The waiting room was crowded with people as Kyoko entered, the chairs filled with worried and haggard looking people. The second the door had fully opened, she was accosted by a flash of brown curls.

"Sister!" said the small figure, throwing her arms around Kyoko.

"Maria." said Kyoko, returning the hug. "It's good to see you."

Maria stepped back, then grabbed Kyoko's face on either side. Kyoko found herself bending over, eye to eye with the young girl.

"You look terrible." said Maria bluntly. "Did you really save Kuon? Are you alright? I was so afraid something had happened to you two and no one would let me in because I'm not sick. I can't even see my grandpa!"

Kyoko laughed nervously as the girl let her go. You could always count on maria to get to the point and say the truth. She noticed a few of the other people in the room were subtlety eavesdropping on their conversation. Some were not so subtle.

"Your grandpa is very busy." said Kyoko, lowering her voice. Now that she aware of why she was being stared at, it was important keep her head down. She was starting to realize how much Lory had a hand in everything that happened in the palace, in addition to being the head physician. He also probably didn't want people to know that. "Lots of people are panicking and coming here for help."

"And Kuon?" asked Maria.

"Your grandfather said he'll be fine." said Kyoko. She noticed a few others in the room relax at her words. "But we can't see him yet. He's resting."

It took Kyoko a few minuets to clam Maria down. Between Kyoko getting sent away from the harem and Kuon being poisoned, Maria had apparently become quite frantic. She was impatient to see both Kuon and her grandpa and had no problem loudly voicing her opinion. The poor maid that accompanied her was desperately trying to ask her to calm down. Eventually Kyoko put an end to the noise.

"Maira." said Kyoko sharply. "I know that you're worried, and I know that you want to see your grandpa, but have you forgotten who you are?"

"What do you mean?" said Maria.

"You are a duchess." said Kyoko. "And what is the duty of a duchess?"

"To support the royal family in ruling and protecting the people from all ills and strife created by the darkness." recited Maria.

"Right." said Kyoko. "And do you think causing a ruckus inside the clinic waiting room, where there are sick people waiting for help, is a good way to fulfill those duties?"

"No." grumbled Maria.

Kyoko patted Maria's head. The girl listened if you didn't mind being stern with her. She was a good kid at heart.

"Would you like for me to sit here with you while we wait for your grandfather?" said Kyoko

Maria nodded, and the two of them sat down, talking happily while they waited. As expected, Maria wanted to know what had happened. Keeping everything vague and remembering the details from Lory's report, she told Maria a general idea of what had happened.

"Weren't you scared?" said Maria, eyes wide.

"Very." said Kyoko. "But as an aspiring physician, I couldn't let myself back down."

"You really are amazing." said Maria smiling. "Just like Kuon. You both will admit if you're scared. You both don't lie. Too many adults lie."

Kyoko examined Maria, again wondering what exactly had happened to Maria. It was obvious the child had something that haunted her.

A guard entered from the hall and called for Maria. The girl gave Kyoko one last hug, before running off to see her grandpa. Kyoko wouldn't have been surprised if she somehow gave the guards the slip and got into Kuon's room as well. She chuckled to herself, quickly leaving to room. Now that Maria was gone, she noticed several people inching towards her. They had all been listening to her and Maria's conversation, whispering to their neighbors and Kyoko had no desire to be interrogated by them as well.

There was a strange buzz of energy in the castle that evening, Kyoko could feel it as she walked the corridors. Before, everyone had been anticipating the festival, the aura of the castle filled with a pleasant warm feeling. Not anymore. The "assassin" had made everyone anxious.

Kyoko entered one of the large entryways and noticed a large group of people talking. She recognized a few of them as important nobles and bureaucrats. One of them spotted her, making eye contact. Kyoko quickly looked away, hoping that they would leave her be.

"Ah, lady Kyoko." said the man.

Darn.

Kyoko bit back a groan as the man stepped away from the party walking over towards her. Several eyes from the group watched him as he approached. The man was round, his detailed robes indicating his high standing. She was fairly certain he worked in the palace finances.

