Kyoko launched herself at Ren, giving him a tight hug and burying her face into his chest. She couldn't believe it! Ren was here in the castle, right in front of her. Her heart was beating like mad as she grinned, elated.
"Shin, do you know her?"
The female voice came from close by. Kyoko leaned back to see who had spoken. A beautiful woman was beside Ren, pouting at him with large lips, an intense aura of jealousy coming from her.
Then what she had said registered. Had she just called Ren, Shin?
Kyoko loosened her grip, looking up at the very confused and amused man.
Sorry." he said to Kyoko. "Have we met before?"
Kyoko blinked. Then immediately turned red. Now that she was touching the man, she could tell he wasn't Ren. His aura was beautiful, but it wasn't the same.
"I'M SO SORRRY!"
Kyoko hurled herself from the man, mortified as she prostrated herself on the ground. "That was highly inappropriate of me. I thought you were someone else, and just jumped on you. Please forgive me for my lack of judgment. I-"
A loud slap cut Kyoko's apology short. Kyoko looked up to see the woman, tears in her eyes as she glared at the man. The side of his face was red where she had smacked it.
"If you weren't interested you should have just said so!" said the woman, "I've put up with a lot of your ridiculous rouses but this is just embarrassing. I'm sick of this. We're done!"
She stomping away, leaving Kyoko and the man alone in the hall. Kyoko unfroze half a second later, realizing that the misunderstanding was her fault.
"Wait just a second..." said Kyoko, standing up with the intention to follow the woman. "You've misunderstood. I'm not-"
"Just let her go." said the man, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Actually, I should thank you. Who knew that this whole time embarrassing her would get her to leave."
Kyoko watched as the man rubbed the side of his face, seemingly unperturbed at the disruption they had just caused. Now that she was paying attention, she could take in more of his appearance. He wore a sleeveless tunic and vambraces, well toned muscles visible under the shirt. He also had an elegant sword strapped to his side. The attire was simple, but she could tell they were of good quality, despite being travel worn. He looked like he'd just come from a long journey.
More then anything else, she had a strange feeling she had seen him before. Or was it because he reminded her of someone? But who?
The man caught her looking at him, then gave her a wide smile.
"You're Kyoko aren't you?" he said.
"Yeah." said Kyoko, not even wondering how he knew.
"Fantastic." said the man, somehow his smile becoming even bigger. "I've been wanting to meet you for a while. You're even more spastic then I was told."
"Thank you?" said Kyoko, not sure if he was complimenting her or insulting her.
"Also, I was wondering." he said. "You called me Ren. How did you mistake me for him?"
"Oh, I'm sorry about that." said Kyoko lighting up at the mention of Ren. "Well, its just that your auras are very similar, so full of light and beauty, you also have the same hair and eye color as Ren. I'm sure that once he grew up he'd be an amazingly beautiful person like you."
"Amazingly beautiful huh?" said the man, barking a laugh before becoming pensive. "Hmm, same hair color, aura... that doesn't quite match up."
"Wait." said Kyoko, realizing something. Her heart had sped up considerably. "Do you know Ren?"
The man gave her an incredulous expression, as if he hadn't understood her.
"Of course."
"Really!" Kyoko jumped up, unable to contain her excitement. She get closer to the man, peering up at him, unaware of the curious look he was giving her. "Do you know where he is? I want to see him again." She got even closer to him, staring straight into his eyes, a serious look on her face. "Are you a fairy too?"
The man, Shin, stared at her, then a smile crept onto his face. Before he could answer, a familiar voice drifted from the hall.
"Shin? What are you doing here?"
Kyoko glanced behind her, then froze.
A handsome gentleman with a frighteningly bright smile was walking towards them, the sparkles from his eyes radiating his sinister aura. For some reason, Prince Kuon was very angry.
Kuon strode down the hall, a smile plastered on his face. He'd heard Kyoko yelling her typical apologies a few hallways down and had come as quickly as he could without arousing alarm. But as he approached the scene, jealousy started to simmering the pit of his stomach. Kyoko was waaay too close to Shin for his comfort. She also looked scared of Kuon for some reason. Wasn't he smiling?
His cousin waved at him, unaware of the turmoil he was causing inside of Kuon.
"That's not a very nice greeting." said Shin, the ever present carefree smile on his face. "Is that how you treat your dear cousin after being apart for so long?"
"If you weren't such a determined trouble maker, maybe I'd be happier to see you." said Kuon, stopping in front of them, polite smile still affixed. Kyoko stood between the two, shrinking away from him towards Shin. Then she blinked, as if realizing something.
"Cousin?" said Kyoko, some of the fear leaving her. She pointed at Kuon, then Shin, her mind connecting something.
