p class="MsoNormal"Chapter 4: New Friends and Unfolding Secrets/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"I'm back! Sorry for the…extremely long hiatus, life just happens sometimes./strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"I own nothing but the story. Enjoy!/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, the one behind me getting the beating in chess is Mitsuhide and the other one doing the beating is Kiki." Zen smirked while facing Shirayuki with his eyes closed just as Kiki beat him once again as Mitsuhide groaned in agitation/p
p class="MsoNormal""How do you even know I'm losing when you're not even paying attention?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMitsuhide whined pouting/p
p class="MsoNormal""I just know." Zen chuckled as his smirk gotten wider making Mitsuhide pout more/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm only toying with you" Kiki said as she calmly went back to drinking tea as Mitsuhide pouting even more./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki smiled at them all secretly wishing she had friends like that back home in Taunbarun thinking how life would've been if maybe she had the support. Sure she had her loyal customers who would drop by for their medicine and everyday conversations especially after the death of her grandparents and she would forever be grateful for that but she felt as if she needed more./p
p class="MsoNormal"'This is nice.. is this what it's like to have friends and not be alone?' she pondered while getting lost in thought while reflecting on her life so far./p
p class="MsoNormal""-Ki?' Zen looked at her smiling/p
p class="MsoNormal""Wh-what? Oh sorry about that, what were you saying?" She asked in a daze/p
p class="MsoNormal""I said thanks for helping me out, you really do know what you're doing." He said while admiring her handy work./p
p class="MsoNormal"She smiled at him looking at him brushing a few of her locks out her face and continues to fix her own bandages" I told you I was an herbalist, didn't I?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Indeed you did, which brings me to why such a talented herbalist such as yourself ran away from home?" He glanced at her waiting for her response./p
p class="MsoNormal"She pauses and stops fixing her bandage looking away from him. "It's not really that important on why. If you'll excuse me, I really need some air." She looked away from him as she stood up and walked out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal"As soon as the door shut behind her she leaned against it letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and looked to the skies above. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Should I tell him what's going on? No I shouldn't, I wouldn't want him to get involved with Raji./em' As soon as she got composure back she began her walking to the forest feeling at ease with each passing second fully aware that she was being followed by none other than Zen./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Zen, why did you follow me?" She glanced back at him as she walked on ahead./p
p class="MsoNormal""I couldn't just let you walk out in these woods alone, that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me now would it?" he said coolly as he walked behind her with his hands behind his head/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki just laughed as she walked a little faster and spun in circles enjoying nature. "I spent a lot of time int forest and mountains while studying to be an herbalist. It's like the time and air here flows differently in the forest, and I like it better, it's like it became like my home away from home and I love it here."br /"I couldn't agree with you more." He smiled closing his eyes enjoy the forest before hear Shirayuki yelp and turns to her seeing her caught on a tree./p
p class="MsoNormal""You okay over there?" He asked/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, my hair got caught in the tree somehow" She grimaced/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hmm. Looks like there's a piece longer than the rest" He said getting a closer look/p
p class="MsoNormal""Must've missed that piece on accident." She inwardly sighed before turning towards the white haired male. "Hey Zen, Do you mind cutting it for me please? It doesn't have to be even or nothing."br /br /"Hmm." He pondered for a moment walking away "I could help you out.." He drawled out before stopping right front of her with a smirk "If. You tell why you'd cut your hair and run away from home. Then I suppose I could help you out." He finished, his smirk getting wider/p
p class="MsoNormal"Her red brow twitched slightly as she gave him an annoyed look before speaking "You're a terrible person, ya know that?" she expressed as he raised his hands in defeat before freeing her./p
p class="MsoNormal"'Well, might as well get this over with." She thought as she walked over to a log with Zen following close behind her. As they got settled, she looked down and explained the situation from the beginning. Starting from her one moment taking care of patients then next, her being ordered to be a concubine due to her exotic red hair forcing her to flee from her home which highly startled the white haired male./p
p class="MsoNormal""You were ordered to be a concubine?!" He shouted disturbing a few nearby animals/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, by a famous boy that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but learned how to speak in the Red Light District. He thought my hair was unusual and wanted to keep it to himself like a prize. If I had obeyed his order, It would've been no different from him buying fruit from the market." She patted her lap as she stood up/p