"How is he?" said the man, anxiety on his features. "Prince Kuon. Is he alright?"

"The prince was well last I saw him sir.."

"Call me Hoshi." he said. "Were you really the one that found and saved him?"

"I.. was." said Kyoko.

"Did you really?"

The voice came from a different person that had subtly snuck into their conversation without Kyoko noticing their presence. "Did you find him already passed out? Or did you hear him scream? What did you do when you found him?"

"I.." said Kyoko, noticing that several other people had made their way towards her. In seconds she had been surrounded by brightly colored cloth and perfumes as people crowded to hear her. Somehow even a glass of wine had made it into her hands.

Kyoko swallowed.

"I honestly don't feel comfortable talking about it." she said, and it was the truth. "It was a very rough night."

The man that had asked the questioned was about to say something when one of the women smacked him.

"Of course she's uncomfortable talking about it." she admonished him as he rubbed his head. "That was probably the most frightening thing she's ever experienced."

"It's a good thing she was there." said another. "I honestly wasn't sure about having a concubine become a physician, but I guess it was a good thing."

"You just don't like physicians."

"You try being poked by needles all day."

"But did you hear about the other concubine?" said one of the women, her voice pitching in fear. "I think her name was Aya. Apparently she found out about the plot and tried to stop the assassin. He killed her because she got in the way. She gave her life defending our prince, poor thing."

Kyoko's stomach dropped, the voices fading into the background. Hearing about Aya was still painful. A part of her should be angry that Aya was hailed as a hero instead of the almost murder she was, yet she couldn't bring herself to feel that way. Why?

Something one of the bureaucrats had said made Kyoko snap her attention back to them.

"What was that?" said Kyoko.

The man who had spoken turned to her.

"I was just wondering if it was safe here." he said. "Apparently a bunch of concubines are leaving the harem. "

"Why are they leaving?" said another person.

"Are you serious?" said the man. "One of the concubines just died, and do we even know who was trying to kill the prince? It's not safe here anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if they all left."

Kyoko let the conversation wash over her, frowning as she processed what she'd heard. Were some of them really leaving the harem?

"Excuse me." said Kyoko, giving a quick bow and shooting off before anyone could stop her. She hurried down the corridors, anxious to get to the quarters. They had all lived through the harsh part of the harem where other concubines had been hurting each other. Why leave now?

Kyoko strode through the entrance of the harem, noticing the tension here as well. She walked through one of the open rooms with only archways on it's boarders, spotting several of the women talking in worried tones. Kyoko did a quick head count, noticing who was there before moving on. She strode through the different rooms, counting the concubines in her head.

The call of her name caused her to stop and turn around.

Risa and Utako were walking toward her, an uncharacteristic frown on Utako's face, Risa's own expression riddled with worry.

"Kyoko." said Risa. "I'm glad you're alright. How's Kuon?"

"Fine." said Kyoko.

"Seriously. How is the prince?" said Risa, obviously not satisfied with that answer. "When did you last see him?"

"He's alright." said Kyoko, forcing herself to appear calm. She realized her hurried manors had probably worried the two. "I saw him yesterday, right after he was given the antidote. He should have no lasting damage."

Risa let out a sigh of relief, her dark expression lightening. "I'm so glad." she said. "Yumi hasn't eaten anything all day, and the rest of us have been worried sick. We heard you had healed him, but something about the stories and rumors aren't matching up and from what Yumi told me, I'm wondering who to believe."

"What do you mean?" said Kyoko.

"Well.." said Risa, studying her with a strange expression "It was kinda a mess after you were dragged away. Several of the woman panicked after seeing Kuon like that." Risa's expression darkened as she glanced at Utako. "Some are even saying that you poisoned him."

What!

"You don't think-"

Kyoko clamped her mouth shut. How could they believe that she would poison the prince! That was ridiculous. Then again, she would have never expected Aya to go as far as poisoning her to get her away. She measured Risa and Utako's expression.

"And what do you think?" said Kyoko, trying to keep her voice level.

"I don't think you did it." said Risa. "But from the rumors Yumi has told me, you were involved in all this somehow."