"Yup, that's right." said Shin, giving her a polite bow. "Shin Hizuri, at your service. It's nice to meet you Lady Kyoko."
"Hizuri!" said Kyoko, the tell tale signs of panic entering her expression. She immediately started to sputter her apologies, but Kuon stepped forward, putting a hand on her head to stop them.
"What ever you're apologizing for, don't." said Kuon. "He probably deserved it."
"I definitely enjoyed it." said Shin, winking at Kyoko.
Her face turned red.
Frustration flared inside of Kuon at seeing her reaction. He was suddenly very interested in what she had been apologizing for.
"By the way." said Shin, now addressing Kuon. "Aren't you suppose to be sick? You look fine to me. Were you faking?"
"Of course." said Kuon, annoyed. He was still trying to keep one eye on Kyoko, who was subtly leaning away from him. The girl was way too sensitive to his anger, even if it wasn't directed at her. "I faked poisoning so I could see your beautiful face. "
At the reminder of Koun's health, Kyoko, turned to him, her hesitancy disappearing as she looked at him suspiciously. Scared or no, Kyoko didn't let anything stop her when it came to other people's health. She walked up to him, lips turned down in a frown as she examined him. "Did you sneak out of the infirmary?" she asked suspiciously.
"No." said Kuon, his expression softening as he looked at her concerned face. "Lory discharged me this morning. I feel a lot better"
Shin raised his eyebrows at him. There was a glint in his cousin's eyes that Kuon didn't like. That look always spelled trouble and massive headaches for Kuon.
"Kyoko." said Shin, bringing her attention back to him. "Going back to our conversation earlier, you said you wanted to see Ren again correct?"
Kuon's heart sunk.
What!?
"Yes!" said Kyoko, her excitement apparent. "Do you know where he is?"
Kuon's smile was gone. He didn't even try to conceal his panic. He had no idea how Shin had learned Kyoko knew about Ren. A few words from Shin would be enough to make things very awkward and painful.
"Well." said Shin, "I know one man that knows where he is."
"Who?" said Kyoko.
Shin pointed, and Kyoko turned to see the finger directed at Kuon.
She frowned.
"Prince Kuon?" she said, and there it was. The unmistakable hurt and betrayal in her face. "You know about Ren? Why didn't you say anything when I told you about him?"
Kuon's mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get out of this. Behind Kyoko, Shin mouthed the word "Wow" at him, a huge grin spreading across his face. Irritating flared inside him. The obnoxious man was loving every second of this.
"Kyoko." said Ren, choosing his words carefully. "There.. are a few reasons. It's not like I wanted to deceive you." he paused. His next words were directed at her, but most of the comment was actually meant for Shin. The last thing he wanted was his cousin messing this up. "Ren has his own reasons why he hasn't revealed himself yet. I wanted to respect his wishes, which was why I didn't say anything."
"Oh." said Kyoko, her shoulders slumping. "Ok. I understand."
"That's not very nice of Ren." pipped in Shin. Kuon seriously considered throttling the man. "Doesn't he realize that Kyoko wants to see him?"
"Kyoko," said Kuon, not looking at his cousin. His plastered smile back onto his face. He saw Kyoko shiver. "Do you mind if I talk to my cousin for a minute?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kuon grabbed Shin by his upper arm, dragging him away until they were out of earshot. Only then did Kuon let go.
"You sly dog." said Shin, elbowing Kuon, an irritatingly smug grin curling his face.. "Here I was thinking you were done with the whole courting women business. Then you pull this cutie out of nowhere. I should have known I couldn't trust you." he leaned in closer, as if to lower his voice, which of course he didn't. "So tell me, how long has she known your true name?"
"Shin." said Kuon, teeth clenched. "She doesn't know that Ren is me and I'd like to keep it that way."
"That much is obvious." said Shin. His arms reached out from his body, then circled them around to hug his own shoulders. "She mistook you for me and gave me a ~big hug. Said something about a beautiful aura and dark hair. None of those describe the current you."
Jealousy flared inside Kuon. Kyoko had hugged Shin? He tried to force it down, concentrating on making sure this didn't blow up in his face. Shin was not an easy man to handle, especially when he had something fun in his hands, and the expression on his face told Kuon this was not going away easily.
"Just leave it alone." said Kuon, "This has nothing to do with you."
"I'm hurt." mocked Shin, placing a hand over his heart and looking stricken. "How can I remain impassive about my dear cousins personal affairs? Especially since he's been so boring lately. As the eldest, I must be a part of what is going on."
Shin began to move towards Kyoko, but Kuon's hand shot out, grabbing him by the upper arm again.
