A Prince for Mikan
by: Esa MaRie
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Chapter 24 - A Deal for a Kiss
"Mikan-chan…"
No response was heard from the auburn-haired girl as she focused her attention outside the carriage, refusing to turn to his call. Shun sighed tiredly, knowing the girl was obviously disappointed at what happened earlier. Mikan had begged him to let her see her best friend, but his decision had remained firm and instead of proceeding towards the next event of the Alicea Festival, he had ordered his coachman to bring them back into the palace.
He knew that had not suited well to Mikan but she kept her silence all throughout their journey back to the palace.
"I was only thinking of what's best for you," he suddenly said, breaking the silence between them.
He saw her shoulders stiffen a bit then she finally turned her face towards him, and he was relieved that she didn't look angry, only a bit sad.
"And keeping me from my friends is what's best for me?" she asked slowly.
'Yes,' he wanted to say that out loud, but he held his tongue. He wanted to justify that everything he was doing was for Mikan's sake. But he knew that he was working everything out for his own benefit as well. Right now, all was placed at his advantage. Mikan was in a vulnerable state which if he played his part right, he could earn her trust and probably her love. Her friends would only interfere in his plans. Mikan should only need him and no one else.
Facing her, he could see the confusion as well as helplessness in her features. She wanted explanations and he knew he had to give her a suitable one.
"There are people after you, Mikan-chan," Shun explained carefully. "Whatever their reason is, it doesn't erase the fact that they are willing to kill to chase after you and your husband. While you're at my side, I can ensure your safety as no one would dare go against a royalty. But you could place your friends in danger even with the slightest contact with them."
He saw her brows furrowed as if digesting his words, then her hazel eyes widened in shock, fear evident in them.
"K-kill?" The word was forced from her mouth in a stammer as she grasped his arm. "Shun-kun, what do you mean by that? Did something happen? What happened to my husband and Anna-chan?"
Shun remained silent. He already expected that reaction since Mikan was quite easy to read. But he had to confirm first Takanari's death before he gave her any news.
"Shun-kun, please tell me!"
He reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We're still investigating what happened Mikan-chan. Be assured I will tell you everything once I get the facts right."
"B-but… w-what if…"
Shun immediately pulled her into his arms as she broke a sob. "Hush Mikan," he whispered as he lovingly ran his fingers on her hair, comforting her. A smile slowly curved on his lips as he tightened his hold on her. "It's okay. Everything will be alright soon."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
Mikan paced back and forth in her room. She was sure Shun was keeping something from her. And staying in this room made her even more worried. She had to admit that she was not usually perceptive, but there was something in the way Shun gave her the news that made her feel that something had indeed happened to Natsume and Anna. Unable to calm herself, she rushed towards the door and pulled it open, only to be blocked by a couple of maids.
"Lady Sakura," they bowed. "Is there something that you need?"
"Uhm…," she fidgeted as she thought of an answer. "I just need to get some fresh air."
"We will accompany you then towards the gardens." They walked ahead and Mikan sighed as she quietly followed them. Trying to keep her mind off from her dark thoughts, she let her gaze roaming curiously around her. One of the maids noticed it, and being a bubbly one, she thought that Mikan probably needed a tour of the palace. Through her, Mikan learned that her room was located on the third floor of the west wing, and was part of the prince's royal chambers. She accepted the information easily, thinking there was nothing wrong with it since she was under Shun's protection. But she couldn't help wonder why the maid Kana was giggling teasingly as she told this.
She shrugged the thoughts away and continued to follow the maids. They had gotten down on the ground floor when she noticed the other maid, Suki, kept glancing back at her.
"Uhm… is there something wrong with my face?" Mikan asked.
Suki blushed and shook her head. "I'm sorry milady. It's just you look so much like the queen in the painting."
"The queen?"
Kana immediately turned and gasped. "Now that you mentioned it, she does look a lot like that old queen."
"She's not old," Suki argued. "The painting was old but the queen was still young in there."
Curiosity sparked within Mikan. "Uhmm, can you show me the painting?"
The maids looked at each other. "I think it's okay. They did tell us to keep her company as long as it's within the castle walls."
"These are the paintings of all the rulers of the Hirazaki Kingdom and their spouses."
'Whoa...' Mikan couldn't help but be fascinated at the lavishly dressed people in the portraits. One most notable thing she noticed was that several of the Hirazaki royalties had the same blond hair and blue eye features of Shun.