Risa was giving her a meaningful expression, as if she expected Kyoko to fill her in on the details. Kyoko hesitated.

"I'd listen to the official report." said Kyoko. "That's all I can tell you."

Risa grimaced.

"Darn." she said. "looks like you really were involved in all this. Oh well. Can you tell me something at least?"

"Depends..." said Kyoko.

"Are we..." Risa gestured to the three of them, indicated we meant concubines. "...targets as well in what ever is going on? Is it safe here?"

Kyoko bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She'd asked Lory the same question that morning after all, and the truth was that it wasn't safe. Not as long as they stayed near the prince.

"What, are you scared?"

Kyoko turned to see Setsuko walking towards them. Relief flooded through Kyoko at seeing her. At least she wouldn't have to answer Risa's question. She'd also wondered how the concubine was doing after helping Kyoko escape and going to search Aya's things.

"Setsuko." said Kyoko walking a little away from the other two and lowering her voice. "How are you? Why didn't you come back after searching Aya's room?"

"The guards wouldn't let me leave." she said "I didn't find anything anyway. Lory already talked to me about everything."

Kyoko understood. She'd been told the cover story and was going to keep quiet.

"Oi!" said Risa behind them. "What are you guys whispering about over there?"

Setsuko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, I was just wondering." said Kyoko, quickly trying to think of something else to say. "Which of the girls are leaving the harem. I heard about it on my way over here."

"Oh that." said Risa, frowning. "Last I heard, four of them had left. Michiko, Haruka, Yin, and Temma. Not sure of anyone else."

"Chieko is also leaving." said Setsuko. "I just talked to her an hour ago."

Kyoko recognized the names of the women. They were all concubines that had been close to Chieko and Aya.

"Were is Chieko?" said Kyoko. "Is she still here?"

"Maybe." said Setsuko. "She went towards the east entrance to be picked up. She could still be there."

"Thanks."

Kyoko gave a quick goodbye to the girls before hurrying off towards the east entrance. She managed to dodge the people lining the halls, finally making to the steps of the castle. She hurried down, hoping that she wasn't too late. She felt that she needed to see her, to understand what was going through Chieko's head. Why was the woman leaving?

She spotted the carriage and sped up. Several servants were loading trunks into it, strapping them to the top and back. She spotted the person she was looking for, standing by the carriage and talking to one of the coach drivers.

"Chieko."

The woman turned around.

Kyoko stopped a few steps from the bottom. It was an involuntary motion. The second she'd seen Chieko's face, she hadn't been able to get any closer.

Chieko's face said everything. Her eyes were bloodshot, the usually immaculate hair and makeup now in disarray. The proud upright woman she used to be had been replaced by a phantom of her former self.

"What?" said Chieko, her voice shocking Kyoko from her thoughts. "You come to gloat? Are you happy that I'm leaving?" Her voice was still sharp, yet her expression was slack, defeated, as if she couldn't summon the energy to care. Kyoko shook her head, unable to speak. The hurt was so evident in Chieko's face that it was physically painful to look at her.

She's just lost her best friend. Thought Kyoko, Even if Aya did poison me, she had people that loved her. She had people that will miss her. The two concubines had been best friends for years, as close as sisters. Chieko was in pain from the loss of someone she loved.

Kyoko knew the feeling well, having lost several loved ones in her life. What she didn't know was Chieko, or how she could comfort her, and Kyoko did want to comfort her, desperately so. Kyoko wanted to say something, to let her know that everything would be alright. That it would never stop hurting, but she would be able to move forward. Yet she couldn't find the words. Her mind was completely blank. Instead, Kyoko stared dumbly at her, unable to move as Chieko's things were packed and the coachman said they were ready to go.

Chieko sent one last empty glance at Kyoko before turning away.

"Congratulations Kyoko." said Chieko. "You've saved the prince, became a hero, and got rid of some competition. I hope you're happy."

The ex-concubine got into her carriage and drove off, leaving Kyoko standing on the steps of the castle. She hung her head, heart heavy.