p class="MsoNormal""Shirayuki.." Zen said with concern lacing in his voice. The red headed female only looked over her shoulders smiling./p
p class="MsoNormal""So I thought I give him part of what he wanted so I cut my hair."br /br /At this point Zen could barely contain his laughter and was practically rolling on the floor laughing. After a minute or two he wiped the tears from his eyes "That's pure genius! Oh man. Good job getting away from that dunce. It's your lucky red after all." He smiled/p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you mean?" She asked slightly confused/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well." He started off. "Color has meaning, and red is supposed to represent fate. You may not like it much now, but your red could lead you to something great when you least expect it."br /br /She stared at him amazed by his words before smiling herself. "You have an amazing outlook on things Zen."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh? Finally respecting me huh?" He teased/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh shut it before I change my mind." The pair stood there laughing unaware they were being watched./p
p class="MsoNormal""Well I'll be. Guess there wasn't no reason to be worried, right Kiki?"br /"You're the one who was worried in the first place." The blonde female replied making the green haired boy go silent before turning on their heels going back to the cabin./p
p class="MsoNormal"As for the other pair they were standing in the middle of the forest basking in their glory./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go back before it gets too late, poor Mitsuhide will go nuts if we're not back soon." He joked/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki chuckled nodding her as they walked. "Can't have that happen." She smiled at him as they walked back to the cabin in comfortable silence. As they reach the cabin they spot a small basket with a small handkerchief covering it on the doorstep causing them both to have two different reactions. Zen's, a reaction of curiosity and wonder as he picked it up inspecting it./p
p class="MsoNormal""What's this?" He asked wondering what it could be/p
p class="MsoNormal"While Shirayuki's, a reaction of pure fear and dread as she took a closer look at the /"Oh no. That's the ribbon that I had tied to my hair." She gasped backing away a bit as Zen jolted, looking slightly worried for her safety. As he moved, he shook the basket making the handkerchief fall off only to reveal a basket filled to the brim with apples and while roses./p
p class="MsoNormal""I knew it.. they found me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone for being patient with me on updating this book. As well would I like to apologize for the long wait. But I promise you, the next chapter will be out sooner than the last time so please bear with me and I hope to see you soon in the next Chapter!/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"I'm back! Sorry for the…extremely long hiatus, life just happens sometimes./strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"I own nothing but the story. Enjoy!/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;" /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""So, the one behind me getting the beating in chess is Mitsuhide and the other one doing the beating is Kiki." Zen smirked while facing Shirayuki with his eyes closed just as Kiki beat him once again as Mitsuhide groaned in agitation/p
p class="MsoNormal""How do you even know I'm losing when you're not even paying attention?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMitsuhide whined pouting/p
p class="MsoNormal""I just know." Zen chuckled as his smirk gotten wider making Mitsuhide pout more/p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm only toying with you" Kiki said as she calmly went back to drinking tea as Mitsuhide pouting even more./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki smiled at them all secretly wishing she had friends like that back home in Taunbarun thinking how life would've been if maybe she had the support. Sure she had her loyal customers who would drop by for their medicine and everyday conversations especially after the death of her grandparents and she would forever be grateful for that but she felt as if she needed more./p
p class="MsoNormal"'This is nice.. is this what it's like to have friends and not be alone?' she pondered while getting lost in thought while reflecting on her life so far./p
p class="MsoNormal""-Ki?' Zen looked at her smiling/p
p class="MsoNormal""Wh-what? Oh sorry about that, what were you saying?" She asked in a daze/p
p class="MsoNormal""I said thanks for helping me out, you really do know what you're doing." He said while admiring her handy work./p
p class="MsoNormal"She smiled at him looking at him brushing a few of her locks out her face and continues to fix her own bandages" I told you I was an herbalist, didn't I?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Indeed you did, which brings me to why such a talented herbalist such as yourself ran away from home?" He glanced at her waiting for her response./p
p class="MsoNormal"She pauses and stops fixing her bandage looking away from him. "It's not really that important on why. If you'll excuse me, I really need some air." She looked away from him as she stood up and walked out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal"As soon as the door shut behind her she leaned against it letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding and looked to the skies above. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Should I tell him what's going on? No I shouldn't, I wouldn't want him to get involved with Raji./em' As soon as she got composure back she began her walking to the forest feeling at ease with each passing second fully aware that she was being followed by none other than Zen./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Zen, why did you follow me?" She glanced back at him as she walked on ahead./p