"Shin." growled Kuon, his patience completely gone at this point. "I'm being serious. Leave. This. Alone."
Shin cocked his head at Kuon, not intimidated by his anger. "If you're trying to convince me to stop, you're only making it worse." said Shin, some of the jovial attitude leaving him. "It just makes me all the more curious why you would get so serious about this." Smile still affixed, Shin tried to shake off Kuon's hand, but Kuons grip tightened.
"There you are!"
The tense atmosphere broke, and Kuon let go of Shin as Yukihito came striding down the hall, looking a little frazzled. He stopped beside the two men, giving Shin a bow
"Shin, I'm glad to see you've arrived back safely." said Yukihito.
"Good to see you too Yuki!" said Shin, giving Yukihito an enthusiastic pat on the shoulder. The motion almost knocked off Yukihito's glasses. "Still following this one around?"
"Trying to." said Yukihito, turning back to Kuon. "I had no idea where you ran off to Kuon. One second you were there, the next you were gone. How am I suppose to keep an eye on you if you run off like that?"
Kuon shrugged, glad for the change of topic. He hadn't meant to give Yukihito the slip. Lory had only permitted Kuon to leave with the promise to stay with Yukihito, but after hearing Kyoko's apologies from down the hall, he'd ended up leaving his counselor.
"Yuki." said Shin, now proceeding to invade Yukihito's personal space by slinging an arm around him. "Have you heard about Kuon's little secret he's keeping from dear Kyoko?"
"What- I don't." said Yukihito, leaning away from Shin. "Please get off me."
"You'll want to hear this. It-"
"Shin!" said Kuon, cutting the man off. It was time to stop this nonsense. He wasn't going to have Shin mess this up. The more people that knew about it, the greater the chance she'd find out. If she knew he was Ren - pure hearted fairy Ren - it would taint her memory of the meeting. She might not even want to talk to Kuon again, disappointed in the cursed person he had become, and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen. Especially as he'd just found out he was in love with her.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Kyoko standing further down the hall way. Her head was faced towards them, hands clasped before her, obviously distressed by his outburst. It helped him calm down.
"Lory told you about our duel correct?" said Kuon, hard eyes on Shin.
"Yeah." said Shin, finally getting off of Yukihito. The counselor sighed in relief, straightening his robe.
"Let's put an extra wager on it then." said Kuon. "If I win, you won't mention this again. Ever."
A flash of surprise entered Shin's expression. Then it was replaced with a challenging smirk.
"Alright." said Shin, stepping up and meeting Kuon's glare with level eyes. He held up a finger and poked Kuon's chest. "But only if I get to add a condition."
"Name it." he said, batting away the finger.
"We duel today. Right now."
Kuon knew it was a bad idea. He knew that his stamina was limited and he knew he should take the day to rest. He also knew that if he did, Shin would find Kyoko and spill the beans.
"Fine." said Kuon, ignoring the frantic look of his counselor. "I'll meet you there in an hour."
"Perfect!" said Shin, striding down the hall. As he passed, he whispered to Koun. "When were you going to tell me you were a fairy?"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Kyoko for about the hundredth time. Kuon glanced at her as he rummaged through the equipment. They stood of the side of the practice room, waiting for the few people in the room to finish their duels so they could have a turn. Shin stood a distance away, talking to some of his friends who were welcoming him back home from where ever he had been.
Kuon examined an amethyst before putting it in it's case, looking for a gem that would amplify his light magic. Now wasn't the time to worry about the more complex glyphs enchantments. He needed as much help as possible to keep his magic powered. He'd have to rely on his pulse magic to deal with Shin's tricks.
"Doing it now or later isn't really going to make a difference." said Kuon finding one and sticking it into his hilt. The sword hilt hummed with the new magic installed into it. "Either way I have to fight him. Might as well do it today."
"Except there actually is a difference." said Kyoko, puffing her cheeks out in annoyance. If it was suppose to intimidate him, it failed completely. She just looked cute "I know being in this competition is important to you prince Kuon, which is why you should wait until at least tomorrow. You nearly died. That's not something you get over in a few days. If you want to increase you chances of winning against your cousin, you should hold it off for as long as possible. Your body needs time to recover."
Suddenly she grimaced, her energy deflating as as if someone had pulled the cork to let out the air. She hung her head, staring at the ground "And besides." she continued. "I know I'm not suppose to know about your curse... Did you know I knew about that?"
"Lory told me." he half lied.
The girl licked her lips. "I don't know much about it. " she said. "And I'm sorry for finding out about it. It was an accident! But I'm sure it's affected your recovery. You should take the day to rest like it was planned."