"It's hereditary," Suki answered when she asked about it. "The heir of the throne will always be the first borne child regardless of the gender. Female heirs will nevertheless carry the Hirazaki name even if she gets married. Only someone with the Hirazaki blood can rule so the partner of the queen will only be considered as Prince Consort, not the king." Seeing the amazed look on Mikan's face, she continued. "But I think that rule applies to all the kingdoms in Alicea."
Their conversation were interrupted when Kana called out excitedly. "Sakura-sama, here come quick!"
They reached where Kana was standing and Mikan looked up only to catch her breath as she stared at the woman on the portrait, Queen Yuka Hirazaki. "She's beautiful," she whispered in awe. Then she blinked and turned a confused glance at the maids. "I look like her?"
The maids giggled.
She took another glance at the portrait, still unable to believe that this woman of stunning beauty held any sort of resemblance with her. She had to admit that they have the same hair and eye color... maybe the same small heart-shaped face... Okay, maybe they have some similarities but... She just shook her head convincing herself that it was just a coincidence and that despite the similarities, she had never looked as beautiful as the queen. But clearing her head made her aware that there was something eerie on the picture. She looked up again and felt a shiver up her arms, it was as if the woman on the painting was looking straight at her. Fear began to crawl on her body and her face paled. She hated ghost stories and staring at the painting felt like she was in one.
"I don't feel well..." her voice trembled a bit as she turned to her companions. "Please take me back to my room."
Kana and Suki looked at her worriedly and acted immediately. As they escorted her back to the prince's quarters, Mikan continued to feel her head getting heavy, her mind in a jumble as the image on the portrait continued to plague her thoughts. She could not forget the sense of sadness, helplessness, and anger she felt from the queen, and while she was staring at it, she saw something flicker under the queen's hand. A stone of ocean blue... which looked exactly like her father's memento.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
"That was reckless, Imai-san," Jinno commented.
"It was necessary," the raven-haired girl retorted. "Besides, I got what I need to track Mikan." She then lifted a pink-laced handkerchief.
"How can we find her with a piece of cloth?" Natsume lifted a brow, a bit skeptical on the way Hotaru presented her idea. Koko had been enthusiastic in recounting the full details of what happened earlier during the opening ceremony. His expression remained blank but inside, he was feeling a mixture of relief and irritation. He was glad that it was confirmed that Mikan was safe but remembering that she was with that blasted Shun, he couldn't help but feel the rise of uneasiness in his chest and furious of that fact that Shun had been putting Mikan on display to everyone like he own her.
Before he could get his answer, they all heard the door open. Natsume initially thought that a servant had entered to offer refreshments, but he almost jumped from his seat when he heard a shriek.
"Oh my god! It's really Prince Natsume!"
Their heads snapped towards the voice, and Natsume's eyes widened as he saw a familiar girl with green permed hair running towards him, her arms outstretched.
"What the fuck-!"
"Natsume-samaaaaa!"
It was only a nick of time, but Natsume managed to dodge the green haired thing, but the cat-like girl sprang from the wall, leaping towards him again. Having no other choice, Natsume put up a wall of fire to block the intruder.
"What the hell is going on here? Who let that freak in?" he demanded. Immediately, the guards entered the room and grabbed the girl.
Not wanting to increase the prince's anger, Narumi stood and approached Sumire who was still being held by the guards. "What are you doing here, Shouda-chan? How did you even get to enter the villa? Who let you in?"
"I did."
Everyone turned their eyes to the culprit, who remained poised and sitting calmly on the soft cushion drinking her tea.
"What's the big idea, Imai?" Natsume growled at her, his crimson eyes darkened. "Why the fuck did you bring the raider here?"
Hotaru settled the cup carefully on the table before raising her brow at him. "Be thankful I only thought of bringing one of them," she countered emotionlessly.
A nerve on the prince's forehead twitched. "You better have a good reason for this."
Their conversation stopped when a loud shriek from the green-haired feline interrupted them. "Imai, you better keep your promise!"
Hotaru just raised a brow at her, then turned her attention to the prince. "Let's talk privately."
"What the hell do you mean I have to do that-" Natsume shouted, his temper finally reached its boiling point. "-to that thing?"
"She's Mikan's stepsister."
"What has that got to do with me kissing that seaweed?" Natsume roared furiously, wanting nothing but to strangle the girl in front of him. "And she's Polka's stepsister? Then you should be aware that she's one of those who had made your friend miserable!"
