MPK: So let me clarify somethin' real quick. Melody's signature color is supposed to be indigo. I don't know why I made it purple and Tokiya's indigo. It made sense to me before, but it doesn't now. Melody's eyes are violet, and her hair is lavender, but the color of her essence and stuff should be indigo, not purple, so I'm gonna fix that. I might change a couple of beginning chapters around a little more before I do the next chap. Maybe, maybe not.

That's all really. On with Cecil's chap~

"Aw, he left. Tokiya, that guy." Otoya and I stare off into the direction he entered the forest.

"It's too dangerous to be out here by one's self." Masato stood up, "One of us needs to go after him."

"Oh come on. Ichi's a big boy. He can handle himself." Ren said.

Tsubasa backed him up, "Yeah. Ichinose-senpai is just in his feelings right now. He just needs some time to himself."

"I have a better idea." Tomo placed a hand on my shoulder, "I think Melody-chan should go."

"Tomo-chan, what part of 'he needs some time to himself' did you not understand?"

"Actually, I second Tomo-chan's idea." Natsuki, still wrapped in his towel agreed. "After all, it's like Masato-kun always says: During rough times is when friends need each other the most."

"I don't think I've ever phrased it like that, but I'm glad you got the point Shinomiya." Masato turned to me, "You should go to him, KaSakura."

"Why me?" I asked, "I mean...out of all of us, he wouldn't want to see me the most."

"Do you remember what we told you before, Lady?" Ren asked me from his seat. "We don't think that at all. He wants to see you. He definitely wants to make things work."

"I...don't believe that." Otoya gave me a sad look. "There's no way he could forgive me. Besides...I don't even know if I can forgive him..." I frowned, "I want to, I really do but...I don't know how to describe it. I guess, my heart still hurts." I closed my eyes. "A part of me still feels like...regardless of Tokiya not knowing...he doesn't regret singing my song."

"Because he doesn't."

"Tsubasa-kun!"

"I'm serious." Tsubasa folded his arms. His eyebrows flattened, "Ichinose-senpai doesn't regret singing your song." I gritted my teeth feeling, a fit of anger rising within me. "Finding out it was your song didn't change anything."

Masato turned his way to defend me, "And what made you believe that?!"

"I spoke to Ichinose after the Pair vs Pair contest. And that's what he told me."

"Why would Tokiya-kun tell you that!?" Tomo yelled standing up. "Are you making this up on purpose?! Tsubasa-kun!"

"Let the man finish." Ren's voice suddenly boomed among us. "I want to hear Bakki's full reasoning."

"Thank you, Jinguji-senpai." Ren nodded to Tsubasa. "KaSakura-senpai. You're upset that Ichinose-senpai sang your song, regardless of him not stealing it right?" I looked down, "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I gripped my fists, "It was my song! I didn't even get a chance to show it to him! And he just took it...and was able to make it his own!"

"And didn't give you credit."

"Exactly!"

"That's not true." My head whisked up to meet Tsubasa. "No one told you about how the contest ended. Did they, Senpai?" I blinked.

"What? Otoya was supposed to tell you!" Tomo placed her hands on her hips glaring at the male redhead.

Otoya sweatdropped, "Me-chan never seemed to be in good enough spirits. So I never found a good time to tell her..."

"Tell me what? How did it go?" I asked honestly.

Otoya smiled, "You and I placed second." I blinked profusely.

"What? For real?"

"Yup. Kurusu and I placed third." Masato smiled too.

Syo leaned on him holding a peace sign, "And got Most Improved Pair! Double awards baby!"

"Oh wow." My mouth dropped, "And the winner's then..."

"Us." I looked to Ren, "Shinomi and I finished first~"

Natsuki squeezed Ren without warning, "Me and my partner soared farther than we could ever imagine! Couldn't have done it without him!" He rubbed his cheek on Ren's.

Ren sweatdropped, "Hai hai. Okay." He pried himself out of the blonde's hold.

"No way. I mean that's great of course!" I directed my confusion to Tsubasa, "But you guys didn't place at all? Both of your performances captivated the audience!...They were really good." I muttered.

"No. We forfeited." My eyes widened. "After Senpai's performance and you ran away, I was able to tell Tokiya the truth. He and I mutually agreed to disqualify ourselves from the contest immediately after."

I felt the veins in my forehead squeeze together, "What? Why would you..." I stood up, "You guys could have won!"

"You wanted us to win off of your song, Senpai?" My eyes widened again. "At that moment, it was undeniable. What Serena had done was wrong. It corrupted our whole routine and we knew it. We felt it. And when you left, we knew it was the right thing to do."

"Tokiya, was so angry that day, he yelled at the three of them in front of us all." Otoya told me.

Tsubasa came closer to me, "He was practically pulling his hair, stressing over how much he hurt you. He 100%, no 1000% regretted how singing that song made you feel. And he went after you to tell you that. That he couldn't win with your song like that."

I gripped my forehead, "And then I didn't give him a chance too." I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. "He came to do right by me...and I only pushed him away...again!" I was shaking as the first tears fell. "Dammit!" I yelled scaring Aruhi, who had started to approach me.

"KaSakura-chan," Aruhi said in a quiet voice. She seemed to be on the brink of crying as well. "I never got the chance to apologize to you...I was wrong for following Serena's plan. I knew it was a horrible thing to do, but at the time, I felt the pressure of being Ichinose-kun's composer, and I...I didn't believe anything I could produce would suit him well enough." She had removed her tear-stained glasses and was wiping her eyes. "Still it's no excuse, and I hope that you can find it in you to forgive me one day. But if you never do...I have to ask one thing of you." I peered into her face directly, "Please, don't blame Ichinose-kun anymore. He was innocent and all of this. He doesn't deserve to be hated for anything! He is always looking out for the best interest of everyone. He would have not gone through with this if he had known the song was yours, I promise you!" She cried. "Please forgive him, KaSakura-chan! If you forgive anyone, please forgive him! I'm sincerely sorry for all of this!" The long-haired bluenette bowed low.

"I am sorry as well." Tsubasa bowed with her. "Ichinose Tokiya, is a good guy. And most importantly, he regrets singing your song not because it was yours, but because of how it made you feel. He cares about you. He wouldn't have forfeited if he didn't." Tsubasa stood back up, "Please reconcile with him."

I buried my face in my hands. For several seconds I was silent after the majority of the others left for their cabins. Finally, the campfire blazed out, and it was time for the rest of us to move.

"So, are you going to go?" Masato asked me. Without a word, I only nodded. He seemed to sigh in relief after hearing that.

Otoya touched my arm, "Do you want me to go with you?"

I wiped my eyes, "No. I'm going to go alone. I owe him that much."

Tomo handed me her cell phone. "Since you don't have yours, take this with you. Just call Haruka if you need us to come and find you."

Masato rubbed my back a couple of times to make me feel better. "It's really dark out, so be careful okay?"

"Thank you. Everyone." The three of them nodded to me as I left them at the campsite. I turned on Tomo's cell flashlight and started into the forest area alone.

"Tokiya? Tokiya!"

