Chapter 12

Maria Takarada. Seven years old. Practicing witch in training. Talented in spells, hexes, curses, summoning, divining, seeing, and blessings. On her fifth birthday, she had cruelly experienced the death of her loving mother, and essentially the abandonment of her father. With the lineage of a multitude of very powerful witches, wizards, sorcerers, sorceresses, necromancers, summoners, and warlocks, she was a culmination of centuries of selective breeding. She was powerful for a child of her age, and would only grow more powerful over time. She had been given to her grandfather Lory Takarada, a talented mage himself, to raise. Admittedly she was a handful, even with his familiar Ruto's assistance, as he ebbed and flowed along in the shadows, gently guiding her with an affection that was rarely displayed by his kind.

The two lessons she'd learned in her short lifetime were: 1. The soul's of the dead do not linger, unless there are unfinished tasks; 2. True Love cannot be conjured, coerced or, fabricated. She had learned lesson one after her mother's death, and lesson two after a year of knowing her perfect "Ren-sama". However, that did not mean that she would allow imperfect, unworthy, and greedy women the privilege of getting close to him. He was perfect in her eyes and deserved a mate equally as perfect. Until a few months ago, she had not met one yet.

She went by many names, that Maria knew of: Onee-sama, Kyoko-chan, Mogami-san, Kyoko, Princess and Akuma-chan. Maria really liked the last one, she felt that one was the most fitting for her. Her Onee-sama was perfect in every way. She knew how to do all of the things Maria could do and so much more. Her dark and lovely Onee-sama was perfect for Ren-sama, but there was a problem. Her Onee-sama had never known love. She had been alone most of her life, and the ones that she had trusted had betrayed and used her. Which was why Maria spent most of her free-time creating the perfect spell to teach that unworthy male vampire a very good lesson. No, she would not kill him, it just wasn't possible, as far as she'd researched, that information had been banned or destroyed, but there was a fitting punishment for him, considering how he'd treated her.

Certainly the spell in question would be a powerful one. It would require rare ingredients, that would take time to accumulate, and cultivate. It would take months of preparations, and it would take a significant amount of practice to perfect. She smirked at the thought of the results. It would be the most fitting punishment for one so arrogant and self-absorbed, such as he. She despised the fact that she really couldn't do anything for her Onee-sama while she was still in Karuizawa.

The phone call had been made and the arrangements for her to use the Karuizawa Training Grounds had been approved. Sworn to secrecy by the Royal Family themselves, the staff at the facility welcomed the Princess without revealing what everyone had already known. She was there to train, and relieve stress. They were not to breathe a word to her that they knew exactly who she was, under penalty of an extremely harsh punishment. Information such as that, if leaked, could mean the safety and very life of the beings they were sworn to protect.

They watched the monitors in awe as she gracefully performed her deadly dance. What made things even more interesting was when Lord Kuon had arrived. The young man had not been seen in almost five years. Uesugi-dono had given permission for the pair to spar if he wished it, and he most certainly would want something like that. After all, Lady Kyoko was his betrothed. Everyone knew that, except maybe for Lady Kyoko.

~xoxo~

Kyoko's breath hitched, and she abruptly stopped the slaughter of golems, when the striking blond entered the training area, and appraised her with his dazzling, gem-quality, green eyes. A memory tugged at the back of her mind, but didn't quite emerge. The only word that came to mind and flowed from her mouth had been "Corn". She didn't know how or where the name had come from, but she most certainly knew it to be a name.

"May I join you, Milady." He asked suavely as he bowed nobly before her.

She nodded a little stiffly. He was beautiful. Long, almost platinum blond hair, that sparkled like diamonds. Dazzling green eyes. Wings very similar to hers. A set of black chitinous armor that protected him from the tips of his toes, to just under his chiseled features that would later be covered by a skeletal helm similar to hers, and the familiar gold aura, very much like her own. He was stunning and unbeknownst to her, he found her equally as such.