Just the thought of touching Shouda Sumire made his skin crawl. Three years had passed since she and her equally creepy sister had left the academy, but it had not erased the memories of those horrible years of being chased around the school campus by the obsessed fangirls they led. Most of the girls used to be discreet in their admiration of him, until the Shouda sisters had organized the fan club and turned its members into deranged boxer-hunting scavengers. He was relieved when they were out from his sight, and it was a nightmare thinking that he had to deal with them again.
"That's the deal I made with her," Hotaru said nonchalantly, obviously unconcerned with his predicament. "She will help us find Mikan's location in the palace." She lifted a pink laced handkerchief. "With her alice, she will be able to trace the owner of this, which of course, is Mikan. Although, we have to be careful not to spill Mikan's identity and your relationship to her, else she might refuse to help."
"If we need her alice to find Polka, then ask for her alice stone and let Sato penetrate into Hirazaki palace!" Natsume argued.
"I know her, she won't give it easily," Hotaru replied. "Besides, Sato is an idiot. At least I know Shouda has more common sense."
"I'm not going to kiss her," Natsume said with finality, gritting his teeth. "If she wants a kiss, then she'll have to make do with a double."
Hotaru snorted. "I think you forgot you're dealing with someone with a dog alice here. Give it up Hyuuga. You either agree or we can kiss this plan goodbye. Based on what I have seen, the next thing we'll expect is an announcement of Mikan's engagement to Shun Hirazaki." She spared him a discreet glance, aware of the flow of emotions in him. "It's not like you to be sentimental about a kiss. I bet you have done it several times already. Adding one piece of permed kitten wouldn't really matter."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
"I'm not going to enter the palace as a mouse!"
"Then, what do you want to be?"
"A beautiful princess, or a lady, or even an exotic dancer, or…"
"Aha!" Koko exclaimed with a flick of his finger, an excellent idea occurred into his mind. "What about as a cockroach?"
"Shut up, you nincompoop!"
They were all gathered in the drawing room to plan the infiltration of the Hirazaki Palace. Hotaru had laid out the plans and they all had to admit, it was simple yet ingenious. They had already been informed about Sumire's relationship to Mikan and Hotaru had warned them not slip anything about Mikan, else they will suffer the consequences.
"Actually, a cockroach would be a better idea," Tsubasa grinned, obviously enjoying the seething look on Sumire's face. "Surely, no one would suspect a cockroach."
"A cockroach is easily killed though," Misaki reminded him. "How about a lizard or a spider?"
"Too slow," Koko answered. "I guess a mouse is better."
"How about a bird?" Ruka suggested.
"Pretty suspicious," Tsubasa rolled his eyes. "Even in the movies, birds are always used as spies."
"I know!" Koko grinned. "A mosquito or a fly! Seito, turn into one quick!"
Seito turned into one just as a servant entered and noticing the buzzing, she immediately took a swatter and slapped it into the air.
"Seito!" Ruka rushed towards the boy as he changed back into his original self, dead faint on the floor.
"I guess a mosquito is not a good idea," Koko murmured.
"I'm not turning into a mosquito or some stupid insect!" Sumire shouted as she stood, her hands on her hips. "And as I said earlier, I'm not going as a mouse, period!"
"Shouda," Hotaru said calmly, then pointed her finger at Natsume. "Remember your reward."
Glancing at the prince at the far end of the room, his gorgeously handsome face turned into a ferocious scowl, made her drool. 'A kiss with Prince Natsume Hyuuga, a kiss with Prince Natsume Hyuuga, a kiss with Prince Natsume Hyuuga...'
"I'll do it! I'll do it! I'll do it!" Sumire screamed enthusiastically, grabbing Seito's alice stone. 'We kiss, then we fall in love, then he's going to propose to me, then we're going to get married. A huge and grand wedding with all the girls eating their hearts in envy at me...'
"Then I'm going to be the queen of the Hyuuga Kingdom. Everyone will bow down to me. Queen Sumire Hyuuga..."
"Shut up, you mind reader freak!"
Her face flamed red at having her thoughts read out loud in front of everyone. Mustering the remaining dignity she had, she straightened her back and glared at the piece of cloth she was holding. "I'm just going to find the location of the owner of this hanky, right? The smell is a bit familiar though. Who is this girl anyway?"
"She's the holder of an important alice," Narumi explained, careful not to divulge anything that would connect to Mikan. "The Hirazakis may not be aware of her power as of yet, so we need to get her to our side before they do."