In the darkness of night, I call out for the dark-haired bluenette.

"I know he couldn't have gone that far, right? Maybe he's hiding from me...if he was, I wouldn't blame him..."

After what happened between us, I wouldn't want to see me either. But, the whole reason I'm out there looking for him in the first place, was because I was encouraged that wasn't the case. I gathered what was left of my own courage and continued to call out for him.

"Tokiya! Are you out there?!" I started to get scared. The night sounds of the forest were starting to get to me. "Can you hear me!?" Did he go back to his cabin? I try my best to follow the dirt path. A small dark shadow jumped out at me from the bush nearby and I panicked. "AAAH!" It was only a frog, jumping across the way, but the shock was enough to make me fall to my knees. I held my shoulders tight. The scariness of the forest was not what bothered me the most at that moment. All I couldn't help but think about was all the times I had pushed Tokiya away from me. Now that I was trying to find him, he was nowhere to be found. "He was always there with me, through everything...and I always managed to shoo him away." The tears fell again. I didn't deserve to find him. "Tokiya! If you can hear me, please. Answer me!" I cried out, "I really want to hear your voice." It was selfish of me to think. But that's how I really felt.

"Aaa~amazing grace, how sweet the song

That saved aaa wretch like me~"

From the literal darkness, a light appeared beside me. To my right, moonlight shone down through an opening in the brush.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see."

The familiarity of the song had a calming effect on me. The gentleness of the singing voice touched me instantly.

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed."

Picking myself up, I guided myself through the leaves until I reached the outside of the forest. I began to sing-along to the last verse.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the song

That saved a wretch like me

I once was looooost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see."

There along another part of the shore stood Ichinose Tokiya. He stood back facing the ocean, his cell phone light on and raised above his face. He was right there, waiting for me. "I'm here. Melody." When I didn't immediately move toward him, Tokiya tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"I~" I started to say I'm sorry. But then I began the sentence differently. "I feel deja vu."

"Deja vu?" Tokiya asked walking toward me instead. I know he could see my crying face between both of our phone lights.

"Yes. I think I've seen this scene...almost a dozen times now. In a dream."

Tokiya stopped in front of me, "In a dream?" He looked around, "I guess you can say that." He frowned slightly perplexed, "Between the full moon and the beautiful clear waters, I'd even argue that I've seen it in more in movies instead~" I jumped into Tokiya's chest without warning. He barely caught me in time from falling over. Both our cells dropped to the ground when he captured me in a full hug. "Don't cry anymore, Melody."

"I'm tired of saying sorry." Tokiya looked down at me, "I'm tired of doing wrong by you." I cried, "I'm tired of not being able to be a good friend to you when that's all you've ever been to me!" I buried my face in his shirt. "I always ruin things for you! Back then and even now! If I were you, I'd never forgive me. I'd never want to be my friend again!" I felt Tokiya's grip on me tighten. "No! Don't pull me closer! All I do is hurt you!" The hold tightened more. "Just tell me now to my face. That you hate me! And I'll accept it! Please!"

"I can't do that." Tokiya leaned his forehead on the top of my head. "I'll never be capable of doing such a thing."

"But~!"

"NEVER!" He cried. I collapsed into him crying. "...I'll always care about you. Melody. Always!" This statement was louder than the ocean waves crashing. The dark bluenette kneeled to my level, holding my face in his hands. "I'll always keep trying to be your friend. So don't cry anymore." I wiped my eyes multiple times.

A few minutes later, Tokiya and I had settled on the sand next to each other. I still hadn't fully gotten myself together, so Tokiya was staying with me until I had fully calmed down.

"...I missed you, Tokiya."

"...It was the same for me." After all this time, we were finally getting down to the bottom of the strife between us. "...Why do you feel like you always ruin things for me?"

"Oh come on." I wiped my eyes some more, "I've always been a burden to you. Ever since we met. Ever since we started singing together."

"I never felt that way at all." I rolled my lips inward in frustration. "I loved singing with you." When I turned to him, he looked at me with the same amount of emotion. "That feeling has never changed. Ever. What made you believe that it did?" I stayed silent. "The only reason I could think of...is your diagnosis. After you found that out, you changed. You became distant. But I never wanted you to go, Melody." His eyes wavered, "But you left. You left before I got to tell you that."

"...I would have been no use to you."

"Melody~"

"Be serious!" I yelled, "I...I couldn't sing after my surgery. No matter how much I tried." Tokiya silently listened to me. "It frustrated me so much. I took lesson after lesson after lesson but nothing worked. Nothing!" I buried my head in my hands, "I tried, I really did try. But I was nowhere near how I once was and wasn't getting better. I knew I wasn't prepared to continue on as MPK. So I bit the bullet and resigned before I caused the label any more trouble. I couldn't have them keep canceling appearance after appearance...and make you look bad."

Tokiya pinched the bridge of his nose and I felt a painful tug in my chest. "But you didn't tell me anything. Why didn't you tell me? I would have wanted to know how you felt! I~"

"And you would've wanted to help me work through my issues."

"Yes! Damn right I would have!"

"I wasn't going to let you abandon your dream for me!" Tokiya sat back. "I know you would do something crazy like that. But your solo career was starting to take off. I wasn't going to have you take a break just to be at my side when you were about to start an amazing opportunity, one that would get you closer to your dream. Singing is your dream!"

"It is our dream! Together it was our dream!" His eyes were watery, "And yes! If I had known, what you were planning to do, I wouldn't have let you give up on it like that! Not without fighting! And not fighting alone!" I teared up in my hands. "There's no way I'd let you fight anything alone! Especially something like this! But you quit, without telling anyone, you pushed me away and you wouldn't tell me why! How do you think that made me feel? Huh?!" Tokiya gripped the sand, "I felt like I lost you. And that it was all my fault! I thought that you hated me because of my solo career, even though you were the one who encouraged me to do it. I was hurt and confused." He leaned over to me, "I was practically lost without you. Genuinely."

"You were doing well though. You appeared on everything and~"

"I wasn't happy. Not with myself, and eventually not with my singing. I suffered so much, they started replacing my singing gigs with more commercial ones, until HAYATO was just a brand and not a singer." He curled his knees into his chest, "The frivolous idol that both you and I hate, is the product of what they made me into once I fell off."

I brush my hair to my side, "If you hate acting like him, why do you still do it?"

"For one, I am still under contract." Tokiya muttered angrily, "But also...I guess...a part of me...was waiting for the payoff. HAYATO is the only thing I had left to hold onto. It was the only path to get to "my dream". If I had quit, I would have been giving up too. I saw no other way to get to what I wanted...until recently."

"Shining's offer." I filled in the rest. "And then you found out he offered me a chance too."

"...I just wanted the best for you." Tokiya whispered, "I'll admit to being a little peeved when we met at that time, but you didn't make things any easier. Seeing you after all this time, was surprising in itself. Shining knew what he was doing."

"...Dammit. We really got screwed up, didn't we?"

"So it would seem." Tokiya held his hand out away from him, "We both wanted the same thing, but didn't see a way to get that with each other. And the promise was broken."