Something that she had originally deemed to be stress relief, became so much more during those hours. Not a word was spoken between the two, but their motions had been perfectly coordinated. It was as if though their souls had been in synchronicity. She had never felt so in-tune to another as she had been to Corn or Lord Kuon, as the others had called him.

When all was said and done, he turned to her with a familiar smile that cleared her mind of all thought. Everything was so completely familiar to her. His touch, his voice and his smile. He was so completely similar to Tsuruga-san that it was ridiculous. How could anyone have the same measurements and mannerisms? He was almost like his twin, had it not been for the hair and eyes. She glanced at his back, that he had turned to her, and she quietly whispered. "R-Ren?" She didn't say his surname. She didn't think that would garner a response from him, but his stage-name most certainly did.

He turned to her with an apologetic look. "I-I can explain." He told her.

She nodded. "I'm sure you have a very good reason." She told him, remembering her own stage-name as Akuma-chan. "You can tell me when you're ready." She murmured in an understanding tone.

He nodded nervously. "And when that time comes, I will be sure to tell you everything, Kyoko-chan. I promise." He honestly wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to tell anyone else, but he did need time to collect his thoughts on the matter and gather the courage to explain everything that was in his heart, to her in particular.

She sighed. "Did you check into the resort yet?" She asked with a little concern.

He smiled. "An hour before we started." He smirked. "Would you care to join me for dinner in my room?" He offered.

"I-I'm not sure that would be appropriate." She reasoned a little nervously.

He shook his head as he opened the door to the training room for her. "If it concerns you, we can have Yashiro-san join us." He offered. "I have a large bathtub with a jacuzzi function." He added.

She blushed. "I-I..."

"It'll help you relax, and work the soreness in your muscles out." He told her.

"I-I suppose it wouldn't be such a terrible idea." She conceded with a fierce blush.

Of course no one would say anything to those circumstances. They were betrothed, after all. A fact that she was completely unaware of, but he was certainly going to work to his advantage.

"I rented a car. I can give you a ride back." He informed her, and she reluctantly accepted his offer.

Lory had been briefed by his nephew on the Karuizawa situation, so when Yashiro called him to update him on Kyoko's stalker and Kuon/Ren's disappearance to the north of them, he was able to alleviate most of the manager's concerns. Although, Yukihito was still a little uncomfortable having Kyoko soak in Ren's bathroom before their dinner.

"Trust me Yukihito-kun, I'm fully aware of their situation. What actually concerns me is the behavior of that singer. What can you tell me about his behavior around them and your insights?" Lory essentially commanded.

Yukihito sighed. "Sir, I think it's somewhat complicated. He basically believes that she's his personal property. That he actually owns her. At least that's what he's been spreading around everywhere he goes. Isn't there anything we can do about him?"

Lory groaned inaudibly. "I'll have to look into it. Is there anything else I need to know about this young man?"

Yukihito wasn't sure if it was important or not, but well... "Well, there was a strange occurrence a couple of weeks ago. He came to the studio where we were filming and demanded to speak to her alone. She did have a mark and a small bruise on her face that day, but she had told Ren that she had a small mishap at another job. She wouldn't say why he was there to visit her."

Hmmm, Lory thought. Could that be the day that I couldn't reach Reino? "I'll look into it. Which day was that?"

Yukihito was quiet for a bit. "I think it was the same day that Kyoko-chan had her first interview. His visit was in the afternoon. Ren seemed to behave a little strangely after that too. I really couldn't get her to tell us anything other than her telling us that the conversation was unimportant." He sounded a little frustrated.

"Thank you Yukihito-kun. Just keep any eye out for that boy. He really doesn't know what he's dealing with." and it could cost him dearly. He mentally added, remembering that day very well. It was the day the idiot slapped her, and she accelerated her training by dicing a few Fuwa Sho golems that night.