Promises of the Past pt. 8 Omoide Wo Tsubasa Ni Shite (Turning Memories into Wings)

Jesscheaux stormed into Kizna's room slamming the door behind her. Her eyes glowed with anger.

"How dare you go back down to earth!" she cried angrily ripping the gold mask off Kizna's face. "Dressed like that no less. You look so foolish. I heard of your little plan to attend the Prince's masquerade. You're not going."

"At least I don't look as foolish as you do, Jesscheaux," Kizna screamed. "You never trust anyone, and worse of all, you have a heart of stone."

Jesscheaux growled. She raised her hand ready to strike her Princess. Do it, Jesscheaux, Kizna thought glaring. I dare you. Your duty is to me, and if you hit me now, everyone will shun you from this kingdom.

"Don't you dare hit our Princess, Jesscheaux," a low voice growled.

Jesscheaux turned and gasped. Rei stood behind the closed bedchamber door glaring.

"But, Rei!" Jesscheaux argued. "She's going back down to earth. It's our duty to stop her!"

"Yes," Rei contended glaring at her friend. "But I also said we were not to take any disciplinary action towards our Princess. You disobeyed me. Had I not stopped you, you might have altered the future."

"How is this good for our future?" Jesscheaux screamed. "These men are dangerous, and you know it! Besides, I thought the future couldn't be changed."

"Time has very rigid rules and many loopholes. This is a loophole. There is nothing you can do to stop the future," Rei reasoned sternly. "And as I've told you, there is nothing you can do to change the future. Not with me around. I make sure that Time flows smoothly."

Jesscheaux growled. She turned her back away. I thought you were my friend, Rei, Jesscheaux thought bitterly. But I suppose you no longer are. She grabbed Jesscheaux by her arm and slowly led her out of the room. Rei turned to Kizna.

"Do as you wish, Princess," Rei lamented.

She turned her face downward.

"I will not keep you from you happiness," she spoke with a tormented stare in her blue eyes.

Kizna stared with her head bobbin up and down on a shaky string. Slowly, Rei and Jesscheaux walked out the door. The others walked inside adorned in masks and costumes.

"What was that all about?" Botan queried curiously.

"Should it matter?" Sakura answered coldly. "They're worrying over nothing. As usual."

"Perhaps," Yukina added, "but I've never seen Jesscheaux act like that before."

"Oh," Botan whined running her fingers through the styled curls in her hair. "Let's not have those girls ruin our happiness. It'll spoil the whole night."

Yukina nodded.

"I suppose you're right," she sighed.

Masked dancers twirled around the large, two-story ballroom. Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara watched from behind their masks.

"When do you think they'll get here?" Yusuke questioned taking a sip of red wine and adjusting his green mask.

"Honestly," Kurama answered resting his head on his hand. "I don't know."

"Prince Kurama," Queen Shiori scolded. "Posture."

"Yes, Mother," he muttered sitting straight in his throne.

"Eh, let's hope they get here soon," Hiei said coldly tugging at his black mask. "I hate wearing this white tuxedo. The sooner they get here; the sooner we'll dance, and the sooner the party will be over."

"Hiei," Koenma argued sternly. "You know we all have to wear one. It's not so bad."

"Speak for yourself," Hiei muttered as he crossed his arms.

The music suddenly stopped playing. A silence fell over the room. The dancers turned with soft gasps echoing around the room. They looked up to the second story of the ballroom where five masked girls stood atop a grand staircase.

One girl wore a intricately designed pink an gold gown with a blue mask on her face as her blue bangs hung in her eyes. Botan? Koenma thought amazed.

Hiei stared deeply into a girl's crimson masked eyes. His eyes began to wander down her black, strapless gown glittered with red gems. Sakura, he thought breathless.

Kuwabara grinned. A small sea-green haired girl in a silver and ice blue gown with a dainty silver mask on her face floated down the stairs.

Yusuke gazed upon a brown haired girl adorned in a royal blue gown and a glittery, yellow mask. Her name echoed in the deep recesses of this unconscious.

Keiko blushed. She ran her fingers through her long locks of brown hair.