"Oh…" Sumire looked at the laced handkerchief. No wonder they were quite persistent on this. She must be some important person. She had already memorized the smell and she knew would be able to trace this woman as soon as she was within some considerable distance. She cringed as she looked at the brown stone on her hand. She closed her palm and tried to concentrate, trying to think of herself as a mouse. She felt something strange like she was getting smaller and smaller. As laughter broke out, she opened her eyes.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" she demanded, but her voice went out like a squeak.
Narumi sighed. "I guess she needs to get used to this first. She would need time to control Seito's alice."
"What an idiot," Hotaru muttered. "We expected a mouse, not a mutated version."
As they watched the group continue to help Sumire in practicing to control the metamorphosis alice, Narumi turned to Jinno with a concerned voice. "Is this really okay, Jinno-sensei? Involving these kids would put them at risk."
Jinno sighed heavily in response. "There's not much we can do at this time. We can't do anything as long as the festival is going on. It is unlikely that they would suspect these children to be the mastermind of the events that will take place in the next few days."
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
The Alicea Festival was not only about the competition between the kingdoms, it was also a chance for the host kingdom to offer its culture, history, and natural attractions to tourists and visitors from other kingdoms. Museums, parks, historical landmarks, and even a portion of the Royal Palace were opened for the public. Merchants were gathered along the streets selling their wares, offering souvenirs and products unique only to the Hirazaki Kingdom. And being true to its title of 'Water Kingdom,' the ocean body surrounding its vast land is blessed with diverse marine ecosystem, which made the kingdom popular with its seafood delicacies and water parks.
It was a beautiful morning, and it seemed that the Alicea Festival this year was graced with sunny and clear skies for the whole week, allowing representatives and tourists alike to enjoy the festivities to the fullest. Even with the different exciting tours, one of the most popular destinations for those who want to take a break from the competitions was the Hirazaki Palace. The Hirazakis had remained proud of the ancient castle, the vast fortress that had been the witness of the glorious history of the kingdom, as well as its downfall. The tour was only scheduled for two hours and covered only a small portion of the palace grounds which limits only to the outer court, a portion of the inner courtyard and its surrounding attractions including the palace gardens, the labyrinth, and the ballroom. The main rooms and the western wing where the royal chambers were located were absolutely restricted to retain the privacy of the royal family.
The palace tour was quite difficult to book, not that many were interested with the castle's history or anything. It was because many of the females who bought the tickets had the intention of getting close to the Hirazaki Prince which they hoped they would encounter while on tour of the castle. Though her heart was already set on the Hyuuga prince, Sumire wouldn't really mind if she caught the attention of the Hirazaki prince as well. She would have enjoyed the tour as well if she wasn't here for a mission.
If there was something she was proud of, it was her confidence. Even if meant risking her life, she knew she could do this. She wasn't that insensitive, she knew the prince didn't have any feelings for her; the look on his face when he returned with Hotaru Imai was proof that he was against the deal. But it seemed that this favor was more important that he would agree to her demands. She knew she was a selfish bitch, she never denied that. She loved attention and she always craved for something that was attainable. And to girls like her, Prince Natsume Hyuuga was completely unreachable that whoever could get her hands on him, would be the subject of everyone's envy. She and her sister started the fan club back in the academy to catch the attention of the prince, but as more girls joined their crusade, each was also trying to outdo each other in catching the prince's attention. Mere antics like tripping in front of the prince or bumping into him no longer worked as he would totally try to avoid them or block them out with his fire walls. They instead began to outdo each other in obtaining the prince's pens, eraser, shoelace, shirt, etc. But one thing she knew the girls wouldn't dare try to get is... the prince's boxers.
The plan would have been flawless if only Jinno-sensei did not arrive for his surprise visit. Those traitor she had for friends had pointed to her and her sisters as the perpetrators for the fiasco. Her mother had been furious for her ruining the Shouda name that she requested for them to be home tutored instead of attending the academy. Well, she was quite glad they left the academy, away from the humiliation, away from those smug and snide looks, the degrading gossips and whispering. But it hurt her pride and battered the self-esteem and confidence she was always proud of. She was angry and bitter, that she let it loose on her stepsister Mikan Sakura.
