"You know, you really don't have to be here. You should just stay home and rest."

Kyoko smiled at the physician she was accompanying as they stood by a patients bed. She was currently wearing the enchanted bracelet, outwardly appearing as Bo the rooster. As their patient was under heavy anesthetic for a procedure, she could talk without potentially destroying their image of her.

"Thanks for worrying about me." said Kyoko. "But I feel better keeping busy rather then sitting around. It stops my mind from lingering on unpleasant things. I'm about to leave anyway."

The physician nodded, understanding her.

"We were happy to have your help today." he said. "With the assassin's attack, the castle is in quite the disarray. Could I have you take these to office? " he said, handing her a several bound documents. "Then you can leave."

She took them, quickly making her way to his office. As she sorted the documents, her mind kept wondering. Everyone was still so hyped up about the incident. It had only been two days, but Kyoko was already tired of the topic. Then there was the test she was going to take tomorrow. It made her almost as nervous as the Accursed. She had been cramming ever since Lory had told her she would be taking the exam and today was no different. She'd needed the break working as Bo, but now it was time to put her nose to the grindstone again. There was no way she was going to disappoint Lory and Kuon by failing.

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

Kyoko slammed the last of the scrolls on the counter, shaking her head vigorously. Seriously, how shameless could that man be? He had been dying, of course she would call his name. That didn't count. Yet he expected her to call his name without his title? The man was a natural born smooth talker.

Kyoko stomped through the hall, oblivious to the shocked looks she was getting. Well at least if she failed there would be one thing in her favor. Then she wouldn't have to call the stupid green eyed man by his stupid name and embarrass herself. He'd probably been joking anyway.

She froze, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her. Had she just seen an illusion of Kuon?

Taking a few steps back, she peered around a corner.

Nope. It wasn't an illusion. Kuon was sitting in a corner of the clinic, head down and looking distraught. Was he even suppose to be moving from his room? She had half a mind to go and scold him.

The impulse drained form her as she watched him sigh, staring at the stone in his hand. Was he still working on his light magic?

She hesitated, then ducked behind the wall, activating her bracelet to change her back into Bo.

Kuon fingered the stone in his hand, tracing the runes that enchanted it. He hadn't been able to make it light up again all day, despite his best efforts. What had caused it to start shining yesterday? Was it love, like Lory was sure to tell him? The thought didn't comfort him.

"Yo."

Kuon looked up, then broke into a smile at the sight of a familiar feathery friend.

"Looks like you've got trouble again." said Bo, sitting beside Kuon on the bench. "Well, spit it out. I haven't got all day you know."

"You're pretty rude for a rooster." said Kuon.

"Says the full grown man sulking in the corner." retorted Bo.

"True enough." chuckled Kuon. He felt comfortable talking to the rooster. He knew there had to be someone was inside the enchantment, thought he had no idea who it was. Kuon appreciated the relaxed attitude. In normal circumstances he might have felt slighted by the brash attitude Bo took with him. Instead he felt comfortable, the sincere and over dramatic reactions helping him to relax.

"It's the same problem as last time." said Kuon holding up the stone. "Trying to make my light magic work."

"Oh." said Bo, then wilted. "Sorry I couldn't help."

"You did for a bit." said Kuon. "Things... happened. It got worse."

"Are you talking about the incident people won't shut up about?"

Kuon nodded.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Kuon pulled a face. "I'm suppose to use the image of love to power my light magic."

"Oh!" said Bo, slapping a wing to his forehead.. "Of course. How could I have forgotten! Love is the easiest way to control it. Shouldn't be too hard for you, especially as you've got all those women chasing you. You probably have ton's of experience with love. Why didn't you do this earlier?"

Kuon was suddenly very interested in a spot on his left shoe. He ignored Bo as the rooster narrowed his eyes at him.

"Your highness," said Bo, drawing out his name. "You have fallen in love before haven't you? There's no way that the kingdom's number one bachelor, who has a harem full of concubines, hasn't had any experience with love."

Kuon glanced at the rooster, before turning away to hide his blush. "You don't have to make it sound like such a bad thing if I haven't."

Bo froze, then he guffawed, holding his stomach as he shook with laughter

"I can't believe it." said Bo, whipping tears from his eyes. "The castles most wanted man, has never fallen in love before."

"No, I haven't." said Kuon, his embarrassment now turning to irritation. It really wasn't that big of a deal. "What is love anyway? Just a word to describe an infatuation with another person. It's not really that great."