I laughed out of nervousness, "...So you do remember that."

"Of course I do." The wind blew through our hair and clothes.

"I want to start over."

"As an idol?" Tokiya asked me.

I sat facing him, "Yes. I want to sing and plan to continue to reach for that dream again. But also, I want to start over with you." Tokiya's bangs slid across his face as he turned his head to me. "I don't want to fight you anymore."

"Even though, you said you could never be friends with me?"

"...Yes."

"Even though, you said that you hated me?"

"Yes. Yes, Tokiya." I squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment. "I should have never yelled those things at you. They're not true, not at all! I promise you!" When he doesn't respond, I open a single eye to see him. He was holding out his right pinkie finger to me.

"Only if this will be a promise that doesn't break." For him to be kind enough to accept me again, was enough to make me cry again. I returned his gesture.

"Yes!"

"Do you remember...the day of the accident?"

"Of course. It's burned into my memory forever." I told Tokiya. We were on the way back to my cabin from the shore. "It was the same day I found out about my throat illness."

"Yes. At that time, I was oblivious to that, since you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you immediately. But you were dealing with your own injur~ies!" I slipped on a pile of wet leaves. Tokiya held me steady.

"Still as clumsy as ever." A smile leaked into the corners of his lips, "I'd argue that most of my injuries back then were because of you. Even those."

"Unfortunately I can't argue against that." I pouted. He extended his elbow out to me politely. With a blush I took it, slipping my hand inside. "That day you saved me from getting hit by that truck. If you hadn't caught me in time, it would have been bad for both of us."

"You really were quite troublesome back then. Wait. You still are." I slapped his arm and he let out a chuckle. "That day in the hospital, you visited me with your sprained arm in a sling, yet a bright smile was still on your lips. I imagined that was just you hiding the pain."

"I had to be strong for the bigger baby."

"Yeah right." Tokiya rolled his eyes and I had a laugh.

"But what about it?"

"That day. I heard a boy outside my window. He was down in the garden, sitting on a bench, singing a certain song."

"...Amazing Grace." He nodded. "I remember now. You told me this. That you went to join him, and it gave you the idea to sing to the rest of the children."

"...That was the first time...my heart was really shaken by a song. Something really came flooding up within me." I listened to Tokiya how he had listened to me. "Those children wanted us to sing more. And I wanted to. It made me want to. I promised them that I would. Every time I think of that song, it reminds me of that promise." Tokiya stopped in place and so did I. "Right now, I feel like I failed them. But I feel as if I am slowly on the way to making them proud again." His eyes visibly tightened, "I'll do anything to sing...Songs are all I have..."

I laid my other hand on his arm and he looked at me. "And I want that for you. Even if turns out that isn't meant for me. I want to hear the songs you sing."

Tokiya squeezed that hand with his free one, "It will be for both of us. As long as you don't give up on me again."

I went for a hug, "I wouldn't dream of it! Promise!" Tokiya hugged me again.

Tokiya cleared his throat, "You should...be getting back now. It's late." He pointed towards the cabin. I had no idea were had reached it already.

"Y-Yeah." Although I said that, I didn't let Tokiya go. And he noticed.

"Was there something else?" He asked still holding onto me.

"I just...I don't want to wake up...and things are the same way they were. You know?"

"I know what you mean." Tokiya put a finger to his chin in thought, "Well. All we can offer each other are words right now. Try to sleep with this thought, 'I want to be on good terms with Tokiya'."

The way he said that made me laugh. "Yeah, alright." I smiled. The two of us were almost nose to nose.

"I really am glad we reconciled, Melody."

"Me too. We should've talked things out long ago. I'm glad it finally happened, properly." We released each other, and I turned my back on him. "But you really shouldn't cry so much you know?"

"Huh?!" I snickered jumping up the wooden stairs. "Now hold on!"

"Hehe!" I turned back around to him as he pounced on the wooden railing.

"You...you are just~!"

"Frustrating I know?" I don't know what I was thinking. But something in me decided to lean over and give Tokiya another kiss on the cheek. So I went for it.

But the kiss didn't land on his cheek. It landed right on his lips. All the way this time.

Tokiya's widened in surprise just as mine did. But something unexpected happened. His lowered, and he leaned into it.

Before I could process that he had pulled away, stepping off the steps. He looked at me with a light blush, "Good night, Melody." He scurried away back down the path before I could answer him. My blush was a million times deeper on my face.

"...That guy!"

"Melody-hime."

"...This voice."

"Melody-hime. I'm here. Please find me."

"...Prince Kiyavelli." I open my eyes to see the dark-haired dream world persona. "What a coincidence you're the first prince I see this time...Are you okay?"

"You were later than usual." Kiyavelli muttered gravely, "I thought you wouldn't be able to come all the way through this time."

"I fell asleep later than usual. If that's what you mean." I told him, "I was actually talking with your counterpart." The previous moments flashed in my mind causing a blush to reignite on my face.

"Tokiya, right?" I wondered how he knew, "The thought seems to make you smile."

"...A bit." I admitted. That's when the sight around us caught my eye. "But where are we this time?"

"...This...is the Central Kingdom." Just like the dream before, we were in an area with a lot of overgrown plants. The limbs of trees, vines, and other flowering plants covered the structures built around us.

"It looks abandoned here. Like at that colosseum."

"Ah. That's how it has been." Kiyavelli touched a nearby water fountain covered in moss. "The residents that have once lived here migrated towards the other kingdoms a long time ago. For years, there has been no ruler here to take care of and lead them. The place has been deserted ever since." He then turned around, "Until now." I turned with Kiyavelli to see a structure different from all the rest. A castle, sparkling clean, looking completely untouched in the very middle of the surrounding overgrowth.

"It looks like new..." I started to touch a pillar of the building. Kiyavelli caught my hand in his before I could do so.

"Something isn't right." The prince pulled on my hand, bringing me closer to him. "This kind of restoration...was definitely done with magic." He grew more serious than before. "This castle has always been here, but it was completely run down for a full decade now. Since Princess Harmony's disappearance, no one has been here to tend to it. Not to this extent."

"Well Princess Harmony is back now isn't she?" I gestured to myself. "Maybe she did this?" I said it like a question.

Kiyavelli shook his head. "Harmony is still very frail of health." He grazed my hand with a finger. "Because of that, it was decided she would reside in the Western Kingdom with the Western Princes. She hasn't been here to do this."

I frowned, "...Then...maybe Basara?" Kiyavelli froze.

"What did you say?"

"Basara? The one guy that kidnapped you guys under some poisonous, virus-like magic back at the colosseum?" Kiyavelli put a curled finger to his lips with a worried expression. "Do you not remember him?"

"...Very vaguely, Princess." He rubbed his temples with his free hand. "We were put under the impression that it was a female villager that captured us...but I do remember a male there as well...surrounded by dark magic." The familiar sight of seeing him pinch the bridge of his nose made him resemble Tokiya a lot in that moment. "This isn't good."

