Beta'd by CeleneTheAngel.
Back at the manor, Sakuya and Kaguya were outside at the moment in their swan forms. The garden was enormous, with different plant life as well a big lake for the two cursed swans to swim in.
One of the swans was a dark blue, the feathers on her wings fading into silver, while the other was a dull lavender color that faded into gold at the tips of her wings. The dark blue swan was taking a nap in the lake while the lavender one was gazing worriedly at the magic wall that protected the manor, and the big hole in it that could let anything come in and out of the barrier.
'Yuya... Please don't get into any trouble.' The lavender swan prayed.
"Kaguya." The younger twin turned to her somewhat groggy sister. "Yuya is going to be fine." She assured, as if able to read the other's thoughts.
"I hope you're right sis." Kaguya worriedly replied before looking back at the sky.
Yuya arrived at the town and was amazed by the sheer amount of people walking around the many streets. But unlike in the Divided Lands, this town had narrow streets that didn't have as much space to drive cars. You could maybe fit a single carriage or car.
He walked around as he inspected the many shops, restaurants and the marketplace with gleaming eyes of curiosity from afar. Yuya noticed that a few people were looking at him weirdly but he didn't pay attention to it and continued on his little adventure, until someone bumped into him.
"Sorry." A girl's voice apologized.
"Don't worry about... it…" Yuya said before he saw her appearance.
The girl had blue eyes and dark pink mid-back length hair, which she wore in pigtails and clipped down with blue, spherical hair clips. Her hair also features two lighter pink tufts of hair that fell to the sides of her face. On her wrist is a silver bracelet that's double banded and connected to two rose frames surrounding two pink stones on each side. Time seemed to stop as the two stared at each other as if they recognized each other from long ago even though this was the first time they've seen each other.
"Who are you?" Yuya asked confused.
"You look like-"
"There she is!" A voice cut the girl off before she finish her sentence and she tensed up and had a panicked look on her face until Yuya grabbed her wrist.
"Follow me!" The crimson eyed boy said hushed.
The two ran away and dove into an alleyway, apparently disappearing from view as they hid behind a couple of boxes and heard people running by.
"Where did she go?!" "She warped again!" "Ishijima won't like this!"
Yuya and the girl waited until they no longer heard the fast footsteps of the people after her. Yuya was glad he knew how to hide quickly and quietly after all the times he played hide and seek with Sakuya and Kaguya in the manor. He had always managed to find very good hiding spots so it was hard to find him most of their games. Though when they decided to use magic, they always found him.
Luckily, these nimrods didn't seem to be able to use magic, or at least hadn't thought of it. The girl sighed in relief before they began laughing at how stupid those people were.
"Thank you." The girl thanked as they walked out of the alley.
"No problem." Yuya replied and he turned away to continue his adventure.
"Wait!" The girl cried. He stopped in his tracks as he turned back to her in confusion. "You look like you're not from around here. I can show you around if you like..." She offered.
"Are you sure? We just met." Yuya replied.
"Think of it as a thank you for helping me get away from those creeps." The girl told him with a smile as she led Yuya through the small kingdom of Lunaria while it prepared for its important event. Or The Moonlight Ball as the citizens call it.
"The Moonlight Ball?" Yuya asked as they stepped into the royal garden in front of the castle, which was filled with trees. Some with fruits or flowers. "What's that?"
"It's to remember the disappearance of the missing princesses." The girl explained as she picked an apple from the tree. "Sixteen years ago, someone kidnapped them just a few days after their births. So this kingdom celebrates their birthday by holding a ball before releasing thousands of lanterns into the night sky in hopes they will guide the princesses back home. The strange thing is, they were born under the full moon, exactly at midnight."
"Wow." Yuya replied fascinated. "My sisters would love to go to that ball."
"Then maybe they should come." The girl replied as she threw an apple to Yuya, who caught it.
"Can I ask you something?" Yuya asked as he took a bite of the apple and the girl tilted her head. "Why were those people after you?"
"Because I'm friends with a few important… people." The girl answered. "Their leader is a dueling champion back home, Strong Ishijima. They think I can bring them closer to my uncle for a duel. Sounds stupid if I say so myself."