"Ahh, how nice it is to be so innocent." said Bo, putting a hand on Kuon's shoulder while casting him a pitiful look. Kuon was resisting the urge to punch him. "There are many forms of love in this world, romantic love being the most painful of those. Yet do you not feel love for your parents and country? Those are technically forms of love."

"Already tried it." said Kuon, glancing at the stone. In the attempt to get past Lory's love obsessed brain, he'd tried using his fondness for his country and family as a source. It hadn't worked.

"Then you'll just have to fall in love." said Bo. Kuon thought he saw the rooster twitch as he said it. "There might be a woman you've already started to crush on."

"And what would that be like?" said Kuon. He did have several women he was fond of, but none that made him think he was in love with them.

"Well, for example." said Bo, thinking. "Have you ever had instances where you always notice someone. Doesn't matter how big the crowd is, your eyes find them in a second. Or thought 'she's really cute' or anything like that?"

Kuon blinked as the image of a certain black haired concubine immediately entered his mind. He'd spotted her immediately upon entering the clearing after Ruriko had blown it up, and there had been several instances where he thought she looked cute.

"There... is one." he said.

The rooster jumped off the bench, throwing their arms in the air in a "V" for victory. Kuon swore he could see some fanfare in the background.

"This is glorious!" said Bo, "Now you can fall in love and gain back your light magic. Even better you can find a wife." The chicken then got close to Kuon, the expression on his face very scary. "Seduce her. With all your might."

"When you say it like that I feel worried for the girl."

"I'm not telling you to play with her feelings." said Bo, playing innocent.

"Why are you so pumped about this?" said Kuon, uncertain how to take Bo's reaction.

"Don't you see your highness?" said Bo, practically hopping up and down. "Those are the signs to the prelude of love."

Kuon blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.

"Are you serious?" he said, unsure how he felt about this revelation. "Aren't there any other things you can base it off of? There are plenty of women I notice. It doesn't mean I love them."

"Well, there are other signs." said Bo tapping his beak with a feather as he thought. "Like, making up things to talk about because you want to spend more time with them. Or a 'hard to suppress desire to reach out and touch them.' Or, how seeing them smile can make you happy no matter how bad the day had been. But those are more indications of current love then a prelude to it."

Kuon felt the weight of each statement sinking into him like rocks. He wondered how the chicken could nail exactly how he felt around Kyoko. Just yesterday he had experienced each of those emotions while talking to her. He thought back on their other interactions, not including when they had first met. But even then, she had been someone he couldn't ignore.

Scene after scene entered his mind, emotions starting to swell within him: The first time they had met, her face covered in dirt as she glared at him. Her smile as she talked about the crystal aster in the garden. When she'd performed the opening ceremony, dancing as the light swirled around her.

Her voice, pleading for him to not die.

She'd snared his attention, her words sometimes infuriating, yet ringing true. How much better of a person was he already thanks to her? She had saved his life, hadn't flinched when she'd seen his curse, and made him reflect on his own actions. She was like the north star, ever consistent and guiding him.

Kuon found himself frowning.

"I can't be in love with her." he said. "It's just not possible."

"I'm afraid that's not up for debate."

Kuon glanced at Bo, who was pointing at something on Kuon lap. The stone was glowing brightly, resonating with his feelings for the girl. He watched it, amazed at the amount of potential energy he could release. He expected it to fade, but it didn't. The stone continued to shine.

While Kuon was still contemplating the implications of this discovery, Bo continued to talk.

"This is awesome. Now you can control your light magic." he was saying. "Just go and stick her in the harem and make her fall for you. Shouldn't be too hard since half of the palace is already in love with you, or at least want your position."

"I can't be in love with her." said Kuon again.

"Whys that?"

"She's four years younger then me."

"So? That makes her 17. She's old enough to be married without parental consent."

"She's a commoner."

"Oh."

That one made the chicken pause, thinking as a feathered hand stroked his chin. "Maybe you can still make it work, especially if she's well liked by the court. The general populace love romantic stories like that. Someone from their own situation becoming someone great. It could make your popularity go up if you played it right."

Kuon secretly agreed with the rooster, not mentioning that she was already accomplishing the first half. There were already many rumors about her, almost all of them good. Plus, she was about to receive her own title of a physician and eventually that of a cleric. What was amazing about it was the fact that she was a commoner woman that didn't use light magic. Kyoko was on route to accomplish astounding things. She was a pioneer of her own time, paving the way for other women to follow in her footsteps.

So if age and position didn't matter, what was stopping him?

"I can't have anyone precious to me."