My free hand patted his back, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Melody-hime. I don't mean to scare you, but I need you to listen to me carefully." Kiyavelli stood facing me all the way. "Recently, the other princes and I had been given intel that there was activity going on here in the Central Kingdom. Of course, that was a concern for us, considering the place is supposed to be abandoned. So we all came here separately to thoroughly investigate the entire area and then report..." Kiyavelli trailed off with a gloomy gaze.

"...And?" I prompted him to continue.

"...I haven't heard from any of them since." My eyes widened.

"Okay...that sounds bad. This happened after the event at the colosseum right?"

"Yes. The colosseum was the first place we went to. And then we were ambushed. When the curse was lifted, we were back to normal and continued investigating. But ever since then..." His dour look darkened. "This Basara, who's magic took over us, is a powerful mage with a dark magic strong enough to rival ours. With that power, he once tried to commit a hostile takeover over the lands and was locked away to protect the Central Kingdom's people."

"Locked away? Well, he isn't locked away now." I thought aloud, "Who locked him away?"

"By order of the muses...the Central Prince of Song."

"Central Prince?" My eyebrows lifted in confusion, "Don't tell me...that person isn't one of you?"

Kiyavelli shook his head once again, "His existence was a myth, along with Basara. But if Basara's alive, then...he must be too." He looked towards the castle. "Somehow, he must be here. And he may be behind the disappearances of the other princes!" He gripped the sword that was by his side.

I sweatdropped rubbing my own forehead, "You just can't make this up...Honestly."

"I am not! This is all true, which worries me."

"I don't deny that Kiyavelli. But you're assuming that the Prince showing up, number one: is a bad thing and number 2: he's automatically behind everything. Maybe you should take a second to calm down and think rationally like you normally do. This isn't like you to be this...frazzled."

"...You don't understand, Princess."

I patted his back, "Then make me. Calmly."

Kiyavelli took a breath as I advised and I could feel his muscles loosen. "A prince, strong enough to seal away a threat big enough to defeat all of us...is dangerous, good or evil." He explained, "Especially with the power he is rumored to have. You know how my special power works like how a siren does? Sirens as in the mermaids who lure men out into the sea with their voices." I nodded with a confused look. "Well, it's something I studied for years to learn how to do. It's more of a power I earned through a hobby, it isn't like my natural power, Voids." He demonstrated, opening a small portal above his hand. "The Central prince, however, is said to naturally have a voice 10 times stronger than what I can do, lulling animals and humans alike."

"So like mind control?" I rationalized.

"Yes. Mind control." He repeated flatly. "I have never known anyone with a power like that who used it for good." Unfortunately, I couldn't argue with that.

Suddenly the doors of the Central Kingdom castle opened, spreading so wide a gust of wind blew through us. "Well, he's kind enough to invite us inside." I reasoned, "The least we can do is go in say hi."

"Melody-hime!" Kiyavelli scolded.

"What? In all seriousness. That's why I'm here, isn't it? To investigate this place with you." Kiyavelli closed his mouth, unable to refute me. "Face it, you're not going to be able to figure out anything unless you confront him. And he, maybe he has nothing to do with your friends going missing."

"...Highly unlikely, due to them going missing in this area." I sweatdropped again.

"Well! Worst-case scenario, he knows what happened because he did it, there I said it!"

Kiyavelli seemed to grumble to himself, "If that's the case, we'd be falling right into his trap."

"Yeah~" I swallowed, "But what else can we do? We can't learn any new information by standing out here." I started to go forward but Kiyavelli pulled on our conjoined hands, bringing me back to him. It was then I realized that he hadn't let go this whole time. Has he always been this clingy with me? "What is it now?"

"...There's one more thing you should know." Kiyavelli told me, "Before we face him, you should know...that I believe...The Central Prince...has a connection with Cecil."

At the name, a light bulb flickered in my brain. "Oh my god. I had forgotten all about him..." I said honestly. "Could that be why he's disappeared after all this time?"

'"Oh, It's not over yet...Perhaps...this is even only just the beginning?"'

"Wait...Is he the Central Prince?!" I yelled. "If he is, why wouldn't he tell me?!"

"I don't know." Kiyavelli told me honestly, "The last time I spoke with him, he told me he wasn't feeling well and disappeared soon after you did. Being suspicious of him before, I had a chance once to ask if he knew of the forbidden prince, but he didn't seem to know." He looked beyond the darkness inside the castle. "It surely would explain how he was able to complete the rainbow shield...It's just a hunch, but his disappearance and the sudden reappearance of this Prince seem to correlate."

"Then I definitely don't see another reason to delay going in." He reluctantly nodded. "Let's go." Hand and hand, Prince Kiyavelli and I entered the castle. The large doors closed behind us and we were engulfed in total darkness. "Damn. It's way too dark~"

"Melody-hime!" Without warning, I am pulled into Kiyavelli's chest. I feel the tightness of his hold and the hand he had behind my head to secure me. Another gust of wind blew. Candles started lighting down the corridor onward. "That was close. I felt a foreign magical presence near. I had no idea what would happen." He released his hold on my body, but not my hand.

"Um...could you let go of my hand now?" Kiyavelli suddenly blushed, making me blush.

He looked to the side, "...I wouldn't recommend it." He whispered, "W-What if we get separated? It's safest if you stay close to me. This way I can fully protect you, Princess." His words made my blush deepen. "Please don't let go." I nodded in agreement. Kiyavelli then adjusted his grip on my hand, sliding his fingers between mine. "Now then, let's continue." The two of us proceeded further into the castle. We walked along a red carpet, passing row after row of lit candles. We passed through the open hallways that opened up toward the outdoor garden. Like the castle's insides, the outdoor garden was clear of overgrowth and shined like new. That made the experience even eerier.

"It's way too quiet here."

"I agree." Kiyavelli and I reached the castle's foyer. The red carpet ended and a more elegant green one began. The whole area sparkled and glowed, bathed in a pretty green color. "I guess we travel up from here. He's clearly waiting for us~" Suddenly Kiyavelli got bumped into, throwing off his last sentence. "That speed!" He exclaimed. His free hand reached for his sword. The fast-moving figure glided across the room coming toward Kiyavelli. He pulled his blade out in time to narrowly clash the person's blade as they skidded by. He stopped long enough for us to get a look at him. "Prince Otoyaemon!?" Otoyan's blade left a cut on Kiyavelli's face when he faltered in confusion. He skidded to a halt directly in front of us.

"You should really get faster if you want to be the one protecting the Princess. Kiyavelli." Prince Otoyaemon spoke with an unfamiliar serious tone.

"You could have harmed her!" Kiyavelli exclaimed holding his cheek with his free hand. "What are you thinking!? Lower your weapon!" Otoyan let the blade fall to his side.

"I could. But then they won't." The dark-haired prince and I both felt a presence on either side of us.

Kiyavelli quickly clashed his blade against the person behind him. Prince Masamune jumped back, unexpecting the forcefulness of Kiyavelli's defensive position. "Huuuuah~!" Out of the blue, he threw his sword at us. We narrowly separated just enough to miss the sharp object flying between us. It hit the wall at the exact moment someone swung another sword at Kiyavelli from behind.

