Chapter 28

"Th-This can't be happening." She whispered in horror as she watched Kuon fall from a scratch from Reino's blade. "NO!" She screamed, quickly rushing to his side as he lay on the floor of the arena. "Kuon... Please, Kuon... Say something..." She begged as she watched him give her a weak smile, and the light slowly ebbed from his eyes.

"I love you, Princess..." He murmured, gently stroking her tears away with the last of his strength. His hand fell to his side, and his eyes went glassy and dark.

A thick black void surrounded her as she mourned her loss.

Reino took her by her arm and tried to pull her up. "Get up my queen." He commanded, before she shoved him back.

She stared at him from her void and allowed the hatred, grief, and anger wash over her like an old friend. Four Elegant black horns once again, adorned her crown. White feathers fell away, and revealed the leathery black, clawed wings. A whip-like tail uncoiled from behind her to reveal its razor-sharp end, and finally, obsidian black armor adorned her, covering all but her heart and neck.

Like a flash of black lightning, she had pinned the terrified, cheating murderer/victor, and took possession of the poisoned blade he used to kill the one she loved.

In a swift action, she plunged it deeply into her own heart and stumbled back, falling to her knees. "I will never be your anything." And with those words, she removed the blade from her body and slid it across her own throat for good measure, as she knelt next to Kuon, then fell to his side with a tiny river of her blood flowing down the side of his chest and pooling beneath the two. The stadium filled with thousands fell completely silent, save for the sobs of the occupants sitting in the small section reserved for the royal family, and their friends.

She awakened in a cold sweat, barely able to catch her breath, clawing at her throat, and tears streaming hotly down her cheeks. She frantically searched for the little stone that Kuon had once given to her, and sat on the edge of her bed, rocking back and forth for comfort. "Just a nightmare... I'll be okay... Just a bad dream... He's okay... everything will be okay... It won't happen..." She stared at the little picture she had of him on her nightstand, and wiped her tears. "I won't let it happen." She whispered as her heart had finally slowed back to its normal pace.

~xoxo~

"Kuon, you need to pay close attention here. Your lives will depend on it." Rick whispered to him as he watched the surreal scene of the short battle between him, and Reino.

"I can easily take him." He commented, keeping a close watch on the arena.

Rick shook his head, and pointed to the scene developing. "In a fair fight you can, but not today."

Kuon's eyes went wide as he watched his own body fall from a mere scratch. He watched in horror as Kyoko screamed and alit next to him in devastation. His heart lurched, and stomach twisted while he watched with the rest of the spectators, her transformation, her declaration, and her final acts.

The stadium went silent for moments, then erupted in screams of despair, outrage, and mourning. He leapt from his seat down to the arena where his body and Kyoko's lay, bleeding out.

He looked up at the man that couldn't see him and heard the admission. "I-I didn't... I didn't mean for this to happen... Sh-She wasn't suppose to do this... It was only suppose to stop him, not kill him." Reino confessed, pleading as the Royal Guard was instantly by his side and collecting his blade as evidence. Not only did he cheat during the entirety of the tournament, he was responsible for the deaths of the future Queen and potential King.

Kuon shot up from his deep sleep, filled with a sense of dread, sadness, and loss. He wanted to lie to himself, and say that it was a nightmare, but it was a vision that Rick had accompanied him in. They both observed as the tournament ran its course, while they watched as spectators. This was not something that he was going to allow to come to pass. He was finally calmed.

"Thank you, Rick." He murmured to the empty hotel room.

It took several minutes, a long hot shower, and two large mugs of coffee. Kyoko is going to kill me herself, for not eating. He sighed, but he just did not have an appetite after watching her take her own life like that. Cain Heel would be especially prickly for the last few days of filming in Guam.

She felt at peace, she had finally made her decision and it showed. She had a renewed vigor, and inspiration for increasing her training. Not that she was slacking in any way before, but it was a renewed energy. The nightmarish images became her motivation, but she kept that particular piece of information to herself. Her friends, family, and Kuon did not need to hear of her personal torments. They didn't need to know what motivated her, and she definitely was not going to reveal her planned future actions.

She was happy that they had cleared things up when they were in Guam together; however, the thoughts of what he'd admitted to her did make her blush fiercely whenever she thought of it.

FLASHBACK:

"Kyoko-chan..." He paused and gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

She pouted, and her brow furrowed. "Then why, Kuon?" She murmured, staring at the little seashell in the sand before her, where they sat.

He sighed, then took in a breath for courage. "I-I'm finding it difficult to control myself around you... I... I want you more than anything, Kyoko. I want to touch you. I want to hold you in my arms and never let you go. I want to taste the sweetness of your skin and hear your sweet voice in my ears while I make love to you." Now he was actually making himself and her blush, as he whispered the truth. "I didn't want to scare you with this... That's why I've been trying to stay away until after the tournament. I'm sorry... I didn't mean for it to hurt you." He told her, staring at the same seashell. He heard a giggle and a soft sigh, then felt small feminine hands stroke his hair. He looked up to find a beautifully blushing princess.

"I... I understand... J-Just please, don't push me away. You were making me think things that made me very sad, Kuon..." She pouted a little, thinking of the lies that Sho had planted in her mind, that were now completely eradicated with Kuon's admission.

He let out a breath of relief, and quickly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, and lightly smacked his chest. She looked up at him. "You know... You aren't the only one that's trying to wait."

He looked at her a little surprised.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm not made of stone, you know..."

He chuckled and nodded, then kissed her temple. "Neither am I..."

She nodded back. "We'll just have to make sure we're around someone to remind us to be careful."

"Yukihito makes an excellent chaperon." He chuckled.

She snorted. "So does Kanae, Chiori, and Maria."

He winced. "And Boss." He added with a groan.

She nodded in agreement. "They all do get a little carried away. Maybe not Kanae." She gave him a small smile.

He scoffed. "A little?"

She giggled. "Okay, a lot." Remembering his antics last month, during Valentine's Day.

END FLASHBACK

Well, needless to say, she was not about to let something that she could prevent, by a simple act and a little bit of training, happen. She may not have the confidence to best Kuon at the tournament, but it wasn't him she would have to knock down a few pegs. If it came to it, she would definitely stay far from Reino's blade, wrap him in a few of her summoned minions, and let Kuon subdue her, not that she would really need to let him win. She had full confidence that he wouldn't have a problem incapacitating her, if needed. No... She was not going to make it easy for any of them. Kuon wouldn't respect her if she did or appreciate it. She would put forth a full effort to best him.