Kuon watched as the light from the stone faded and died. He bowed his head, not wanting to see the chickens reaction to his words. "It doesn't matter what the restrictions are. I'll just make up new ones. Anything to chain myself. I don't deserve to have happiness."

His duty was to serve the kingdom. Nothing more, nothing less. It was the least he owed everyone, especially Rick. Though Kyoko wasn't scared of what she could see of his curse, there was no way she wouldn't run when she was the rest of it. When she saw exactly what he was. Forget that she was already adverse to love thanks to a certain idiot. The simple fact was, he didn't deserve her.

Kuon glanced at the rooster, who was examining Kuon with a sad expression. He gave Bo a nod before standing back up.

"Thank you for your help." said Kuon, pocketing the stone. "I think I'll be able to use my light magic now."

He left, waking slowly back to his room to rest.

"There you are."

Kuon looked up, seeing his councilor walking towards him. Kuon was sitting in the clinic cafeteria, supposedly eating his dinner. He could have stayed in his room, but after talking to the chicken that morning and being stuck in there for the past few days, he'd wanted a change of scenery.

"Were you looking for me?" said Kuon, putting down his fork. He hadn't been eating anyway.

"Well, yeah." said Yukihito, taking the seat in front of him. "I was worried about you, but you seem to doing fine."

"Why wouldn't I be?" said Kuon. "I'm resting like Lory told me to."

"Well. I just thought that you'd be more stressed about your duel with your cousin in two days."

Kuon's hand slipped, knocking over his plate. He didn't notice as an attendant came and cleaned it up while Yukihito tried to call his name. Kuon was in shock.

I completely forgot about that Thought Kuon, trying to pull him self together. He'd been so consumed with what the chicken had said, the test had completely slipped his mind. How in the world could he have forgotten! That was why he'd broached the subject in the first place.

Yukihito was still trying to get his attention and was starting to get worried.

"I'm fine." said Kuon, calming down Yashiro. "Just realized something that's all."

"Alright." said Yukihito, still worried but knowing when to back off. Kuon was grateful he wasn't pressing him further, but the next thing that came from his mouth made Kuon's pulse spark in sudden fear.

"Ah, Kyoko." said Yukihito, waving at someone behind Kuon. "Come sit here with us."

Keeping his face as impassive as possible, Kuon turned slightly to see Kyoko, his eyes immediately taking in her full appearance. She was holding a tray of food and dressed in her gray apprentice vest, the harem necklace hidden under the tall collar. Her short black hair was partially pulled away from her eyes with a modest clip. There was no makeup, she almost never wore it, but there was a bright glow to her face he found more beautiful then any amount of eye liner. She gave him a small curtsy, her hoop earrings swinging as she did so.

"Would it be alright if I sit with you two?" she asked, polite as always.

"Of course." said Kuon, keeping that indifferent face while forcing down the sudden burning in his chest. "Please sit down."

She sat down next to him.

Kuon was trying his best to act normal, now keenly aware of her presence. How had he behaved around her before this? When had he actually fallen in love with her? He couldn't help but be aware of how close their arms were as she sat by him.

"What are you doing here in the clinic right now?" asked Yukihito, addressing Kyoko. Kuon inwardly thanked him, glad to grab hold of a different subject then the one in his head.

"I helped out this morning." said Kyoko with a smile. "I decided to stay and study here since I figured it would be more quiet. Sawara was kind enough to let me use one of the rooms."

"For your physician's test?" said Kuon. "That's tomorrow isn't it?"

"Yup." said Kyoko, "I'm going to do a ton of studying tonight to make sure I do well. I won't let you down!" she addressed Kuon as she said this.

Her declaration prompted another memory from their childhood meeting into his head.

"I don't want to be a burden." young Kyoko said, fists tight in determinations as she stared up at the sky. "I've decided, I'm going to become the best physician in the clinic. Then Sho's mommy won't hate me, and Mom might be happy."

She'd stayed up late, helping the Fuwa family prep some medications that had been ruined. But she'd ended up having to redo half of then due to small mistakes she'd made after getting tired. Kyoko's mother had apparently been very embarrassed by her daughters mistakes, forcing Kyoko to go apologize to the Fuwa's for her clumsiness.

"I'm sure you won't." said Kuon, shooing the memory from his head. Even as a kid he'd been mad at the parents for expecting perfection from a small seven year old doing her best. "You've proven to me many times that you're a capable physician. Just make sure to get plenty of sleep tonight."

"Eh?"

Kyoko gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean, 'eh'?" said Kuon. "If you stay up all night studying then you'll be too tired to do your best tomorrow. A good nights rest is the best thing you can do for your mind. It's not like you have to get a perfect score anyway."