There's no way I'm happy about this...

Kyoko dragged her feet as she walked back into the palace, not paying attention to were she was going. Her mind was clouded with all the things that had happened in the last 24 hours. So the palace wasn't as safe as she had believed it to be. If what Lory said was right, it was actually more dangerous in some ways. No wonder so many people were leaving once they realized it wasn't easy to live here.

Kyoko stopped, thinking. If Chieko and several others were leaving because they were scared... then it was likely she would leave too. Thought it would be for a different reason.

With a new destination, Kyoko strode through the palace, determined to check. Sure enough, when she arrived, she saw servants and maids helping the woman putting away her stuff.

"Duchess Ruriko?"

Ruriko glanced over her shoulder to see Kyoko standing at the entrance of the door. She grimaced, then turned back to her things, placing some of them in a trunk.

"What do you want?" said Ruriko. "Your duty to accompany me is over. There is no need for you to be here."

Kyoko took a step into the room. "Why are you leaving?" said Kyoko.

"I thought the reason would be obvious."

"I lack an elementary level education, remember?"

The corners of Ruriok's mouth twitched. She indicated for the servants to leave. They did so, closing the door behind them.

"What do you really want Kyoko?" said Ruriko, folding her arms and turning to glare at her. "To gloat? To tell me I'm a menace to society? To tell me that life is not a beauty pageant meant to stoke my vain ego?"

"No." said Kyoko, examining Ruriko's expression. It was hard to read. "I just want to know why your leaving."

"Why I'm.." Ruriko sighed, "Seriously Kyoko. I can't tell if your an idiot or not half of the time." She turned away from her, continuing to put stuff away into her trunks. "I'm leaving because there's no point in me staying." she continued. "I'm not doing the opening ceremony, I've caused trouble for everyone... and I've realized how much I've been deceiving myself when it comes to the prince. I'm a spoiled brat." The self hatred was evident in her last statement. Anger and frustration flashed for a second in her features before being replaced by a hollow expression.

In that second, Kyoko recognized the look in Ruriko's eyes. It was a defeated expression. The anger, self loathing and realization that there was a huge part of themselves they didn't like. The look of someone who had lose something precious.

It was the same expression Kyoko had worn after Sho had thrown her away.

Ruriko was covering it up well, her tone still sharp as she talked to Kyoko, but she wasn't deceived. There was a slow lethargic way to how Ruriko moved around the room, as if every move took enormous amounts of energy.

"Ruri-" Kyoko paused, unsure what to say. She didn't know Ruriko that well, and the little that they had interacted mostly consisted of fighting. What could she possibly say that could help? Again, she felt stuck, unable to help someone.

Something caught her attention. The duchess was still moving around the room, humming a haunting tune as she put away her jewelry in a box. Kyoko watched her for a moment, wondering what it was that caught her eye.

Then it dawned on her.

"Ruriko." said Kyoko. "Do you like singing?"

Ruriko gave her a strange look. "Of course I like singing." she said, some pride returning to her. "I love it. I'm the best singer in the court back home. Even the local mistrals aren't better then me."

"Have you ever tried using magic through your voice?"

Ruriko snorted. "You do realize that is an extremely difficult thing to do right?" she said. "Usually you're at least rank 3 before even attempting it. I barely pass as a rank 5."

"Sure." said Kyoko. "It's difficult if you don't have the natural talent for it. But wasn't there a famous singer a couple decades back that used magic through song?" It was one of the beautiful things about pulse magic. Everyone used it differently and everyone had a certain way that suited them best. Even the idiot Sho was considered a natural, incorporating magic into his music. It was a huge part of what made him popular.

This time Ruriko stopped what she was doing. She placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head at Kyoko.

"What, and you think I have the same inborn talent?" said Ruriko, her tone indicating he opinion on the possibility. "I'm a good singer Kyoko, but not a good magician. That's one thing I've come to completely understand while being here."

"No." said Kyoko. "I don't think you have it."

Ruriko smirked, and then continued putting her things away.

"I know you have it."