p class="MsoNormal""I couldn't just let you walk out in these woods alone, that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me now would it?" he said coolly as he walked behind her with his hands behind his head/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki just laughed as she walked a little faster and spun in circles enjoying nature. "I spent a lot of time int forest and mountains while studying to be an herbalist. It's like the time and air here flows differently in the forest, and I like it better, it's like it became like my home away from home and I love it here."br /"I couldn't agree with you more." He smiled closing his eyes enjoy the forest before hear Shirayuki yelp and turns to her seeing her caught on a tree./p
p class="MsoNormal""You okay over there?" He asked/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, my hair got caught in the tree somehow" She grimaced/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hmm. Looks like there's a piece longer than the rest" He said getting a closer look/p
p class="MsoNormal""Must've missed that piece on accident." She inwardly sighed before turning towards the white haired male. "Hey Zen, Do you mind cutting it for me please? It doesn't have to be even or nothing."br /br /"Hmm." He pondered for a moment walking away "I could help you out.." He drawled out before stopping right front of her with a smirk "If. You tell why you'd cut your hair and run away from home. Then I suppose I could help you out." He finished, his smirk getting wider/p
p class="MsoNormal"Her red brow twitched slightly as she gave him an annoyed look before speaking "You're a terrible person, ya know that?" she expressed as he raised his hands in defeat before freeing her./p
p class="MsoNormal"'Well, might as well get this over with." She thought as she walked over to a log with Zen following close behind her. As they got settled, she looked down and explained the situation from the beginning. Starting from her one moment taking care of patients then next, her being ordered to be a concubine due to her exotic red hair forcing her to flee from her home which highly startled the white haired male./p
p class="MsoNormal""You were ordered to be a concubine?!" He shouted disturbing a few nearby animals/p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, by a famous boy that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but learned how to speak in the Red Light District. He thought my hair was unusual and wanted to keep it to himself like a prize. If I had obeyed his order, It would've been no different from him buying fruit from the market." She patted her lap as she stood up/p
p class="MsoNormal""Shirayuki.." Zen said with concern lacing in his voice. The red headed female only looked over her shoulders smiling./p
p class="MsoNormal""So I thought I give him part of what he wanted so I cut my hair."br /br /At this point Zen could barely contain his laughter and was practically rolling on the floor laughing. After a minute or two he wiped the tears from his eyes "That's pure genius! Oh man. Good job getting away from that dunce. It's your lucky red after all." He smiled/p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you mean?" She asked slightly confused/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well." He started off. "Color has meaning, and red is supposed to represent fate. You may not like it much now, but your red could lead you to something great when you least expect it."br /br /She stared at him amazed by his words before smiling herself. "You have an amazing outlook on things Zen."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh? Finally respecting me huh?" He teased/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh shut it before I change my mind." The pair stood there laughing unaware they were being watched./p
p class="MsoNormal""Well I'll be. Guess there wasn't no reason to be worried, right Kiki?"br /"You're the one who was worried in the first place." The blonde female replied making the green haired boy go silent before turning on their heels going back to the cabin./p
p class="MsoNormal"As for the other pair they were standing in the middle of the forest basking in their glory./p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go back before it gets too late, poor Mitsuhide will go nuts if we're not back soon." He joked/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shirayuki chuckled nodding her as they walked. "Can't have that happen." She smiled at him as they walked back to the cabin in comfortable silence. As they reach the cabin they spot a small basket with a small handkerchief covering it on the doorstep causing them both to have two different reactions. Zen's, a reaction of curiosity and wonder as he picked it up inspecting it./p
p class="MsoNormal""What's this?" He asked wondering what it could be/p
p class="MsoNormal"While Shirayuki's, a reaction of pure fear and dread as she took a closer look at the /"Oh no. That's the ribbon that I had tied to my hair." She gasped backing away a bit as Zen jolted, looking slightly worried for her safety. As he moved, he shook the basket making the handkerchief fall off only to reveal a basket filled to the brim with apples and while roses./p
p class="MsoNormal""I knew it.. they found me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone for being patient with me on updating this book. As well would I like to apologize for the long wait. But I promise you, the next chapter will be out sooner than the last time so please bear with me and I hope to see you soon in the next Chapter!/span/strong/p