"Oh." said Kyoko, setting down her fork and staring at her plate. "Of course. Yeah... I knew that."

Kuon studied her for a moment, wondering what exactly was going through her head. She seemed to be realizing something, the complicated expression on her face slowly dissolved, replaced with a bright light .

"Thank you prince Kuon." said Kyoko, smiling at him.

"What for?"

"It's nothing really." said Kyoko, the smile widening. "Just... I feel lighter that's all."

Kuon glance at Yukihito who just shrugged before taking a bite of his food. A part of Kuon wanted to press further but he decided not to. The three of them continued to eat, talking normally and enjoying the calm.

Truthfully, Kuon was nothing near calm. Watching Kyoko talk to Yukihito from the corner of his eye, he had made a decision. He was in love with her, that much was undeniable, but it didn't mean he had to do anything about it.

"Everyone, please put down your quills." The examiner called at the front of the room "Leave your test face down on the table. We will collect them later."

Kyoko let out a long sign, setting down her quill and standing up. That had been a long hard test, but she thought she'd done pretty well considering. She'd only had time to go back twice over her answers, the third round interrupted by the bell. Getting that good night of sleep really had done wonders for her brain function.

The test had taken place in one of the grand rooms in the palace, dozens of desks lining the floor. There had been a lot of people there, so many that the testing groups has been split up. Her group had taken that practical portion that morning before having the paper test she'd just taken.

Kyoko joined the crowd of students as she left, the gang of people all talking about the test, some moaning while others exclaimed excitedly. It was fun to see all the different people, most of them young men. There were a few older ones, and Kyoko saw lots of colored vests from different clinics, but inevitably, she was the only female in the group.

Even Kyoko wasn't unaware of the stares she had been getting all day. If her ears were any good, she'd at least heard the word, "concubine" and "poison" more then a few times. It wasn't hard to guess what they were talking about.

She quickly made for the halls, seeking the calm corridors where people wouldn't stare at her. After a few minuets, her steps slowed, her feet automatically taking her back to her quarters.

I wonder how Prince Kuon is doing?

He's seemed fine at dinner. At least, for the most part. She had noticed a slight change in the way he addressed her. There was something different that she couldn't quite put a finger on. Perhaps he was still distracted with his love dilemma.

The question had been eating at her since yesterday. After hearing his troubles as the chicken, she had been concerned for him. Honestly, she was concerned for anyone that was plagued by the disease of love. But it wasn't just that or his inability to use light magic that troubled her. It was his declaration that he didn't deserve happiness.

Why in the world would he ever think that? Thought Kyoko. Doesn't he realize how much I owe him?!

He had already helped her so much. Just his words yesterday had done wonders for her. She remembered the moment well, when he'd told her to rest the night before and that she didn't need to get a hundred. She'd been so confined by the idea that she needed to be perfect it had been constricting her, making it hard to relax. But the second she'd heard his words, it was as if a light had gone on, releasing all her pressure in one sweep. It was thanks to him she had been able to do so well on the test. Maybe even pass.

Perhaps he was talking about his curse? She thought. Did something happen that made him think he can't get it off? Or maybe it will curse the one he loves as well? Or maybe it will eat his decedents!

Noooooo! Prince Kuon, I will help you get this curse off, and then you can be happy, I promise!

Kyoko was so immersed in her distress that she wasn't watching where she was going. She ran head long into a very firm someone.

Stumbling backwards, a hand shot out, catching her before she fell.

"Tha- sorry." said Kyoko, straightening herself. "I wasn't paying attention."

A deep voice chuckled.

"It's not a problem." it said. "It's a pleasure to run into such a fine woman like yourself."

Kyoko was about to ask where this fine lady was, when she froze.

The man was tall, with dark hair and eyes that were creased into a jovial smile. The face was young and handsome, foreign yet also familiar to her... Then she noticed his aura. The beautiful spectrum of purity and light shining from within him.

It was impossible... it had to be.

Her lips parted as a single word escaped in a whisper.

"Ren."

Thanks for reading!

Who is that individual she called Ren? I bet most of you can guess. Look forward to the next chapter!

"Seduce her!" -best line in the whole series.

Yes, I am trying to hurry along the story and just stick to things that are relevant, which means tons of Kyoko/Kuon at the moment. But I doubt y'all will complain.

LittleChomper: "So Kuon can use his light magic everytime he thinks about kyoko?" Basically.

Thanks again for reading! I love all of you!

-Blushweaver

I have read and approved this chapter.

Imouto