Ruriko gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Look." she said. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not helping. I just want to go home." She turned her back to the door.

Taking large strides, Kyoko placed herself between Rurko and her vanity, blocking the duchess.

"Try it." said Kyoko. "Please, and then I'll go away."

"Get out of the way." said Ruriko, obviously not in the mood.

"Not until you sing for me."

Ruriko glared at her, but Kyoko refused to back down. She knew what she had seen. It was time for the duchess to see it as well.

"Fine." said Ruriko, turning in a huff. "Once I finish you'd better get out of here and stop bugging me like you promised." She breathed in, filling her lungs with air before singing.

As soon as the music started, Kyoko smiled. She could feel it, the magic swirling around Ruriko. There was a charge in the air, crackling with undirected energy. It was subtle. In fact, she almost thought she'd imagined it, but it was there. Kyoko could feel it.

"Are you going to use your magic or not?" said Kyoko, purposefully taunting the duchess. Ruriko gave Kyoko a sharp look, then gave a mock bow before attempting to channeling her magic.

In the center of the room, a green smear of fog appeared. It began to spread out, hinting at the shapes it desired to take.

The image wavered.

Ruriko had stopped singing, eyes wide as the last remnants of her magic disappeared.

"I told you you could do it!" said Kyoko excitedly.

"How.. did you-?" sputtered Ruriko.

"Do you remember yesterday?" said Kyoko, unable to contain her excitement. "When we sang in the corridor to calm you down?" Ruriko's eyes went dark as she remember the event. "After you started singing, the atmosphere changed completely. I thought it was just from your beautiful voice, but I just noticed right now a shift in the atmosphere just from your humming."

"This whole time." said Ruriko, looking down at her hands. "I've been able to use magic by singing?"

"Looks like it."

The duchess just continued to stare, as if waiting for someone to tell her it had all been a huge ruse. Kyoko walked to Ruriko, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you know what this means?" said Kyoko.

Ruriko shook her head.

"It means you get to perform the opening ceremony."

"What!?"

Ruriko stepped back, staring at her.

"It was your duty from the start." said Kyoko, shaking a finger at her. "Don't tell me you're going to back out again? I can't keep cleaning up after your mistakes. You should take responsibility for what you started and actually finish it."

Ruriko's eyes flicked back and forth between Kyoko's. Slowly, her own face cracked into a smile.

"Of course." said Ruriko, jutting out her chin and folding her arms. "I can't let a common peasant like you go and ruin the show."

The two women stood across from one another, a challenging grin on both faces.

"Lets see what you're made of Duchess Ruriko."

To say Seiji was excited would have been an understatement. When he saw Ruriko's magic, he immediately began working on changing the choreography completely. He started puling out different music sheets, trying to decide what would work best, sending off his workers to find musicians and anything else they might need.

"Just remember Duchess." he said to Ruriko. "I won't permit any slacking off this time."

"You can count on me."

Kyoko slipped into the background, watching as the group started fumbling to change everything. They had less then a week to prepare after all. A small, selfish part of Kyoko was disappointed that she wasn't doing the opening act.

The feeling didn't last long though. As she watched the light retuning to Ruriko's eyes, her own smile widened.

At least one good thing had come from this disaster.

"...and here's the updated layout of the streets." said Yukihito, pulling out a piece of parchment. Kuon took it, leaning against the headrest of his bed. It was the second day of his "confinement" as he liked to call it. Today was the first day Kuon had been allowed to have visitors other then Lory, but he still wanted Kuon to stay in bed. Kuon was feeling much better, so he'd sent for Yukihito to talk about the last details for the festival. Lory probably wouldn't have allowed if he knew, but Kuon decided it was better to ask for forgiveness then permission.

"Even thought we've asked the merchants to come to us for assigned spaces," continued Yukihito. "several are already here and taking spots assigned to other people. We've been able to solve most of the conflicts calmly, but a few are getting irritated and won't listen."

"Let me guess." said Kuon, flicking a name on the sheet. "It's that silk merchant from last time. The one that threw a fit because he was placed next to a wine merchant."

"That's the one."