"Aah!" I screamed, another blade flying inches over me to hit Kiyavelli. The person leaned back in time to just barely miss Kiyavelli's counter-attack. It grazed his fingers leaving cuts.

"Don't expect to run." Prince Natsume licked the cut on his fingers.

"These are the Western Princes, right? Why are they attacking us!?" I started to let Kiyavelli's hand go, but pure instinct made him cling to me tighter.

"I don't know. But stay close! And don't let go!" He stood in front of me protectively. Even in this situation, he wanted me to hold on to him? At this rate, he was going to get hurt! And me as well!

"Surely you're smart enough to know the situation your in. Kiyavelli-ouji!" Prince Otoyan pushed back his bangs over his head. A green glow covered his eyes and that's all we needed to know.

"They're under the Central Prince's mind control." Prince Masamune levitated his sword back to him. He and Prince Natsume stood at the sides of Prince Otoyaemon. Prince Kiyavelli pulled me into him. "Stop this!" He pointed his blade in their direction. "I don't want to fight with you!"

"Famous last words!" Otoya sneered. With a point of his sword, he sent them flying at us.

Unable to stop both of them with our hands together, Prince Kiyavelli reluctantly let my hand go to defend me.

"There."

Hearing a foreign voice I turned behind me to look. "Who's there?!" I asked intimidated.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

My head whipped back to see a horrible sight. After attempting to block Masamune first, Kiyavelli couldn't defend himself against Natsume in time. Natsume's blade had slid across Kiyavelli's back, causing him to yelp in pain. "No! Kiyavelli!"

Otoyan casually walked over and jammed a foot on his back as he struggled to get up. Kiyavelli groaned, "This is how you protect the Princess of Song? Pathetic." Both he and I knew Otoyan wasn't the one saying this. But it was him lifting his sword above his head. "One less nuisance, the better."

"No stop! Leave him alone!" I am pulled back by another set of hands. I only heard their voices, but it was obvious who they were.

"You can't stop us, Lady."

"He was doomed when he tried to keep you from us."

Prince Rennosuke? Prince Syosuke? Them too?

"Ikki-ouji, I have the Princess. Let's stop pestering him now shall we?" Prince Rennosuke's tone of voice made me look behind at him. Unlike the others, who sounded as if someone else was talking for them, Renn's voice was normal. His eyes were still light blue, not green. Which could only mean that he wasn't under the Central Prince's spell. "If only he had a little more, time. Neh?" He squeezed my shoulder, emphasizing his words.

"Time?" I thought aloud. "What could that~" A melody inside of my heart began ringing in my ears. For a second, I thought I could see Princess Harmony opposite of me. From then I knew what to do.

My eyes shined with an indigo glow. "Timeless Daydream!"

"This will not stop me." The foreign voice echoed again.

Everything froze for several seconds. Then things started to shift, things were spiraling, rapid movements were happening...I had no idea what was going on. And then, nothing. But then...

"...It's just a hunch, but his disappearance and the sudden reappearance of this Prince seem to correlate."

"Then I definitely don't see another reason to delay going in. Let's go." After those words, I felt in control again. I blinked rapidly. Just as before, I am in the entranceway of the Central Kingdom castle with Prince Kiyavelli, hand and hand.

'I'm...back in time?'

"Melody-hime?" Kiyavelli called my name. He stood a little in front of me, looking back at me worriedly. "Are you having second thoughts about going inside?"

I held onto Kiyavelli, "But...we were already inside." I whispered. Kiyavelli's eyebrows furrowed.

"Wait...did you...you used her powers? Princess Harmony's?" I could only nod, not even understanding what just happened. Kiyavelli walked back closer to me. "Tell me everything you know." It took only a few minutes to explain everything. "So he already has a hold on them then. And he planned to use them to ambush and separate us..." Kiyavelli summarized. "If that is the case, we should definitely not split up this time. I won't take this second chance for granted. That voice you heard could definitely be the Central Prince, and if he's waiting for us, we'll just have to find him before he finds us." He comfortingly wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side. "Let's try like this for now." The position didn't seem as secure as holding his hand was, but I didn't feel the need to complain. "Let us go then."

Prince Kiyavelli and I entered the castle again. The large doors closed behind us and we were engulfed in total darkness for a second time. "Damn. It's way too dark~" I said unconsciously before remembering what happened next. "Oh no! Prince Kiya~"

"Hehe."

"Melody-hime!" I felt Kiyavelli's arm lift from my back. A gust of wind blew and I covered my arms. A second later, I am pulled into a chest. The tightness of the hold is lighter than before, or maybe it was my imagination. I felt a hand move behind my head to secure me. Another gust of wind blew before the candles started lighting down the corridor onward.

"That was close. I felt a foreign magical presence near. I had no idea what would happen~" I whipped my head up to his face before he could release me. He froze, seeming to panic, unexpecting me to do so. I looked into his dark blue eyes. Still blue, not green. "Is something wrong? Princess?"

"The Central Prince..." I trailed off. I squinted hard hoping to tell him Kiyavelli had changed at all. I couldn't visibly see a difference. His height, his weight. Both were the same as before. This was Kiyavelli in front of me.

"What about him, Princess?"

I lowered my head. "Nothing. Maybe it was my imagination."

An unfamiliar humming started to float through the air. "The Central Prince." Kiyavelli muttered, "So this is what his voice sounded like. "It definitely sounds like your friend, Cecil."

"He has to be watching us." He gripped my hand without asking to hold it. "From here on it will be dangerous, stay close to me."

"...Okay." I ignored my baseless suspicions and continued on with him. "Prince Kiyavelli," I called to him. He took a second to look down at me. "The other princes will be waiting to ambush you. What are we going to do?"

"If what you said was true, then we need to stay clear of them for now. Finding the Central Prince is our first objective." He said as we proceeded further into the castle. "If we find the prince first, we can have him release the others." The two of us passed row after row of lit candles while traveling along the red carpet again. Passing through the first open hallway, the dark-haired prince crouched down behind a pillar prompting me to do so also. "There. See?" I looked above where he pointed.

"So that's where they were waiting for us. They followed us a good distance."

"If they plan to ambush us in the castle's foyer, then we just need to skip past it without them seeing us." Kiyavelli stood with his back to the pillar. He held his free hand out away from him. After a few seconds of doing that, wrinkles began to form in between his eyebrows.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked confused.

"...I'm trying to create a vortex. A void I mean." He snapped his finger nothing happened. "The Central Prince must have dullened my powers somehow..."

"Then...that time," I thought aloud. "He did do something to you."

"...Perhaps." I suddenly felt the urge to release his hand but fought against it. More humming echoed through the area. Kiyavelli lifted his hand once more. Finally, a small void appeared in front of us, growing large enough for us to fit inside. "He's toying with me it seems. No matter. He'll get his reward in the end, he'll see." I found it strange that the prince wasn't saying anything like before. Through all of this, he was quiet, unlike the time before. Maybe he couldn't talk because of all the humming he was doing, I don't know. "There this will do. Let's continue." Seeing how intimidated I was by this dark hole in an open space, Kiyavelli gave me a smile. "Don't be afraid. I am right here beside you. My Princess." Somehow, him saying that didn't comfort me. With a little force, I am pulled inside the void behind Kiyavelli. We were on the other side of it in seconds. "See? It's not so bad."

