Nana walked through the halls of the Outlander's home base. How long would it be until Meho and the others returned home, would they leave the city? Would Teresa come with them? The answer to that was probably, but if they get back on the road, would things go back to the way they were? Would there be a chance of him falling in love with her? Slim to none, but if not some like her, or even Teresa then who? Who would love a runaway plus anima prince? No princess would have him, would they, and then there was Elda. She remembered that he once begged her not to leave him, that he was attached. He had cried in front of her, according to his sisters, crying was rare for him to do in front of anyone but his twin.
"Hey Nana!" It was Cooro with Senri behind him.
"Oh, hello Cooro." She had almost forgotten about them, she had been so absorbed with Husky and the princesses she had forgotten about her other two friends. She heard laughter and saw Husky and Meho walking along hand in hand. Nana noticed Senri was staring at Meho intently. He pulled out his book and shifted through the pages until he came upon a pretty blue flower with silver veins running through the petals.
"Marien……" Nana blinked.
"No Senri that's Meho, wait, how do you know their mother's name?" She looked at the twenty year old intently. Senri said nothing. A memory came back to him, a girl with silver hair was reclining a cushion, he had just come under Crystala's care, and he was in a beautiful castle. The girl's belly was swollen to the size of a watermelon, she had crystal blue eyes, and she smiled softly running her fingers on her swollen stomach. Crystala patted the girl's belly, she smiled regally in response. Crystala said something he couldn't remember but then the pretty girl looked really sad.
"Senri!"
"Eh?"
"You zoned out there for a minute."
"Un."
"Come on Brother, we need to speak with Miss Duchess!" She was practically skipping, and Husky was holding her hand struggling to keep up without running or skipping. Skipping wasn't his style.
"Why?"
"If anyone knows how to contact Father it's her."
"Ah so you can leave me all alone again?" He teased.
"NO! I want Myrrha to come with me home!"
"Meho I've told you why I can't come home, jeez, first Elda now you."
"Do you want to?" Nana looked up. She stared expectantly; Husky noticed this and blushed lightly under her gaze.
"To be honest, I don't know."
"Huh? You might not return home?" He grew flustered again.
"It's just that I've made so many friends here, and I'm not sure I would want to leave them." Nana's heart fluttered.
"Is it because you fell in love with someone?" She asked non-chantey.
"No!" He shouted blushing.
"Heh, brother's so silly." She hugged his arm.
"Man, you two normally act weird, but all this mushy gushy sibling love is starting to weird me out." Nirvana stood over the twins with an odd look on her face. The twins spun at looked at her their eyes narrowed to a regal glare. They looked cold as ice, Nirvana took a step back. The other princesses were with her.
"There's the twins we all know and love, cold and hard as ice."
"There's a reason we act the way we do in the palace." Stated Meho.
"Because your mother is a cold fish?" All the princesses gasped, even Amber was appalled. There was a noticeable tick the brows of the twins. Without warning Meho pounced on Nirvana, a wrestling match ensued. Honestly Nana had expected Husky to do something like that, but not sweet little Meho.
"Takeitbacktakeitbacktakeitbacktakeitback!" Meho screamed as she wrestled her sister. Husky sighed and casually reached down and pried Meho off Nirvana. She was still scratching when Husky was holding her.
"Meho act like a princess." He scolded.
"She insulted Mother." Meho pouted, Husky sighed.
"I know Meho and I want to sock her too, but we have to be the bigger person like Mother taught us to." He sighed loudly.
"Wow you two really are alike." Stated Nana.
"Yeah, we're like the ocean, like our mother."
"The ocean?"
"Majestic, powerful, gentle yet fierce, on the other hand all three of us are stubborn as hell." Husky laughed lightly.
"Yeah Father always said that Mother was his one and only challenge, she still challenges his authority as her husband." The twins laughed cheerfully. The girls exchanged bitter glances.
"We know, it's annoying he favors that stubborn mule."
"Men like a chase, what can we say." Giggled Meho mischievously.
"Ah, does that mean Myrrha wants a stubborn mule for a wife."
"I don't want wives like Father has, I don't want my wives to be a bunch of lapdogs, I want love them."
"He really is like Father he already knows what kind of harem he wants." Smirked Amber.
"It doesn't matter he made it clear he wasn't coming home, so my brother Keen is to be king, he will have a harem." Felicity barked.
"Eh? No one wants a wimp like Keen to be King. My brother won't be king but Myrrha is the best option." Clarissa said, surprisingly enough, considering how quiet she was.