He watched her ramble for a few minuets, her expressive face shifting between different moods as she vehemently explained why he should rest. It was entertaining to watch at lest. Though her concern was probably related to her professional obligations, it still touched him that she was so worried about this duel.
"I'll be fine Kyoko." he said, cutting off her currant rant about his eating habits. "The worst that could happen is that I lose. It's not like I'm going to get hurt from this or anything. "
Actually there was a very big possibility of him getting hurt. Unlike other duels, where the edges of the blades were lined with magic to stop any fatal wounds, there wasn't anything used to block the blade of a light sword. It wouldn't be a problem normally, as a light sword could only cut things that harbored darkness. Then again, that was exactly what the problem was. Most people could duel with light swords without worrying when they hit their opponent, the sword swinging straight through them. Shin might know about Kuon's curse, and thus stop the blade from hitting him too hard. But there was always the danger if he messed up.
Wisely Kuon chose not to tell Kyoko this. She'd probably learn about the properties of light swords eventually, but now was not the time to be worrying her.
Kyoko hesitated, tilting her head as she studied him. She must have come to some conclusion, for she relented her arguments, instead offering a soft. "Just be careful alright?"
He nodded, resisting the urge to hug her. If he hadn't leaned he loved her yesterday he wouldn't have tried to fight Shin. But since finding out his feelings for her, he had been able to speed up the healing process, using his own light magic. He still wasn't completely back to 100% health, but he was days ahead of where he would have been, had he not recovered part of his light magic.
An idea struck him.
"Kyoko." said Kuon "Why don't you give me one of those massages before we start?"
"Eh?" said Kyoko, head snapping towards him, a hint of pink on her cheeks. It was adorable. "Here? With all these people around?"
"You wanted me in the best shape possible." said Kuon. "Your massages sooth my curse. Even the slightest edge could help me win this."
She hesitated, then stood straighter as she nodded. "Alright. Come sit over here."
Kuon followed her to a bench stationed in a corner. He took a seat, hands clasped on his lap. He could practically feel her hesitation as Kyoko stood behind him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pressure of her fingers on his temples. When it came, he opened his eyes.
"Stop." he said.
He turned his head to see Kyoko retract her fingers as if they had been burned, she looked surprised.
"You're nervous." he said, "It's effecting your magic. Are you really that self conscious about helping me?" He shook his head, cursing himself for being harsh with her, but it was what she needed. The girl had been so nervous she mas more likely to give him a headache then sooth one. If he tried to praise her, flatter her previous work, it wouldn't help.
Sure enough, he watched as her expression changed. First came shock, then her hung head in disappointment. Next she became still, a light of determination creeping it's way into her gaze.
She was steady, he could feel It in her magic.
"Please let me try it again prince Kuon." she said, "I promise not to disappoint you."
He turned his head back around, once again closing his eyes as her fingers reached his temple.
Kyoko sat on the sidelines, her knee bouncing up and down with nervous energy. She couldn't help it, she was worried. She hadn't even heard about this test until today! The prince had only found a way to channel his light magic yesterday which wasn't a lot of time to readjust to a new technique. Was he going to be aright?
Twenty feet away, Kuon was conversing with Lory. The Duke had shown up only a few minutes ago. Guessing by the frown on Lory's face, he was about as happy about this as she was. But the prince seemed especially adamant about having the duel. After giving Kuon his massage, she was thinking he might be able to do it. His body was still weak, but the curse didn't seem as harsh as last time. Perhaps falling in love with that girl was exactly what Kuon had needed.
Someone took the seat next to Kyoko.
It was Shin.
"Nervous?" he asked "You're not even the one fighting."
Kyoko glanced at the man, unsure what to make of him. Shin seemed like a kind enough person, his gestures and attitude were both open and inviting, but he had somehow riled Kuon up awfully fast. That much had been obvious from the gentleman like smile Kuon had been sporting for most of the last hour. Well, that and this duel happening today rather then tomorrow like it should.
"Lord Hizuri." said Kyoko, unsure why he'd come to sit by her. "May I help you with something?"
Shin pulled a face, as if he had eaten something rotten.
"Ugh, please don't call me that." he said, giving an involuntary shudder. "The name gives me the shivers."
"Then, should I call you Lord Shin?" said Kyoko, hesitant. Shin was hard for her to understand.
"Heavens no, that's not much better." he said. "Call me Shin. I would expect nothing less from my sister."
"Sister?" said Kyoko, now completely confused. "How- I'm not-"
"See here Kyoko." said Shin, taking her hand and resting it between his. Kyoko couldn't help flinching, but it wasn't because of the contact. She could feel a murderous aura coming from her left. "Me and Kuon are like brothers. Nay, we are brothers, just not technically. So you, as a concubine to my dear brother, are my sister. There is no need for titles among siblings now is there? You must address me as Shin."