"We're on the second level?"

"Yes. Past the foyer." Looking down over the banister proved right. The princes were all in different areas of the foyer still waiting for us. Without warning, Prince Kiyavelli bent down to fix a bump in the green carpet, letting go of my hand to do so. "We don't want to give our location away, so we need to stay very quiet. I caught a glimpse of Prince Rennosuke at that moment. I thought about calling out to him. Before, he wasn't under the Central Prince's power, but I had no way of knowing if the same was true this time. "Now, let's see where the rest of this carpet leads." It wasn't smart to do it. The other princes would be alerted if I did, so I decided against it. "Don't worry, they won't notice us up here." I noted the fact that he was confident in that statement. A followed alongside Kiyavelli again, just noticing Rennouske's eyes on me. He made a shh gesture to me before I could warn Kiyavelli, instantly confirming to me that he was in control of himself. I closed my lips and he nodded to me, prompting me to continue on without him.

I watched Kiyavelli walk in front of me. I pursed my lips as he leads the way. "How do you know where we should go?" The prince stopped for a split second as he formed an answer.

"I'm just...following the carpet." It was a good answer. "Unless you believe there is another way we should go." I shook my head. "I'll be all ears if your mind changes." The white hallway walls were filled with paintings and greenery. An abundance of healthy plants was all around us, hanging from the ceiling, in windows, even around doorways. It looked like a greenhouse.

"Someone has a green thumb..." I trailed off.

"The sight is beautiful isn't it?" He walked over to what seemed to be an entrance to a bedroom. "Not what I remembered, but definitely a much better sight."

"And what do you remember exactly? Devil!" Prince Rennosuke shouted from behind me. He pulled me by my shoulder closer to him. "Stop your feeble lying!"

"Melody-hime-sama!" I blinked as Prince Kiyavelli whipped out his sword to match Prince Rennosuke. "Get away from him! He's under the Central Prince's spell!"

"I am not under that pathetic spell! The fruits of the many years I studied hypnosis!" The strawberry blonde tapped his forehead. "I can train my thoughts when I really want to."

I sweatdropped, "So really, you just weren't listening to his voice."

"No, not fully." He sweatdropped after seeing how that sounds, "But it was a good thing!"

"He's lying! Melody-hime-sama!" Kiyavelli shouted, "I can sense the foreign magic around him!"

"Oh, would you cut the crap?" Ren's sword pointed further outward, "You are in no way shape, or form Prince Kiyavelli!"

"Enough of your foolish dribble! Melody-hime-sama, please get away for your own safety! Right we're right in the Prince's trap!" Kiyavelli pleaded.

I directed my attention back to Prince Rennosuke, "What do you mean that's not Kiyavelli?"

"Hime-sama!"

"Princess?" Renn looked at me like the answer was supposed to be clear. "That is not him! It's the central prince! The one that kidnapped the others."

"The Central Prince is forcing you to say that, Prince Renn! Open your eyes!"

"You shut it!" Rennosuke yelled back, "Hime, this isn't a joke. Can you really not tell it's not him?" I placed a finger to my chin in thought. I was in a real bind. On one hand, it wouldn't make sense to me that Prince Rennosuke was the only one not under the Central Prince's influence like everyone else. On the other hand, Prince Kiyavelli didn't seem like himself either. I knew I was being tricked right now. But the question was, was I being tricked by Rennosuke, Kiyavelli, or both?

Kiyavelli gritted his teeth in frustration, "I won't let you coerce my Princess any further!" I blinked. "Allow me to prove to you that I am the real Kiyavelli! By sending you away with my vortex powers!"

Prince Rennosuke grew defensive, "He can use voids too? Impossible!" The Central Prince's humming started around us again. Kiyavelli angrily approached us. I quickly made a decision and stopped him from advancing.

"Drop the facade." I lifted my face up and directed my glare at "Kiyavelli". "I knew something was off since we entered the castle for a second time. I don't know when you did it, either when it got dark, or before I used my magic, but you swapped places with the real Kiyavelli!"

"But Princess! It's not what~!"

"The main thing that stood out to me was your mannerisms." The dark-haired bluenette closed his mouth, swallowing his protest. "Prince Kiyavelli is the touchy type, while you seemed to give me more space. And moreover, the way you walk is different. Kiyavelli is more lead-footed, while you walk like you're stepping on a bed of nails!" He grew quiet. "Elegant to some, but weird to others! Now I've had enough of all this! Central Prince! If you're going to face me, face me! Stop hiding behind the others, and make your big reveal already for christ's sake!" My purple eyes narrowed, "This is getting really old."

"...What makes you think that Rennosuke isn't lying to you too? Are you truly safe with either of us?" I swallowed.

"...It's really stupid of a reason, but I know I can trust him right now." Prince Renn looked down at me, and I smiled embarrassedly. "He did the wink."

The fake Kiyavelli's face contorted, "A wink?"

"Both the Ren from my world and this world...they do a little signature wink. When he caught my attention earlier, he absentmindedly did it." Prince Renn blushed. "Take that, Phony!"

"..."

"Also, at a point, you broke character and called me Melody-hime-sama instead of Melody-Hime. Just face it, you're someone else~"

"Hmph." With the wave of a hand, the fake Kiyavelli's form faded away, and in his place, was someone else. "You're smarter than you look it seems, Hime."

"No...Cecil?" A tan-skinned male with his hand on his hip stood, almost floating in front of us. "So all this really is your doing?"

There was a harshness in Cecil's eyes that made them narrow more than usual. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Prince Renn frowned, "Cesshi, why are you doing this?"

"~Let me stop you while you're ahead. The boy, Cecil, is within me. But I am not Cecil." His green eyes were dull. He was definitely without his essence. "I am called, Cecilion. And I am no Prince of Song."

"So it is you. Cecilion, the legendary seventh Prince of Song."

"I am no Prince!" He yelled at us, "I took care of this land for years and was never officially appointed!"

"Is that why you've lured us all here?" Renn raised an eyebrow, "Because you wanted to whine that you didn't get the recognition you thought you deserved?"

"Unlike the rest of you, the muses did not favor me!" Cecilion shouted. The castle started shaking around us as a response to the boy's anger. Vines grew through the floor and walls, unstabling the castle structure. He closed his eyes, taking a breath and the world stood still again. Composing himself, he folded his arms. "No matter. I will soon have what I've always wanted. And you will not stop me."

Prince Renn rubbed his forehead, "What a mess."

"You're telling me." I muttered.

"Alright, "Cecilion". I'm going to give you one chance to prove you're not a bad person like Kiyavelli thought you were."

"Oh?"