"Seriously with unrest of escaped plus anima, a plus anima king would be best, especially he was to be king anyway, he's the best choice." The other nodded in agreement.
"Too bad I'm not coming home, so you're all stuck with Keen I guess." Meho looked like her heart broke.
"Come on Meho, smile for me, you know my homecoming couldn't do anybody good, especially you and Mother. It would be better if you all kept acting like I was dead." Meho's eyes began to water.
"I can't say you're dead, I could never look Mother in the eyes again. How do you expect me to lie to her, we both were crushed by your disappearance." She whimpered. Senri walked up to her and looked her straight in the eye.
"Marien." He said simply. Meho shook her head.
"No, Meho." She stated. Senri showed her the blue silver veined flower.
"Marien." Senri insisted. Meho shook her head again. Husky stepped forward.
"Senri have you met my mother? She looks just like my mother, Marien."
"Marien, with child, pretty lady." He murmured, as if piecing together memories.
"Senri, does the name Crystala mean anything to you?" Senri shuffled through his book to a flower. He showed it to Husky and Meho.
"That's Aunt Crystala's symbol, the crystala flower."
"Aunt Crystala?"
"Our father's twin sister, she had a habit of befriending plus anima that couldn't adapt well; her habit drove Father crazy." Husky whispered.
"So does that mean….."
"Senri said with child, so that means that he met Mother when she was pregnant with us."
"So he was one of Crystala's."
"Not surprised, Crystala was a close friend of Mother."
"Hard to believe it was based on pity." They laughed together.
"Hey Meho remember when we would play the "Who's Who" game?"
"Yeah, I remember, Mother and Father were the only ones who could tell us apart."
"Yeah we could even imitate beach other's voices." The twins grinned over their reminiscing. Nana eyes drifted to the ground.
"Nana, is something wrong?" Husky asked. She looked away.
"Why?" She asked, barely above a whisper.
"Hm?"
"Why do you tell me nothing?! It hurts Husky; it hurts because you don't trust me at all!"
"Nana what are you talking about?" Husky tried, she began to cry.
"What else haven't you told me? Why do you always keep secrets from us that's all you do! Your bloodline, your fiancé, your sister, all your unfortunate incidents, Husky that night at Artemis' you reached out to me, I have never kept anything from you. I opened up to you and you won't do the same for me! I hate you!" She ran down the hall with Cooro and Senri trying to calm her down.
Husky stood frozen, practically unable to comprehend what she had just said. Then, after, several, his eyes lowered and his lips curled into a sad smile.
"It's better this way, I shouldn't have even considered pursuing her. Considering what I have become, and what's been stolen from me, she deserves better." Meho took his hand.
"Brother…."
"It's better this way, right?" Elda stepped forward.
"Let's leave it to fate, Myrrha, perhaps things will change." He smiled that sad smile again.
"Yes, perhaps."
Meanwhile, Lady Duchess sat with Joseno in her room at her desk writing a letter to the King of Sailand. She looked at her bird, the official bird of Anah whom she had taken with her when she fled her palace. The bird was her one chance to contact the King, her only chance. She as using it now, this would gain the King's trust in her abilities and also, she loved Myrrha like a son, and already loved Meho like a daughter, this would make them happy, wouldn't it? She allowed a few tears to slip past her violate eyes.
"My Lady Princess, what troubles you?" She glanced at him.
"Stop it."
"Excuse me?"
"Stop it, with the titles and formality, everything. Do you care for me at all, as Nanali? Or is everything you have done for me been nothing but obligation, is so I free you from it. You no longer have to serve me."
"My Lady…."
"Do you not remember? When we were children you called me Nanali, no you called me Nan. I called you Jo and we would steal away from the palace and swim in the river and pick flowers in the field, you would always find me Irises and leave them in my room, you thought I didn't but I knew it was you. Have you forgotten that, I haven't? Have you forgotten our friendship as children, our bond, I haven't."
"Her Ladyship doesn't understand."
"Enlighten me Joseno." He grabbed her wrist firmly and came close to her face.
"Her Ladyship doesn't understand that I loved her since we were children and it was fear that someone wonderful and brave as her Ladyship could never love someone like me." He breathed.
"Well her Ladyship was in love with you as well but feared you did not fear feel the same way." She came closer to his lips coming in on a kiss when there was rapid knocking on the doors. They moved apart.