Kuon grimaced, shuffling through the other notes that were littered on his bed sheets. "If he doesn't listen, send in some guards. Make sure they're the biggest one's we've got."

"Do you think it's a good idea to use force?" said Yukihito, giving him a cautious look.

"Of course not." said Kuon. "But threats are another thing. He's a scrawny guy from what I remember. He should get the idea and quiet down."

"Alright." said Yukihtio, giving a weak smile. He made a note on his scroll, then rolled it up.

"That's the last of it." said Yukihito, straightening the reports "Everything else is running smoothly. The other counselors have pitched in to help out since you're recovering."

"Remind me to thank them later." said Kuon. "They've been a huge help. It's unfortunate that I got poisoned right before the festival started." As if almost dying wasn't bad enough. He was finding that the worst part of this whole ordeal was the horrible timing. As the person In charge of the festival, getting sick right before it was sure to make things rocky.

"Just take your time recovering." said Yukihito, standing to leave. "Everyone is more then willing to help out."

His counselor left, leaving Kuon with a few documents to look over. He shifted through them for a while. Eventually, he sighed, leaning back against the bed. The papers weren't enough to keep his mind occupied, the nervous energy that had been growing inside of him was returning. There was so much he had to do, yet he was stuck here in bed.

Kuon pulled out a stone from under his bed sheets, staring at it. It was a beginners practice crystal, another thing he had sneaked into his room, enchanted to light up when light magic was channeled into it. Kuon had been practicing with it all day, trying to get it to shine, even a little bit. So far he'd been disappointed. He really couldn't use his light magic anymore.

Kuon lowered his hand, his grip tight on the stone. Instead, he let his mind wonder, thinking about today. Yukhito had been one of many visitors he'd had. The first had been Maria, the little girl sneaking in before she was suppose to. Next had been several other bureaucrats and nobles which had included her dad, all wishing him a speedy recovery.

Setsuko had also slipped in earlier. She's spent most of the visit glaring at him, as if it was his fault for getting poisoned! Many of his other concubines had also visited, Chieko and the others that had left the previous day hadn't of course. He didn't blame them for leaving. They were probably safer away from the castle right now.

Every concubine except Kyoko had come to visit.

He couldn't help but be curious as to why and it was starting to get late into the day. He'd heard about her discovery of Ruriko's abilities yesterday. Perhaps she was still helping with that?

Kuon started, noticing the small crystal in his hand glowing with soft energy. As he watched, it faded before returning to it's usual dull gray.

What was that? Thought Kuon, heart pounding. He had never accidentally used light magic before. At least, not since he had been cursed. What had set it off?

There was a tap at the door.

Kuon called for them to come in, quickly tucking away the stone behind his pillow.

Speak of the devil thought Kuon as Kyoko walked into his room. To his surprise she was carrying a tall vase with a single crystal aster in it. He had gotten several "get well" gifts, and assumed that's what it was. But why this flower?

"Good evening your highness!" said Kyoko happily, "I hope you are feeling well."

"Much better then yesterday." said Kuon, which was the truth. "What about you? You had quite the fright."

"I'm doing great." she said, still holding the vase and taking a seat by the bed. "A good nights sleep did wonders, and... some other comforts."

"I'm glad to hear that." said Kuon, studying her expression. She seemed genuinely happy. He remembered all too well as a child, her own stubbornness at letting others see when she was suffering.

"I don't want to be a bother." 7 year old Kyoko was saying. "Mother gets really upset at me when I cry, and Sho just stands there doing nothing. I know it bothers them, so I try not to cry in front of them."

Kuon watched as the seven year old girl twirled a stone in her hand, sitting by the oasis as tears continued down her face.

"Promise you won't ever pretend in front of me Kyoko." he found himself saying. "I want to help you if you are sad. So please don't hold it in." The idea that she had been pretending to be happy for his sake mad him upset.

The little girl smiled, wiping her eyes.

"Of course Ren." she said. "But only if you promise to do the same for me."

Kuon smiled, "It's a promise."