"Wait...Frick, I'm confused. Was Kiyavelli ever with me? Or was that you the entire time? He had to have been with me at some point right? To say that about you? Unless you deliberately undermined yourself~"

Cecil turned away from us, "~Tell you what Princess. I'll talk with you. But only if we are able to speak alone. In this room." He opened the door to one of the bedrooms. "Here I'll tell you everything you want to know. Including speak with your precious Cecil."

Prince Rennosuke guarded me, "Don't do it, Your Highness! This is an obvious trap!"

"Well, I don't have much of a choice do I?" I told him, "Just like the only way to get to me is through Princess Harmony, I can't get to Cecil without speaking with Cecilion. I'm clearly here to get him back. To save him just like he saved me."

"But Hime~"

"I'm going." I had already pivoted around him. After passing Cecilion I turned to him before going inside, gesturing him to follow me.

"Hime I beg you! Don't be fooled by his~" Vines sprouted up from the floor and caught Renn's arms as he reached out for me. "Voi~ce!"

"Prince Renn!" I tried to go back to him, but an invisible barrier prevented me from leaving the room. Feint humming echoed through the castle again.

"Join your friends. Before I make you." Cecilion huffed.

Rennosuke glared harshly, "Don't you dare harm her!"

"No promises." Cecilion smiled cruelly. "Please move Hime-sama. I would like to join you here." I stepped aside and Cecilion closed the door behind him. It was the two of us alone. Me and the so-called Central Prince. "Just how naive are you, Hime?" He asked immediately, "Agreeing to speak in a room with me, alone. Have you really not realized that I have already won?"

I folded my arms, "How so?"

Cecilion let out a harsh "tch" sound, "Seriously? You really don't get it?" He approached me. I took a step back with each foot he stepped forward with. His footsteps were so light, it was like he was walking on air, all the more intimidating. "At this point, I don't have to explain anything to you. Alone, with no one else to confuse you, I can place you under my spell. And I will have you all following me at will."

"I thought you'd be the type to be a man of your word."

"Fair. But wouldn't defying that be much easier?" I gulped.

"Why did you take over Cecil?"

"He took over me." He stopped to answer that question. "I simply took back what was mine. If only Harmony was strong enough to do that too. I feel sorry for her frail soul." I gritted my teeth. I pivoted around the chaise lounge in the bedroom as Cecilion kept walking. "Why run from the inevitable, Hime-sama?"

"I still don't know what the inevitable~" My back reached the wall. In between the bed and the nightstand, there was nowhere else to move. "~Is..."

"I have you trapped." Cecilion trapped me between his hands, "You and the Princes of Song. What do you think will happen now?"

"What? What do you want Cecilion?"

"...a kiss." He spoke matter of factly, but his confidence still made me blush. He gripped my chin. "I want your lips on mine, my Princess."

"A-A-And then what?" I squeaked unintentionally.

"You will be all mine."

'"Don't let him kiss you!...If he kisses you, you'll be pledging your life to him!"'

I could hear Cecil's voice echoing in my head from a dream before. "Law of the Muses right? You want to marry me."

"I'm surprised. This is the first thing you seem to understand."

"If you just want to marry me, why not just ask?" Cecil's facial expression seemed to go flat. "Why take over the Princes, why not just talk to me?" I made a big deal over this. I was trying to stall because I didn't have a plan, but I think Cecilion knew that. "Furthermore, you don't even know me! And isn't this Princess Harmony's body!? YOU MAKE NO SEN~" He was quick as hell, going in to steal my lips. Feeling it coming, I caught his bangs and lifted his head upward before he could make contact with my face.

"Ite!" He muttered in pain.

"You need a women's consent for these things you know!" I shouted at him, "What is your problem dude!?"

"Such an unladylike manner." He growled, "No matter. I will turn you into the perfect bride." His green eyes glowed. He pushed against the force of me pulling him back. "Iteh iteh iteh!"

"Stop it! You magical pop tart!" I yelled at the guy as he struggled, "Ugh! Why can't he get through to you?! Just let Cecil take over you and let me go home already!"

"You're never leaving this world again!" Without warning, Cecilion cast me aside to the bed. He stood over it peering down at me while ruffling his bangs. "When I kiss you, you will be forced to stay at my side. I won't have to worry about Princess Harmony and I'll be able to keep the Princes at bay."

"But why!? Why do this!?"

"It doesn't matter how much power I have, or how much good I do. The muses believe I am not gifted enough." He leaned over the bed above me. "I'm tired of following orders without reward. I deserve better. I deserve what they have, and more." I felt his hands sink deep into the bed. "I was never appointed as Prince of Song. But when I have my own Princess, I will be." Cecilion once again puckered his lips and dove down for mine. He stopped when I didn't resist. "Now you have nothing to say? Could it be that this moment excites you as well?" I stared at him right in the eyes. "What is it now, Hime?"

"Lack of belief." He blinked, "I figured it out, Cecil."

"...He can't hear you."

"Yes, he can. And you can too."

"...What happened to your confusion? Your resistance? Aren't you angry?"

"Nah. I'm finna let you do you."

"..."

I kept my eyes open to make it as uncomfortable as possible and waited. Cecilion frowned. "What are you waiting for? Get your revenge, get what you want. You deserve it, don't you?" His emerald eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter what you try to do now. I don't have to worry." I told him, "I know that Cecil is polite and gentlemanlike. He would never do something like this. So neither will you."

He was silent for a moment. "...You've given up then?"

"...A selfless person that won't be selfish." The boy's eyes widened. "You didn't have to seal Basara away. You didn't have to follow the muses' orders. But you did. You put your people first. There are things in this world you want. But you're not the type to do that by hurting others to get what you want." My words seemed to weigh him down some. I held his cheeks leaning my forehead on his, "You can try, but you will fail. I just know it."

"...Foolish." He slid a hand under my head. He closed his eyes. "This will be the biggest mistake you've ever made." I squeezed my eyes shut as Cecilion leaned into my face again. After all of that, my bluffing hadn't stop him from kissing me.

My cheek at least.

"Cecilion?" He hugged me around the shoulders.

"...Prince Cecilion." The wrinkles in my forehead hardened. Cecilion chuckled. "Hehe, I don't even have to see you to know what kind of face you're making right now. Melody-hime-sama."

"...W-What the hell?"

"I remember now." For the first time, I see a green ball of light appear at his side. "I was appointed, but I didn't feel like I had been."

"...What!?"

He smiled such a boyish smile at that moment, "One's essence takes away one's most valuable asset. Mine was exactly as you said. Belief." His essence slide into the palm of his hand when he sat up with it. Finally, outside of his body heat, I sat up too, fixing my hair. I was so freaking frazzled by all of these events. "...So this is your power. Something that is different from Princess Harmony's." He whispered softly. "Now I understand why Prince Kiyavelli was so charmed by you. The ability you have...of bringing out a new melody in us."

"So you mean...that you did all of this because you lost your memory of being a prince? And didn't believe you were one?"

"...Yes." I wanted to fall off the bed out of stress.

"I am so done with this~"

"Ah ah." He softly cooed, as I tried to get up from the bed. Annoyed, I tried to fight him off, "Dame! Melody-hime-sama!" He shouted squeezing me around the waist. Now I was starting to see his similarity to Cecil, the same annoyingly sweet boyish charm. And I hate that I was falling for it.