"Yes?"
"Lady Duchess, it's a message from the King of Asteria." Duchess stood up.
"What?"
"It's letter he's demanding the Princess, Meho."
"What?!"
"He demanding the return of Princess Meho, it says, that we can keep the other girls they just want Meho."
"I won't hand her over."
"If you don't they'll send soldiers to kill us all, and take the other princesses away. You have to comply." Duchess looked faint.
"I can't do that; I won't take another child from that woman."
"Who?"
"Lady Marien."
"Lady Duchess, you can't sacrifice the whole gang for the sake of the twins."
"I know, but……" She paused for a long moment.
"Call them, the twins I need to speak with them." Duchess decided she would tell no one of this, knowing full well the consequences.
Two days later a carriage and soldiers came through into the slums and stopped in front of the main house. A man dressed as a researcher stepped out.
"Lady Duchess have you made your decision?"
"She has." Joseno walked out.
"Well."
"We will give you the King's memoria child."
"Where is Lady Duchess?"
"I am here." A woman dressed in veils from head to toe, only her purple eyes shone.
"Why do you not show your face Lady Duchess?" The researcher asked.
"Someone like you does not have the right to look upon the beauty of Lady Duchess."
"Where is the girl?" On queue a figured adorned in a silvery white dress stepped outside in a delicate manner. The figure came into the sunlight and it glinted off the long silver hair. Calculating blue eyes regarded the researcher with little interest, and then looked back at where Duchess stood. Tears slipped from Duchess' eyes.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. The researcher took a delicate pale hand and laid a gentle kiss on the white fingers.
"It's a pleasure to meet you; you are more beautiful than I was told." The teenager ripped the hand away from the researcher's touch.
"I wish I could say the same for you." A beautiful and refreshing voice jingled like bells. The researcher laughed.
"A woman with a sense of humor. Don't worry we will be kind and you will live in the lap of luxury."
"I could get that at home; wait until my father hears of this."
"Come now, Princess, get in the carriage." A step was taken then there was a cry.
"No! Meho!" It was Nana.
"What do you want Nana?"
"Please don't go! Meho, Husky needs you!"
"Husky is able to stand on his own, he doesn't need Meho to do so, he stood on his own for years."
"He's strong and you know this better than anyone, but he really needs you."
"I thought you hated him, if that is true then what happens to us should be no concern of yours." With that the King's child, one of his favorites, got the carriage and closed the door. Nana ran back inside. She ran to Husky's room.
"Husky, they took Meho." There was no response. A pale hand reached to adjust the messenger's cap.
"Husky." The figure turned and Nana immediately knew it wasn't Husky. This person's eyes were too innocent and soft. The features didn't showcase a cold expression.
"You're not Husky." The person nodded and pulled off the cap revealing long silver locks.
"You're Meho." Meho nodded tugging at her long silver hair.
"Yes." She breathed. Meho broke down and cried, Meho was sure she hadn't cried this hard since she first lost her brother.
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Princess: Oh no Husky has been captured, originally the princesses were captured by pirates to sell them to brothel and courtesan businesses but in the end I decided to use as an opportunity to get the Astarian
government involved. I figured there's no way someone like Husky would anybody mess with his precious sisters, so looking mostly identical he donned a wig and makeup and posed as his sister. Everyone is dead fooled, if you noticed not once did my writing specify the gender and the way Joseno spoke was dodgy he never once said that they were giving him Meho he said he was giving them the king's memoria child, he specified which one he was giving them. Even Husky never lied when somebody called him Meho, he just never corrected them, including Nana. So ya, just saying if anyone is willing to do fanart for the story I would love it, I'll be posting my own soon on deviantart, under the name CosmicStarEmpress. So look for that soon!
Time for Cosmic Mailbox (yes I made that upon the spot) Now applause darnit!
Fleeing Arrow: You bet your bow they're going to be good, Husky in drag, it's gonna be good.
Twilinden: Seriously, dude you're so lucky! I dream about love ogres and my heart being ripped out, and little girls demanding salsa in return for freedom from demon combat contests and Avatar. My dream involving plus anima looked like a complex video game. I honestly don't know where I get this stuff.
Grace Raven: Thank you very much. (Elvis style)
SasuXSakuFan: Dude those aren't available in the US yet so don't be mean! And Husky will get his but in gear although not soon enough for anyone's likening.
shadow793: Yes, yes, rip lungs out, making a note of it.
Chaos Ride: In what langue?