She never really hated Mikan. She just find her annoying and the fact that she allowed herself to be slaved by them had prompted more abuses. Sumire admitted to herself that she was lazy by nature. If someone was willing to do the work for her, then let her be. She would be glad to hand over all the work so she can attend to more pressing matters like treating that single pimple that poses as a threat on her beautiful face, or fixing a broken nail, or... oh you know what I mean. Sometimes, she couldn't help wonder where Mikan was but it also made her angry remembering how she and Karen had to do some work because they were not able to find immediate help to replace that irresponsible lass.
She glanced at her unsuspecting sister who was busy snapping away pictures of the beautiful palace. Karen didn't know anything about the deal since she was the only one that Imai approached. And she was glad. She wanted to be the only one to gloat that she had kissed the prince. Besides, in a way, she also wanted to redeem herself to the prince and the ministers that she was someone of use. Maybe after this, they can forgive her previous humiliating adventure in the prince's room and allow her to return to the academy.
They had entered into the side entrance towards the outer court, since the main entrance was restricted only to the important guests. Now that they had entered the palace, it was time for the plan to take action and Sumire knew she had to act quickly.
"Remember Shouda-chan," the minister Narumi reminded her. "With a stone as small as this, continuous use of the metamorphosis alice will take a very limited time. At the most, depending on how you use it, you can stay disguised for around a couple of hours but since you're practically new at this, you need to have some allowance. We don't have enough time to train you enough to handle the use of the stone effectively, you need to get out of the palace within an hour, an hour and a half at the latest. Any more than that could put you in serious danger. You might lose control of the stone's powers and end up returning to your original self."
The guide was talking about the tall mural towers that was used as a main defense force during the war period when Sumire walked towards a guard and asked for the directions to the restroom.
"It is just down there by the exit near the gardens but we will ask one of the guides to escort you there," the guard told her.
"Escort?"
The guard smirked knowingly. "It has been a ploy of several women to pretend to go to the bathroom, then escape in order to wander inside the palace to see the prince. It's for security reasons, you know."
Sumire scowled at this and lifted her head haughtily. "I'm not desperate as those women."
The guard just snickered and called the attention of one of the guides. The female guide indeed accompanied her towards the restroom, then waited outside, giving her privacy to finish her thing. Inside the restroom, Sumire immediately took the small jewelry box and opened it. "Stop hiding and show yourself," she hissed.
A small ant crawled out among her glittering accessories.
She immediately picked it, quite roughly though and placed it on the ground. The ant then began to grow and its figure slowly changed, following the image before it. Sumire blinked and was pretty amazed at the fact the she was looking at herself. This guy was indeed a master when it comes to copying other people's faces and now, he was to pretend as her while she look around the palace for the owner of the handkerchief.
"Y-you almost snapped my foot, S-shouda-san," Seito whined, his eyes watering a bit.
"Quiet!" she snapped, hating the fact that she can see the mirror of herself at such a deplorable state, her beautiful eyes stained with tears, her nose a bit stuffy. "Fix yourself, you idiot!"
She watched as her double immediately wiped his tears and composed his features. "Remember you... whatever-your-name-is," she started in a hushed authoritative voice. "If my sister Karen ask you something, just say 'Shut up, I'm not in the mood' and she will leave you alone. As soon as the tour is finished, just tell her you need to go somewhere and you'll just meet her in the hotel."
"Y-yes, S-shouda-s-san..."
"Quit stammering!" she hissed irritably. "I'm a confident woman! I never stammer!"
"Yes, Shouda-san."
Satisfied, she took out a small ball with an alice stone inside that had already been prepared for her use and closed her eyes and thought of herself as a mouse. She felt her body shrinking and after a few moment, she opened her eyes and saw the image of her fake self looming like a giant over her. Seito immediately kneeled down to tie the string of the alice stone around her small neck. One of the disadvantages of being a smaller insect like a fly or a mosquito as those idiots had suggested was the fact the she still had to carry an alice stone to keep with her disguise, therefore it would have been impossible at all.