"Well, thankfully, I was there to help you." Yuya said. The girl became irritated and suddenly took a paper fan out of nowhere which she used to smack him on the head.
"I'm no damsel in distress! I'm just... not used to being by myself like this. My dad is away to help with the preparations and I have to wait until practice." Yuya looked up from massaging his head from the hit to see nervousness in the girl's eyes.
"I know what it feels like." The girl looked at him shocked to see a sad smile on him. "Me and my sisters are alone most of the time, since our mother is usually out traveling to get things for us to survive on our own. But she always gets us things from her travels."
The two then heard the sounds of a big bell and Yuya started to panic, realizing how long he has been gone from the manor; Almost the whole day! The girl looked at him confusedly before Yuya began to run away in order to get back to the manor hoping Gothel hadn't noticed he was gone.
"Where are you going?!" The girl shouted.
"I'm sorry, but I need to go!" Yuya replied. "We can meet here tomorrow if you like!" The girl just smiled and nodded as she watched Yuya run away, not noticing a stone owl had been watching them with its ruby eyes.
The crimson eyed boy was running as fast as he could forwards the tunnel back, luckily he had memorized the layout quickly when he walked through the first time and could find his way back to the secret basement in short amount of time.
Yuya jumped up through the trapdoor and made sure to hide it again before sprinting up the stairs, lifting up the gargoyle head to close the secret basement so Gothel wouldn't notice they had found it. The magic gifted boy then hurried outside to the garden before being tackled down by two beautiful swans, honking in happiness at his return. The multi colored plumage of one of the swans' heads nuzzled into his side.
"Sakuya, Kaguya." The tomato haired boy addressed his sisters breathlessly, patting their feathered heads and wings respectively. He had gotten back with an orange-reddish sunset fading to a dark blue and starry sky behind him, and he could not have been happier. Seeing his sisters transform was magical.
And as the sun sank below the huge trees of their forest till it offered no more light, it happened. Light blue magic glitter started to surround the two swans that started to form into humans, and the glitter disappeared to reveal Sakuya and Kaguya smiling vibrantly at their little brother.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" Sakuya cried as she hugged Yuya.
"We were worried you wouldn't come back." Kaguya replied grateful of his return and hugged him too.
"You have no idea what's out there!" Yuya told them as they stood up. "Come on, let's go to my room so I can tell you everything."
The trio of magic children giggled before running inside the mansion to Yuya's room. The twins couldn't wait to hear about Yuya's adventure outside the magic barrier.
Meanwhile, Gothel had woken up and was sitting by her vanity to admire herself as she fixed herself up. Her peaceful time was interrupted when the stone owl arrived inside, landing on the vanity and closed its eyes.
"Let's see what those three have been up to." Gothel said to herself as she pressed on the head of the owl to show a compartment where a small red crystal was.
Gothel took it out and put it in the mirror, which then filled with mist that showed the trio in the kitchen before it switched to Yuya in the nearby town and meeting the girl, though Gothel couldn't hear what they were saying. The old witch became panicked and angry at the same time which caused her to hit the owl, which knocked it on the floor where it shattered into a dozen pieces.
"I need to know that girl's name!" Gothel breathed out as she stood up. "Or else, everything I worked for for sixteen years will be over!" Gothel began to march over to her son's room in order to get the answers she needed.
The trio arrived into Yuya's room with the boy being awfully excited.
"Okay, tell us." Kaguya said impatient. "How was it? And don't leave out a single detail."
"It was amazing!" Yuya answered spinning around. "All the people, the town, the castle!" Yuya slopped onto his bed. "The best part is I even made a friend."
"Oh, you made a friend?" Sakuya repeated with a bright smile. "Who was it?"
"It's a girl." Yuya replied and the twins gasped in excitement and tackled him on the bed.
"What's her name?" They asked simultaneously. That was when Yuya realized something, he forgot to ask her her name.
"I...kinda forgot to ask her." The tomato haired boy said slowly.
"What?!" The girls exclaimed in shock.