Kuon knew Kyoko had not been alright after their last conversation, but because of the poison, he hadn't been able to do anything about it. After waking up, he had sent for a soldier to put the flower in Kyoko's room, laying it on the table so that she'd see it when she woke up. Judging by her statement and the way she had gazed the flower, he had been right to do so. She'd probably needed it.

"What's the flower for?" said Kuon, gesturing to the vase.

Kyoko smiled, holding it up a little. "It's my get well present." she said. "I don't have any money or anything really to give you, as everything I own is yours." Kuon suppressed a grimace at that. Didn't she realize that he had given it to her, so technically it was all hers? "So I decided to give you this, and a story."

"A story?" said Kuon, this time unable to stop himself from smiling. Was she going to tell him the story he had told her all those years ago? He wondered if she even remembered it. "Do tell."

"It's the story of a girl who had no courage." said Kyoko. "The girl was so scared of the world, that she couldn't even cry. Until the day that she met a fairy. The fairy and the girl soon became good friends, and she gained the strength to cry."

Kyoko was now fingering the flower's petals, unconsciously smiling at the memory. "It was some of the happiest times that girl had in her life. But one day, the fairy had to leave, and the girl was scared again. The fairy told her not to worry, because he would watch over her through the flower. He would soak up any sadness, fear, anger, anything else that she felt so that she could be happy."

The prince listened attentively. Did she really remember so much about their meeting? It warmed him to think that she did.

Kyoko raised her head, the fond smile still there. "So this is my gift to you your highness." said Kyoko. "It's a prayer that your sorrows and fears may be soaked up by this flower. That it may bring you the same strength and joy that I have been able to receive from it."

She held out the vase to him, and he took it, noticing the brush of his fingers against hers. He couldn't help giving her a playful smile before saying "So what was the name of the fairy friend you made?"

"His name was Ren!" said Kyoko, eyes sparkling in delight. "He was truly was the most magnificent being I've ever met. He had the most beautiful aura. If only I could have seen his wings. They must have been breathtaking."

Kuon nearly snorted. Did she really still think he had been a fairy? But after giving her sparkling expression another look, he couldn't' help it. A short laugh escaped his lips before he could suppress it.

Kyoko's attention snapped back to him at the sound.

"Are you laughing at me?" she said, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Now why would I ever do that?" said Kuon.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before another burst of laughter escaped him.

"You are laughing at me!" said Kyoko, indigent. She held out her hand. "Give me back the flower if you're not going to appreciate it."

"I'm not laughing at you I promise." said Kuon, holding the vase out of her reach. "And it's too late to give it back. You already gave it to me."

Kyoko scoffed, folding her arms and frowning. "Ren was a real fairy." said Kyoko. "I know he was. He might have had trouble flying, but that was because he wasn't an adult yet. I'm sure he's flying high past his father hands." the smile returned, and Kuon couldn't help smiling as well. She had again entered her own land of dreams and fairies, imagining fairy Ren flying through the sky.

I'm glad there are some parts of her that haven't changed. thought Kuon.

"Thank you." said Kuon, snapping her out of her daydream. "For the flower. I'm grateful for it."

"Of course! Your highness." said Kyoko, appearing to have already forgiven his laughing. "It was the least I could do."

The two of them talked for a few minuets, Kuon enjoying her presence and the conversation she brought. Kyoko was so full of life, it was always invigorating to talk to her. He soon forgot about his fatigue and was laughing so hard his sides hurt.

Eventually the conversation grew more serious, venturing into the events from the other day. He heard her side of what had happened. He was both alarmed and proud of the actions she had taken to help him. She had paused when she'd gotten to finding Aya, expression twisted in pain.

"I heard you got Ruriko to do the opening ceremony." said Kuon, changing the subject. He knew the gist of what had happened past that anyway. "Weren't you looking forward to doing it?"

"I was." said Kyoko, and he was glad to see the darkness leave her face. "But when I went to see the duchess, I wouldn't have felt good about taking it from her. You see, I saw my old self when I saw her." She shook her head. "When something as traumatizing as that happens, It's easy to shut down. If you don't have something that pushes you forward, you may become stuck, unable to move on with your life. I knew that I could give Ruriko that push, so I did."