Seito, disguised as her, opened the door and stepped out of the restroom, making sure that she had got out as well before closing the door shut. She watched as the guide accompanied her imposter back to the group, then she began to concentrate on tracking her target's smell. The dog alice is special in its own way that she can decipher a person's unique smell even when laced with perfumes. It still quite bothered her that this woman's smell seemed awfully familiar to her, but she just couldn't remember where she had smelled her before. From where she was, her target's location seemed a bit far and it seemed like she had to go to the restricted area of the palace. Not wasting any time, she sprinted out following the direction of the smell.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
She was tired and panting heavily yet she continued to run along the seemingly endless corridors, the distanced she had traveled seemed much farther that what it seemed considering her size. With extreme caution, she managed her way further into the west wing, making use of her sensitive sense of smell to take note of any person that she may encounter along the way. She already knew from first hand experience how thoroughly distressing it was to see rodent scurrying around your house, much more a castle. If she was not careful, she might end up dead or get beaten up by broomsticks. She hid behind a knight statue as a couple of servants passed by. She was already at the second floor but it seemed she still had to go another flight upstairs to get to her target. Damn! She needed to find another wire to climb on in order to reach the third floor.
Overly exhausted, she finally managed to reach the third floor which seemed to be much luxurious compared to the lower levels. But she didn't have time to admire the intricate carvings and beautiful paintings on the halls of the hallway as her focus was on the door in front of her. She knew the woman she was looking for was inside, her smell was definitely pointing towards that direction.
She sensed some people coming so she hid behind a vase near the door. Hopefully, that person will open the door so she can get inside. If not, it would be an added problem for her.
Sighing, she let herself rest a bit. She didn't know how much time she had already wasted, but hopefully she can find a clock inside the room in order to estimate how much time she had left to remain in this disgusting form.
The footsteps came near and she looked up to see two servants carrying trays of food and drinks.
"Do you think she's awake now?"
"I hope so. His highness was really worried when she collapsed yesterday."
The maids giggled and one of them reached to open the door. "Lady Sakura is indeed lucky to have Prince Shun fawning like that on her."
"I bet this year is not going to end without a grand wedding."
"Well, I'm not going to bet against something so obvious."
Sumire was stunned as she listened to the gossip. 'Prince Shun is getting married? Lady Sakura?' She was lost on her thoughts that she almost forgot what she was here for, just in time to see the door closing. Immediately gathering her wits and strength, she dashed forward and slid inside just as the door shut close.
"Did you hear something?" Suki asked her companion, wondering at that soft thud she heard coming from under the small coffee table beside the door.
Kana laughed and waved her hand off. "You must be hearing things."
Under the table, Sumire groaned, wanting to massage the bump on her head but it was impossible with her ridiculously short limbs. She poked her head out and saw the two maids busy preparing the breakfast table. Analyzing what she had heard earlier, it seemed like the Hyuuga Kingdom is going to be in huge trouble. She remembered seeing Prince Shun from afar escorting a woman which she heard was his fiancée. It seemed like the rumor was true after all. But now, the Hyuugas wanted the same woman on their side because of her alice. Wouldn't this cause more hostility on both kingdoms?
She shook her head and tried to focus on her mission. Surveying the huge room, she found a clock by the corner and based on the time, it was already almost an hour since she had transformed. Not much time was left, so she glanced around again and saw the windows and… the balcony! Sumire could feel herself grinning as she ran towards the balcony. Thankfully, it was open and from there she could see a beautiful view of the kingdom. The ocean was at her right and she could see the town square at her left side. But she had to get the exact location of this room, that was one of her main purposes. Not far from her left was a much larger balcony. It made her wonder if this was an area isolated from the rest since on the second floor, she could see several balconies which means that there were several rooms in there. She noted that her location was between two of the mural towers with the Hirazaki flag on it, but that description would still be too vague to locate this part. There was a huge fountain below, a huge blue dragon in the middle with stoned women holding jars surrounding it. Water was flowing out of the jars and a beautiful display of water works surrounding the dragon. Sumire couldn't help but wonder if this fountain was different from all others scattered around the palace. The one she had seen during the brief moment she was on tour was definitely different. She took note of the other buildings and structures that would be important on identifying this room, then went back inside.
Glancing at the watch again, it was already past one hour. She knew she had to get back but she couldn't stop the burning curiosity, the need to get a glimpse of the woman who caught the prince's fancy. The chance came when she noticed the maids preparing to leave. It seemed like this Lady Sakura was still asleep. As soon as the maid turned to leave, she ran towards the side table and began to climb on it. She had finally reached the surface of the table and from where she stood, she saw auburn locks sprawled against the silk covers of the bed. She inched closer towards the edge of the table to get a clear view of the woman's face when she heard a loud gasp. She jumped in surprise and turned to see the wide-eyed servant staring straight at her.
"Kyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaa! A mouse! A mouse!"