The Prince studied watched the girl dressed in light blue and roses amongst the others with large white wings on her back. Her eyes twinkled behind a black, white, and gold mask. Kurama wandered through the parting crowd and climbed up the stairs.

"Kizna?" he whispered softly. "You came."

"Of course," she whispered. "Did you think I would want to miss this event?"

Kurama held his hand out to her.

"Well," he began smiling. "Will you honor me with your company for a dance?"

"Your Highness," she retorted placing her hand in his. "The honor would be all mine."

Kizna stared through Kurama's silver fox mask and smiled. He led her down the stairs. The dancers on the ballroom floor moved away. Kurama and Kizna stood alone in the center.

Yusuke and the others rushed to the other girls' side.

A waltz wafted around the room filling the air with soft, romantic melodies. The Prince pulled her close and slowly began to lead her in gently twirling circles and box steps. Queen Shiori watched with curiosity. Who is that? She thought quietly. A mischievous smile grew on her face. And he says he doesn't want to settle down, she thought smirking through her dark red mask.

He watched Kizna dance in his arms. He held her tightly dipping her with the long dark locks brushing the ballroom floor. Whispers went around the room.

"Who is she?" a masked woman inquired the masked man beside her.

"I don't know," the man answered. "But it feels as though she and these girls have came by magic."

Quietly, Botan and the others softly listened to the gossiping whispers around them.

"If they only knew," Botan murmured.

The others chuckled.

"Shall we?" Koenma invited holding out a white gloved hand with his eyes glowing behind his white mask.

"Dance?" Botan accepted smiling. "Of course."

Koenma waltzed Botan out to the ballroom floor. The others joined one by one.

Kohaku stared into the evening sky as she landed softly on Jin's cloud kingdom. She looked up into the dark castle windows and found a silhouetted figure watching her in a candle-lit room. Jin, she thought happily. She rushed into the palace with her white and silver gown rustling. She walked into the palace hall and rushed into Jin's open and waiting arms.

"Kohaku," Jin whispered into her ear softly. "You came."

Kohaku turned up to him and smiled.

"Of course," she whispered.

He held his arm out to her.

"Come," he invited as Kohaku wound her arm around his. "We have the whole palace to ourselves. So no one will bother us or give you strange looks."

Jin led her down the halls and down to his room with Kohaku grinning madly. He placed his hands over her eyes.

"Jin.." Kohaku whined. "What you doing?"

"Just surprising you," he retorted grinning.

They walked into his bedchambers. He removed his hands, and Kohaku's eyes went wide. She looked around the room littered with vases and pots of blue cornflowers. She walked gently on the carpet. Her feet sunk into a layer of silky, blue petals.

"Jin," Kohaku whispered surprised. "These flowers.."

"They're your favorite," Jin finished snaking his arms around Kohaku's waist. "I know."

Grabbing her hand, Jin led her out to his balcony filled with blue cornflowers and zinnias. Kohaku smiled.

"Jin," she whispered. "This is beautiful."

Jin smiled.

"Do you know.." he whispered into her ear drawing her in his arms, "what it means to have zinnias around?"

"No," Kohaku whispered swaying and listening to a distant windy melody. "What does it mean?"

"Eternal love," he whispered to a blushing Kohaku, "an eternal love that will transcend time and space, lasting for centuries and beyond the end of time."

She stared up into his blue eyes.

"But," Kohaku began, "love always easily falls apart."

"True," Jin responded smiling softly.

He led her around the balcony in a waltz.

"But love can last forever as long as you try and take the chances and risks life has to offer," he continued. "And should we ever be separated just know that we were born to meet each other someday, and we'll meet again. We'll never stop searching until we've found one another. Turn our memories of this life into wings so you can continue living wherever you are."

"Turning memories into wings," Kohaku whispered.

She smiled.

"Yes," he replied inching their faces closer to one another. "Turning memories into wings. Omoide tsubasa ni shite."

As Jin placed his lips on hers, they stood quietly underneath the starry night.

Sighing, she watched from the Time Mists. How lucky you are, Jin and Kohaku. How very lucky you are, she thought quietly unaware of Fiore's worried eyes. My poor, Spirit. What distresses you so? He wondered watching from the hidden depths of the Time Stream Mists.