"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry." Yuya defended himself as they sat back up. "But I promised her we'll meet up tomorrow as well, so I can ask her then!"
The door suddenly slammed open to reveal Gothel entering the room, and the three sprang to their feet.
"I heard you had a nice trip today, Yuya." Gothel said strictly as she walked in further.
"M-Mother!" Yuya stammered nervously. "How did you know?"
"You must take me for a fool." Gothel replied. "Even if I'm absent, I know everything that happens in this manor. Girls, you can leave us." Sakuya and Kaguya hesitated before leaving the room, not wanting to make Gothel more angry.
"But why didn't you tell us about that town and that it was so close by?" Yuya asked confused.
"I was protecting all of you. From the dangers outside."
"But the people I met were really kind to me."
"Sure they were, the same goes for the girl you met. Now, I want you to tell me that girl's name."
"I don't know."
"Yuya, don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying!" Yuya swung his arm in anger which caused his eyes to slightly glow and the jar of water nearby to explode in shards. He flinched, eyes wide and terrified f what happened.
"Do you see now why you can't go outside? Your powers are getting too strong for you to control now."
"You can't keep me locked up here forever!" Gothel's eyes narrowed at the statement.
"Watch me."
Gothel reached her arms up and used her magic on Yuya's room. It started to grow higher and higher with the door disappearing, preventing him from going outside his room, as well a barrier which prevented him from jumping out the windows. Yuya was trapped inside. The twins watched this happening and they were terrified over what was going on.
"You will remain here until you tell me her name." Gothel told him. Yuya started to panic when the witch began to walk forwards where the door was.
"Mother, please!" Yuya begged, but Gothel had already left and he banged on the wall where she disappeared back into the mansion. Yuya dropped onto his knees in despair. "No. N-no…" Only his cries could be heard in the tower.
Gothel walked over to the twins, who were sitting by the lake in the garden as both were worried.
"Sakuya. Kaguya." Gothel addressed them as the girls stood up.
"Mother, we don't know that girl's name either." Sakuya replied, knowing what their mother was going to ask them. "And we are telling the truth."
"And Yuya doesn't deserve such a punishment." Kaguya continued serious. "He did nothing wrong."
"He may be lying to the two of you or it just slipped his mind." Gothel told them calmly. "Besides, this is a way to ground him for not listening to me. I don't want you girls to get him out of there. Understood?"
"Yes, mother." The girls replied halfheartedly as Gothel left to sleep. But the twins looked at the moon in the sky, determined.
"We need to help Yuya get free." Sakuya solemnly said to Kaguya.
"Let's search in the secret basement for something that can help the first thing after Mother leaves tomorrow morning." Kaguya suggested as they took each other's hands.
"Oh Moon, guide Yuya and protect him from the darkness up ahead." The twins said to the night sky in hopes their prayers would be heard as everyone went to bed for the night.
"Mezame sasou uta o. Hito wa kokoro de kurikaesu. Hikari kie ta sora ni. Ai o tomosu yo ni~"
Yuya woke up slowly from his strange dream, though it was still dark outside. He had initially dreamed of nothing, but when he heard that song and the singer's beautiful voice, wisps of rainbow light appeared in the darkness. And then Yuya woke up, like the song was easing his mind a bit.
The magically gifted boy was obviously still upset that Gothel had turned him into a prisoner, but he wasn't as upset as when he had cried himself to sleep a few hours ago. Still, he felt helpless, and he knew he would never be able to leave.
He sat on his bed in gray pajamas, and stared at the forest-like paintings on the walls.
"How come that song… is the first thing I remember?" Yuya asked to himself before getting up, taking his pendant from the nightstand and walking over to the window, opening it to feel the cold breeze. Yuya played with his pendant while he was thinking. 'How come this pendant glows whenever I find something that could lead me to freedom? Whatever is going on, I have to protect that girl from Mother.'
Yuya tossed his pendant in the air before catching it again, turned to his desk and smiled to himself. Yuya walked over there and sat down, flicking the desk lamp on. Pencil in hand, he started to sketch.