Knowing that she was in trouble, Sumire immediately jumped from the table, not caring a bit that it would likely hurt. Taking advantage of the maid's hysteria, she then scampered away while the maid continued to scream while trying to hit her with a stick. She heard a surprised gasp from the bed as well as footsteps from outside rushing towards the door. Trapped into this frenzy, she knew that it was already impossible to escape through the door, so she had no other choice but to run towards the balcony.
"Kana-chan, what happened?"
"Kana!"
"What's going on here?"
"Your highness!"
She had heard the door slammed open and voices of some people that had entered the room in response to the scream but it was faint as her mind was focused only on her escape. She no longer knew what had transpired after the commotion she caused, nor she really cared as she was busy climbing down through the vines towards the bottom to save her ass. As soon as she reached the ground, she rushed away aimlessly looking for the exit.
After a few moments, she stopped to rest for a bit. Looking around, she seemed to be in a garden but as to which garden and which part of the garden, she honestly had no idea. Glancing down at the alice stone, she noticed that it was getting smaller and smaller, its size a little bigger than a mung bean.
Sumire began to panic. Holding to her current form was consuming more alice and she knew by the size of it, it won't take long before the stone would ran out of its alice power. She didn't know where she was right now, didn't know where the exit was. With this scenario, she might lose control of the metamorphosis alice before she could get out of the palace.
Trying to calm herself down, she tried to think of ways to get out of this predicament. If only she can find…
Seito!
Gathering her remaining strength, she dashed out following his scent. Thank goodness, he was quite near. She didn't have time to rethink her plans, she was just desperate to find him that she rushed to his direction only to realize she reached the ballroom. Pausing near a bronze figure, she glanced around and immediately found him near the curtains, along with her sister and the other ladies listening to the guide explain how the ballroom was renovated eight times by the Hirazaki queens.
Her heart was beating heavily and she was feeling weak. She was already losing control of the metamorphosis alice and knew that she would transform back into her normal self within a few seconds. There was no time to think, she ran towards Seito causing commotion among the ladies. Screams and shriek filled the huge ballroom as the group of refined ladies jumped and scampered around evading the little rodent. One of the ladies slipped and fell down. Using that chance, she jumped at her, using that leverage to jump again to Seito. Seito was surprised as well as he tried to wade her off him, but his eyes widened when the mouse seemed to be opening its mouth, screaming at him.
"Pull the curtains!"
Sumire didn't know if Seito had recognized her and done what she had ordered or he had really slipped and fell back against the curtains, grabbing the silk cloth to steady himself but ended up pulling it until the support snapped and the curtains fell down on them. All she remembered was that her mind had gone blank as the heavy curtains fell on her, covering her vision with blackness.
.:. .:. .:. .:. .:.
"Sumire!"
"Miss, are you alright?"
She moaned and opened her eyes and saw several people looming around her. "Ouch, what happened?" she groaned as she felt her body sore. The guides helped her up as she tried to keep up her balance; her head remained dizzy after her ordeal.
"Has the doctor arrived yet?" someone shouted.
"No, it's okay. I'm fine," she snapped, trying to free her arms from their hold.
"We apologize for what happened, miss," one of the guides bowed down in apology. "You took quite a nasty fall over there. We'll have one of the palace doctors check if you are hurt anywhere."
"I'm fine," Sumire repeated in an irritated voice, forcing to steady herself so she would look okay to them. "The only thing that hurt is my pride! What the heck is a mouse doing in here? And in a palace?" she asked angrily, trying to dust off her rumpled dress. Inside, she was secretly congratulating herself for being such a good actress.
One of the stewards looked uncomfortable as he explained. "Well, this castle is already centuries old, so it's quite unavoidable for it to have rodents and the like. Though we perform regular extermination procedures, I guess we can't completely kill them all."
"It had been more than four months since the last extermination," one of the men who came to her rescue also grumbled. "The palace had been busy for the preparations of the Alicea Festival."
"The number of pests must have increased then," the maid that came with the steward said. "I just heard from one of the maids that a mouse was also found in Lady Sakura's room."
The other guests who were not familiar with the name began to whisper among themselves wondering who that person was. The steward turned his attention back to Sumire. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor, miss?"
"Sumire, are you sure you're okay?" Karen asked, quite suspicious at her sister's reaction. The older sister she knew would have caused a ruckus at the humiliation. In fact, if she was not her sister, Karen would have laughed her head off at that ridiculous scene of Sumire jumping up and down because of that mouse.