"Sure." said Kyoko, not paying close attention to Shin. The angry energy to her left was making her very scared. She'd say anything to get him to let go.
"Excellent." said Shin, letting Kyoko pull her hand away. The aura dissipated, and Kyoko felt like she could breathe. Shin stood up, planting himself in front of Kyoko. "I would tell you to cheer me on, but I don't think you would even if I asked."
"No, I wouldn't." said Kyoko.
Shin gave a short laugh.
"Tell you what." said Shin. "If I win this fight, I'll tell you something good about Ren. Then would you cheer for me?"
It didn't even take her half a second to respond.
"No." she said firmly. "Ren has requested for his privacy, I'm going to respect that." It hurt her heart to say it, but it wasn't her life to control."Besides, the light tournament is an important event for prince Kuon. I wish to support him in what ever way I can."
Shin's grin grew wider. He nodded to himself, as if answering a question he'd been trying to figure out. "Alright, I can respect that." he said "But couldn't you at least tell me to be careful?"
"Of course." said Kyoko. "If you get hurt, it's just going to cause the clinic more trouble We've got enough panic without another Hizuri getting hurt."
Shin laughed heartily
"You're quite adept at deflecting things." said Shin, raising a hand to pat either her head or shoulder. She didn't get to know which, as his wrist was restrained by another hand. Kuon had come over, and was smiling brightly at Shin.
"Are you ready dear cousin?" said Kuon, the sweetness in his voice making Kyoko flinch. "Let's not waste anymore time and begin."
"Of course." said Shin, breaking off the contact. He stepped up to Kuon, tilting head to whispered something to Kuon. Kyoko couldn't hear what was said, but it made Kuon's gentleman smile vanish, replacing it with a glare.
"We shall see." said Kuon turning on his heel and striding towards the arena. Shin followed suit. By this time most of the other duels in the room had finished, people starting to gather around to watch the match between the two royals. Kyoko made her way towards the side, away from the people but still with a good vantage point of the duel.
Lory stood at the opposite end, Yashiro beside him, both grim faced as they watched Kuon and Shin prepare on either side of the arena. The judge for the match, stood at the center of the arena and told the two competitors to activate their gems.
Shin drew his sword hilt, magic surging from his essence towards the hilt as a long bright blade extended. He seemed to be having no trouble keeping it present. His bright aura complemented the light sword.
On the other side, Kuon had also drawn his hilt, but had hesitated. The faintest of glances was sent Kyoko's way. It was so brief she thought it was her imagination. The next second, Kuon's own hilt blazed with light as the blade extended into a sword. Kyoko could just make out the hint of a kind aura poking through his magic.
Both men stood opposite each other in the forty foot arena, light and magic surging around them. Shin was sporting a smirk, while Kuon's face was completely unreadable. Kyoko held her breath, having never seen a light sword duel before. From what she knew, if one person's blade vanished, it was the other person's win. That fact alone put the match in Shin's favor. She didn't know how long Kuon would be able to hold out.
Thanks for reading!
Sorry to leave it there, but honestly, the original cliffhanger I was going to use is much worse. You'll probably spot it in the next chapter.
By the way, Shin is completely out of control. Sometimes there are characters you make and they just grab hold of the script and run off with it. Can't tell you how many times I had to swat Shin because he kept trying to mess with things. He actually took this a different way then what I wanted... "Give me back my outline yah punk!" D:
I'm debating changing the tags on this from romance/fantasy, to romance/suspense. (It was suggested a long time ago to me but I just realized that person may be right) what are your thoughts on this?
hicks101: "Do you plan on putting Reino into the story?" Yup. He won't be there for a while, but he's coming up. We have a couple mini arcs to go through before we get to him.
Krimson: "Did kyouko disguise herself as bo before in this story?" Yup. Chapter 7, A new identity. (I released two chapters that day, so that might be why you missed it).
queennicolee& LyingRavenEyes: Kanae is coming I promise! She's had a specific part of the story since day 1.
chainedheart999: "By the way, can Kyoko see Kuon's curse from his aura?" Nope, she can't unless she is touching him. Sorry if this isn't clear. (I thought you all could read my mind! D:)
Thanks again for everything! You guys are awesome! Like, every time I decide my story sucks and I don't want to keep writing (which is every week), I just look at the comments and it keeps me going. XD
-Blushweaver
O beloved readers, yet another chapter has been proof read by I, Blushweaver's dyslexic sister.
-Imouto