her head shot up, and when our eyes locked the dam that she held together burst as she threw herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my waist as she buried her face into my thigh. Her body shook from the strength of her sobs with tears cascading down her face. All I could do though was just helplessly watch her while holding my book to the side, which I had managed to remove from my lap before she had taken its place. Eventually, I got the common sense to put down the book, and place my hand on her back with the other resting upon her head. Her cries soon died down and when her trembling stopped I just continued to hold her until she herself decided to let go.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, catching my attention. Slowly, she pulled back, revealing two bloodshot eyes and tear tracks drying on her face. I sighed at this as I took my handkerchief and whipped away her tears.
"Nobles and royals aren't supposed to show their tears to anyone." I said, watching her eyes widen at my words.
"That's just it Naru. I'm not a royal. I can't be a royal. I'm just a common girl. A common, dumb, unsophisticated, unmannered, village girl." She said, panic lacing her words.
"According to Takigawa you are." I said, wondering why she hasn't come to terms with it. 'Most girls would have been overjoyed if they were told that they were the rightful heir to a kingdom.' I thought, but just as soon as it came, I dismissed it, remembering that although Mai may actually look like a regular girl for once, she was still a far cry from it.
"I don't care. I don't care what he calls me, or what the picture shows, or what this gosh darn locket means. I am me. I am Mai." She said, throwing her hands up in the air in a huff. My brow rose at what she meant. Not quite sure about what the portrait or a locket had to do with anything.
"Locket?"
"Yes, the locket my parents gave me before they died."
"May I see it?" I asked, wondering how willing she would be to let me see it. She took a moment to consider it, and then reached back to unclasp it. Taking it off, she held it within her palm and stared at it longingly. After a moment of two her eyes rose up to meet mine. She held my gaze and then held the locket out to me. Extending my own hand out for it, I watched her drop it in the center of my palm. Handling it with care, my gaze went from Mai to her locket as I began to examine it.
Already I could tell that the craftsmanship was extremely skilled. The locket was made of gold and shaped into a heart. From what I could see, there was a crescent moon behind a heart that was behind a cherry blossom. The designs seemed familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I had seen it. However, after a moment of thinking I realized exactly what it was.
"This is our families' crests." I said, grabbing a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill.
"What?" She asked, looking at me with confusion in her large doe eyes. Not bothering to answer her, I simply drew out the three symbols on the parchment and turned it so that Mai could see. She took a look and the confusion only seemed to spread on her face at the symbols. "I don't get it."
"Idiot."
"Hey! I'm not an idiot." She defended. A smirk formed on my lips as her temper flared out.
"If you weren't an idiot then you would know that the crescent is Tsuki's national crest and that the cherry blossom was Sakura's." I depanned, watching her anger recede into understanding.
"Oh, what does the heart mean?" she asked, making me realize that she had no clue about the arranged marriages. Suddenly an idea came to mind and a plan began to form on how to get Gene and I out of the damned arranged marriages.
"It represents the union of our kingdoms."
"Union? There was a union between them?"
"Not quite. The union was talked about and discussed, however the criteria was never met, so the union never formed." I said, glancing at the locket, and then back at her expectedly. "Although, now the criteria seems to have been met now that you're here."
"What do you mean?" she asked, taking y bait just like I knew she would.
"So you were never told of the union or the contract?" I asked, standing up and circling her.
Her gaze locked on mine, and the air and will of the noble within emerged, transforming her from the strange, hyper, bubbly village girl to the strong, calm, dignified queen – to – be. Instead of responding with her usual quick quip, her eyes merely narrowed as she sat up straight. That was all the response I needed and I held the chain of the locket in my hand, letting the actual piece of jewelry hanging from it dangle right in front of her face.
"It means, for peace to fall upon our kingdoms the future heirs shall join their lands through marriage." Confusion was once more upon her face and I sighed to myself how thick skulled this girl could be. "Let me make it easier for you to understand Mai. Our parents sealed our fates. The Princess of Momo, Lady Harada, and the Princess of Sakura, you, are each to be wed to one of the princes of Tsuki, Gene and myself. Do you understand now?"
Mai's POV:
'Wed? Wed. Wed! I am to wed?!' I questioned, feeling all the blood rushed from my face has this fact settled in. All that was left of my world broke and I felt as if I had fallen into a black void. Everything was a lie. My whole life was a lie. Who I am, who I know, where I belong. They are all lies. Every single last thing about me was a lie. 'Everything, except for the locket.' I realized, looking at it now as Naru still held it in front of my face.
The locket knew me. It knows me. It seen me grow. It saw me become who I am today. The lie I am today. But is it really a lie of who I am? I know what I am was a lie, but does it mean the same thing as who I am? Taking a good look at it I remembered all the things I had been through. All the lessons, all the hardships, but most of all, all the love and hope it had given me. Suddenly the line engraved in the locket came to mind.
'To our beautiful daughter, we love you and you will always be are fair Princess.'
It was in this moment that I had an epiphany. I am who I am. Tea maker, or Princess, it doesn't matter. I am still strong, independent, stubborn, free, and God dammit if I'm gonna let anyone else say differently. With my resolve made, I snatched my locket from Naru's grasp and once again put it around my neck. Only this time I didn't hide am proudly displayed it.
"All right Naru. Now tell me, how you plan to get us out of this?" I asked smiling at him knowingly. A smirk formed on his lips.
"It's not what I'm going to do, but what you're going to do."
"What do you mean?" I asked, eyeing him cautiously. His smirk only seemed to widen at this, and immediately I didn't like where this was going.
"The clause states that under the rulers of the kingdoms, the children shall wed."
"And this helps us how?" I asked, standing up and facing him, not quite getting his thought process.
"Mai, your parents are dead." He stated, causing a sharp pain to pierce my heart at the mention of it.
"Thanks for the reminder, but I already knew that Naru."
"You don't get it. The kingdoms ruler is you. You can tell them that you decline, and the whole thing will be nulled and void." He explained as he began to pace about the room. My eyes widened while this sunk in. Carefully I mulled over the idea, thinking about all the pros and cons.
"How am I going to bring it up?" I asked. Naru paused in his pacing and grabbed his chin and thought. His eyes narrowed, but he then relaxed and turned to face me.
"Knowing Duchess Hara and her daughter, they'll bring it up. You'll have to act like you don't know what's going on, and then you'll strike."
"But how do I turn it down?"
"Don't worry, you'll think of something, Fair Tea Maker." He said, smirking at me. I blushed at the context, but before I could say anything, he took my hand and kissed my knuckles before exiting the room. Leaving me alone to my thoughts and a bright red face.
Me: So there you have it, now I wonder how Mai will break it to the Hara's. Got any ideas?
Mai: Nope, I got none.
Naru: Isn't it the writer's job to come up with ideas?
Me: Yeah, but it' fun to get the readers involved. ^_^
Gene: If you have any ideas of how Mai should break it to the Haras, please leave it in a review please and thanks! XD