She's talking about Sho. Thought Kuon. After he stole her work, and she was ridiculed, she left, probably clinging to revenge to keep her going. He knew the feeling. He himself held a goal. A goal that kept him going to prevent him from stopping. There were times when he wondered if he had moved at all. Like now, when he no longer could use any light magic on demand.

Kuon pushed the thoughts from his head, instead concentrating on the the woman in front of him. He didn't wish to burden Kyoko with his problems when she had so many of her own. Instead, a thought occurred to him, and he grinned.

"By the way." said Kuon. "I've been wondering. Why do you keep calling me 'your highness?'"

"It's your title isn't it?" said Kyoko, confused.

"It is." said Kuon. "But you had no problem calling me Kuon the other day. So why switch back now?"

He watched, amused as her face shifted from confusion, to horror, and then settling on red.

"T-that's." she sputtered. "Completely different. You were dying. Of course I would call your name. I was trying to get you to wake up, and then they were pulling me away and-"

"Kyoko" said Kuon, his voice cutting her off. He had to sudden urge to pat her head to console her. "It's not a bad thing. In fact, I'd like it if you called me by my name. I like to think of us a good friends and it feels weird for you to be addressing my so formally."

Kyoko gaped at him. "You consider us friends?" she said.

"What?" said Kuon, pretending hurt. "You still haven't forgiven me for forcing you into the harem?"

"Noooo! That's not it!" said Kyoko, "It's just that I never thought of the idea of an unattractive peasant girl like me being friends with someone like you. It just seems ludicrous."

Kuon frowned. Why did she have such a low opinion of herself?

"Kyoko." said Kuon seriously. "Despite all the misunderstandings we've had, I consider you a good friend. You've helped me out many times, not including this, and I wish to help you as well. Do you not feel the same?"

Kyoko wrung her hands for a moment. "Is it alright?" she finally said. "For someone like me to be friends with you?"

"I don't see why not." said Kuon. Her expression lit up in joy. "Which bring me back to my main point. You don't need to address me with a title anymore. It feels odd."

"But it wouldn't be proper." said Kyoko. "Our positions are so different. I wouldn't feel right."

"You are a concubine." said Kuon. "It's your privilege. No one will think it odd. Now, let me hear you say it."

Kyoko bit her lip. Kuon could practically see the cogs working in her head. She no longer had any reasonable argument against it.

"You called my name so desperately the other day." he pressed. " Why not call my name again now?"

The girl's face turned even redder.

Whats wrong with me? Thought Kuon. Why was he being so stubborn to get her to call his name? He probably should stop teasing her or else one day she would stop talking to him. Kyoko was still red faced, struggling to say his name. He was about to stop her when a sound finally came out.

"Ku-" she stared. Then swallowed. "Prince Kuon!"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Kuon let out a sigh.

"You can't very well expect me to just change so quickly!" said Kyoko, spots of pink fading from her cheeks. She was getting back her spirit now that the embarrassment was leaving her.

"I guess not." said Kuon. "But it's an improvement." he thought for a second. "How about this. You can call me with the title until you get your physicians license. Then I expect the title to be dropped."

The color drained from Kyoko's face. Kuon knew full well that she was going to take the exam in two days and that the results would be out after the festival. He also had no doubt that she would pass.

"Is it a promise?" he said, unable to stop himself from pressuring her. The girl turned sightly pink, but nodded.

"F-fine." said Kyoko. "It's a promise."

Thanks for reading!

Finally finished tying up the loose ends with people. Now it's time to delve into story! Yay.

Thanks for all the compliments from those that looked at my pictures! All questions from this week will be answered eventually. Some of them I've perposefully not addressed. Some just aren't applicable to the story yet.

Thanks again for all the compliments. I don't think I've expressed my gratitude enough for everyone's comments. It's good to hear from you all again as well! XD (I'm trying to keep my author notes short now)

-Blushweaver

Aren't they so fun! Hope you enjoyed it.

-Imouto