Hikari did not much mind all the trekking and camping when they headed back to Alaric Castle. Takashi seemed exhausted by it, grumbling about how sore he was. He certainly needed to toughen up. He was better than the queen was though, who needed help getting down from her hippogriff to limp away to her fancy tent. Mother had been struggling in the cold, but once they got farther south and the weather was milder, she seemed a bit hardier. The king was about the same as Mother. Father thrived in it, more than Hikari had. Even Maiha, who decided to stay with Hikari as a representative from the North, was handling the cold rather well.
In the trekking, Hikari kept dwelling about Izo, trying not to. She missed him, but did not want to admit it since it would seem like a weakness and she was not weak. Mother had picked up on her melancholy, talking to her privately in her and Maiha's tent the night they had left Izo behind, trying to explain why he ditched them to stay behind. He did it to represent her, taking Father's place. Yet there was also the risk of him becoming a fallen angel apparently, which made her nervous. She had seen Izo's eyes go black, which scared her. She hoped that the day when he fell never came, nor her own or Kaze's. She could not imagine having to kill either of her brothers should one of them fall.
Luckily at night, she did not have any nightmares about herself or one of her brothers falling. Partly because she was distracted by Takashi. They were engaged, would be married as soon as they arrived in the capital, so she did not understand why they needed to stay in separate tents. One of the king's servants took Izo's place in the prince's tent, much to her chagrin. She could not figure out a way to steal more than a moment with him for a kiss. More would have been preferable. When she tried to convince him to sneak off with her, he would decline, saying they could such things as that later. It frustrated her in a way that she could not explain.
When they reached the Alaric Castle, the queen and king seemed so relieved, as they had been traveling more than anyone else in their group. Mother was knackered too, but when Kaze found out she was back, she was all he wanted. She was exhausted herself, but willing enough to cuddle and spend time with him after the weeks of separation.
Hikari was surprised they stayed in the Alaric Castle for over a week, but the queen insisted she needed to rest up. Hikari found odd because she and her family were fine and recovered after two or three days resting.
At least she figured out a way to get the prince alone, since he slept in a bedroom by himself, just like she did.
She snuck into his bedroom not the first night as she suspected her father might watching, nor the second, but the third night she braved it.
She 'went to bed early' that night, claiming she was tired. She went to her bedroom to change into her pajamas, but then slipped into Takashi's room, waiting impatiently for him. She felt nervous as she laid herself down under his covers. His blankets were thicker than hers. He could hardly think that Alaric was cold, especially since he had experienced the true cold of the far north. She waited for him to get himself to the room. She lay on top of the blankets, nuzzling the pillow beneath her.
She must have dozed off because he was standing over her prone form. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, standing next to the bed.
She sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "Are you scared or shy?" she asked coyly, even though her own pulse was racing.
"I..." he tried to speak.
"Both?" she asked. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle, toes barely scuffling the stone floor. "Did you lock the door?" she asked, cocking her head curiously to one side.
He looked back over at the door, moving his mouth, but not saying any words. She got off of the bed, slipping around him without touching him. He had not locked the door. She locked the door. The room was so quiet that they both could hear the lock click resound. She turned around, approaching him. He had turned to face her, but did only that. It was like he was frozen in time. She stood in front of him, reaching her hands up to his shoulders and raising herself up to her tip toes. She kissed him fully, even as he stayed frozen. He thawed out finally, melting against her. She slipped her tongue boldly into his mouth, which he gasped at.
She pulled away slowly, hands sliding down his arms to take his own hands in hers. She tried to turn him and pulled towards the bed with her.
That he resisted, letting her hands go. "What's wrong?" she asked, frowning up at him. She sat down on the bed, scooting back to face him, trying to tempt him.
"It's not you," he said, "It's just..."
"We've done a bit of this before," she said. She reached her hands down to the hem of her pajama top, pulling it up.
He was before her then, staying her hands. "Stop," he panted out. He closed his eyes. She stole another kiss with him so close.
"Do not tempt me," he breathed.
"We're engaged," she pointed out.
"But not yet wed," he countered.
She frowned, trying not to look angry with him. It made little sense to her. She felt an undesirable chill wash over her. "Just sleep side by side then?" she offered. He pulled away, face flushed. He stood stock still, frozen standing up straight. "If you want me to leave, open the door. If you want me to stay, come lay down next to me." She curled under the covers, hoping they would not be too warm for her.
"I... you hardly expect me to sleep in my clothes, do you?" he managed to tease out.
She laughed softly at his attempt at humor. "move quickly then," she told. "I am getting rather sleepy now."
He moved, unfrozen. She was disappointed though that he took his pajamas into the bathroom to change. He was quick to climb back into bed with her though, laying down next to her. She snuggled over to him, giving her a longing peck before laying her head down on his chest. She could feel his chest heaving and his heart racing. He was beyond tempting, making her wish their wedding could happen tomorrow...