"What? What could you possibly want for me now!?" Prince Cecilion giggled once more at my annoyance.

"To sing for you."

"And if I was, to decline?"

"You don't want me to be saved? Melody-hime-sama?" I frowned. The tan-skinned male stood up from the bed, holding his hand out to me. "Please allow me to right my wrongs, my Princess. Allow me to show you what you have done for me."

"Ugh...I-I guess so." A light smile spread across his lips.

"For the next few moments, I want you to be infatuated with only us, My Princess."

"...Us?" I asked with rosy cheeks. Prince Cecilion tilted his head to the side with a smile. I don't know how, but I could somehow feel that there were two people smiling at me. Both Prince Cecilion and Cecil. "You were there all along? Cecil?" The twinkle in Cecilion's less dulled eyes told me yes.

The melody of a trumpet before the beautiful sound of a flute played out. A new kind of humming filled the room. It echoed through the castle hallways. It was loud and strong. And it belonged to Cecil.

I placed my hand in the one Prince Cecilion held out to me. "Help me sing to our Princess, Cecil." He knelt down for a small moment to kiss it, before quickly sweeping me up in his arms. "Eternity's Harmony~"

tsukikage no Sea

watatte oide,

sono te ni ima

ai ga mezameru kara

Leading me outside the room, Prince Cecilion spun me around. Prince Cecilion's forehead bumped mine in a cute gesture. Maybe I was wrong about Prince Kiyavelli being the more touchy one...

towa o utau

shiosai no koe,

zutto ANATA

sagashi tsudzuketeta

Cecilion's essence entered his body. A bright green aura enveloped him and the entire area. All of the overgrown plants shrunk back and grew to a fully vibrant bloom. The sound of their conjoined voices blended into one, echoing through the entire kingdom.

meguri au unmei o daite

kono sekaijuu kara

ai no uta o atsume!

sono kokoro sono yume e tsugeyou

WATASHI wa tada,

ANATA no tame

umareta "mamoribito" to

Cecil lowered me onto my feet as we fell down like an umbrella to the outside ground. When the music ends, the whole kingdom is vibrant and sparkling like new. Green fireflies lit up the night sky. "This sight...is amazing, Cecil. Er~Cecilion? Both of you? I don't frickin' know! What you just did was amazing whoever you are!"

Prince Cecilion giggled, "And you helped me bring this sight back to this kingdom. For that, I am so grateful and thank you. " He placed a hand to his heart and kneeled on one knee. "I should probably speak with the other princes now. I will probably have a lot to explain to them..."

"Yeah. Because we have a lot to talk about. Cecilion-ouji." The other six Princes of Song gained our attention from behind us. Prince Kiyavelli and Prince Syosuke looked especially peeved, Kiyavelli with a hand on his hips, and Syosuke rubbing a fist into his opposite hand. Prince Cecilion gulped.

With a sweatdrop, Cecilion faced me with his hands clapped. "I'm sorry for all of this!" He finally apologized to me first. Then to the others, bowing extremely low. "Take care of this one. Melody-hime-sama." He spoke with his hand on his heart. I could see Cecil's shadow nod and joined me at my side. "And you, please continue to watch over her in your world."

"I'd rather that not be a thing~"

"I second that."

"Tripled."

"Just about sextupled really."

Before I could answer, I started to faze away with Cecil hugging me from behind. "Too bad! Melody-hime-sama is stuck with me forever!"

"HEEEEH!?"

"Hehe!"

"Cecil? You live in my world?"

"Of course? Why wouldn't you think so?"

I still felt like I was dreaming, "No way. I don't believe it. This is still a dream."

"But why?" Cecil whined.

"Maybe because I'm not in my bed yet~"

"Just because you are not in bed makes me not real!?"

"Yes!" I pinched myself for confirmation. It hurt and Cecil was still next to me. "I didn't pinch myself hard enough..."

"Stop that, Melody-hime-sama!" He grabbed my hand. His hands were silky smooth and soft to the touch. "I am very much real." His finger slid across my hand. "My name is Cecil. The current prince of Agnapolis, a kingdom far west of here." He explained, "And by pure coincidence, tonight is the night an evil spell that was cast upon me was broken. In two worlds. Both ours and theirs."

"By pure coincidence?"

"Pure coincidence."

"And you're a prince?"

"I am a prince."

"That does magic?"

"Yes."

"...Agnapolis? That's the best name you could come up with? My brain must be really tuckered out by all this drama tonight...can't even finish the dream right."

"Agnapolis is real!"

"And you share the name of a cat!"

"I was that cat!"

"Whoa." I grabbed his cheeks, completely ignoring him. "Now that you aren't just a fazed out figure and I can actually see you...You look so cute!" Cecil's eyes widened with a light blush. I let go, "Which makes this even more of a dream!"

"Huh!?"

I rubbed my eyes. I was currently surrounded by huge stone tablets with ancient writing on them. I gestured to the boy, "People like you don't exist! They don't float or do magic or meet people on weird abandoned island-Athens-looking ruins in the ground! Ow, my foot!" I held my left foot after kicking a rock unconsciously. Cecil held me steady. I wiggled out of his hold, "Now end this dream already! Come get me another night, I guess. I'm worned the frick out."

"...Fine! You want to be back in your bed, I'll take you there!" He gripped his necklace. "This is probably for the best anyway..."

"W-Wait Cecil!" The brown boy's green eyes peered at me in the moonlight. The pout was clear on his face, and I found it adorable. I smiled, "If this isn't a dream, prove it! Don't give up on me!" The pout in his lips loosened.

"Ah..." Cecil sighed. He then reached in his pocket. What he pulled out shocked me.

"Is that, Cecil's collar~Cecil...oh no." Cecil's eyes twinkled.

"Nanami Haruka named me Kuppuru." He tied the collar around my wrist. "Now is not the time for me to explain myself. There are some things I need to do. For now, I'll leave you a little piece of my heart. But when I settle things in my country, I will definitely come back for the two of you." He said kissing the collar. "Until then, I'll leave you with this. Muse, the main guardian deity who guides my people spoke as thus: The days of doubts will continue, but they exist to challenge you to spin out something rich and beautiful." A swarm of green fireflies encircled around us like before. Cecil's voice is like an aphrodisiac as I sink into his arms. "In the course of time, what you and those you know will create will bring about a miracle. And I look forward to seeing it." My eyes grow heavy as Cecil gently laid me down.

"May we encounter in the future, my lovely Princess of Song. Have a beautiful dream."

Cecil: I'll be your prince only if you are my princess~UTAPRI!

MPK: I feel so sorry for people who have only seen the first season of UtaPri and don't understand Cecil's character lol~ Just a thought I had watching the island episode. I imagine people goin' "wtf who iz that and where did he even come from?" And honestly, I wanted you guys to feel that throughout this chap, so if you're confused right now I did my job lololololololololol.

Guess you'll have to wait a good minute to see Cecil again! Maybe, maybe not who knows~Read and review hehe!