Sumire just turned and glared at her. "Shut up! I told you I'm fine already."
The ballroom had been the second to the last stop before the tour ended. To compensate with the inconveniences caused to the guests, they were offered refreshments and given extra time to relax in the gardens. When the tour finally ended, the steward told Sumire to let them know if anything happens with regards to her fall. They assured that the palace would cover the cost for treatment for any injuries she had incurred as a result of that mouse incident.
As they left the palace gates, it was only then Sumire remembered about Seito. She shrugged, not caring really what happened to him. He had the metamorphosis alice, he could turn into anything he wants and get out of that damned palace. She shivered at the hell she had just experienced a while ago, but everything comes at a price.
A huge grin crossed her lips as she remembered her reward.
'Mission accomplished. Oh my beloved Prince Natsume, your princess awaits your kiss...'
Karen's brows furrowed as she watched her older sister raised her hand to her mouth and laughed maniacally. 'What the heck is wrong with her?' That was not the reaction of someone who made a fool of herself just a while ago. She quickened her steps as she followed Sumire who continued her fits of giggles. Then she noticed something black stuck on her sister's green permed hair.
She leaned forward and tried to stare at it, but it disappeared after Sumire tossed her hair back. Karen shook her head, her nose wrinkled in horror. 'Sumire has lice?'
.: to be continued :.
Confused at the last scene? It only means Seito turned into a louse and attached himself to Sumire's hair so he can escape with her. lol.
Hello everyone, I'm back! *dodges rotten tomatoes* Yeah, I know I've been totally lazy the past months. I got addicted to One Piece and spent some months watching and reading the whole of it. haha. And being on hiatus for some months, it was quite difficult to get back to writing so sorry for any mistakes or if you feel that my writing is weird. This chapter is shorter compared to the previous ones but heck, it took me some time to finish this.
This is more of a Sumire-centered chapter so I'm not sure everyone would appreciate this update after the ten months hiatus. This is just the first part of Hotaru's plan. Wondering how they will rescue Mikan from that? Well, you'll know in the next chapter.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, and also to those who continued to PM me to update. Sorry if I haven't replied, hopefully I can find time to go over your messages again and give proper responses. I've been trying to list the sequence of events for APFM and it seemed that it would reach 32 to 35 chapters, instead of the original 25 to 30 estimate. Gosh, I wonder when I can possibly finish this...
Special mention to a certain flamer, fuck this story:
I'm not really sure what you want to say with your review. If you find the story boring and a piece of crap, that's your opinion, don't read it then. I'm not forcing you anyway. About plagiarism, be specific please. As far as I can remember, I never copied anyone aside from using the cinderella theme. But I do know someone had plagiarized my stories. I can't help wonder what someone like you who is against fanfiction lurking around this site. Anyway, thank you for adding one review to my fic.
To those who had reviewed, thank you again and hope to read your reviews next time. :D
YunnahVanilla: yes, there are a lot of Yukas that it's quite confusing but it would be explained later in the story.
rosycheck: I'm going to finish this fic but the problem is trying to find time and inspiration to type everything
xxxSakuraXionHinamorixxx: SEC is just a term that had come about from fanfictions. I used the Mikan's actual alices in the manga - nullification, stealing, and insertion. Mikan's alice is not Copying, instead, she can remove a person's alice and put it into another person. Since Izumi's family belongs to the non-alice, it was quite difficult to make the connections. And since Kazu is the one in charge of detecting alices, he could keep Izumi's alice a secret and no one would know unless investigated.
FireAngelSorceress: Yes, I'm Filipina. :D
IdioticIdiot: Sorry, it was a mislook on my part. Thank you for pointing that out. I'll try to edit it. ^^
akadabra-kaching; I'm not going to answer that at this time. But it will be answered in future chapters.
Unknown: The list of characters were updated only up to where the story has progressed. Yuka Hachi and Shiki will remain as non-alice until the revelation in the story.
emeraldmyst: I'm glad you're paying attention to the details. hehe. Most of what you have deciphered are correct but you have to wait for the later chapters to confirm what you have already thought. I do admit I make a lot of mistakes since it's hard to proofread long chapters by myself. I find myself embarrassed when I reread a chapter only to notice several grammatical errors, and worse spelling. haha.
minahoru; I love minataka's fan art too.. :D
chainedheart999; I'm surprised myself that the number of characters had gotten this long. Now, I have a hard time trying to make sure I don't leave out anyone by the time the fic ends.
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