A/N: So it's time for an update! Thank you all so much for participating in the baby naming contest. Keep in mind that if you did get to name a character, they may not appear until much later chapters, but I promise they will be there. Thank you guys for following, favoriting, and reviewing! Remember to R&R and enjoy!
Dicalimer: Still not my property!
Cecil groaned as he stirred awake. A blinding light was apparent even from behind his closed eyelids. When he finally managed to open his eyes, he gasped in shock. No longer was he in the ivory-walled room where Haruka and Tokiya were last night, instead he was in a room that he knew all too well; his childhood bedroom in Agnapolis. Cecil sat up in alarm, looking around for his friends or Haruka.
The prince jumped to his feet, getting off the plush, four-poster bed. Running to the large wooden doors, he tugged on the handle, cursing when he found it to be locked. He began pounding on the door, shouting for someone to let him out.
"You should have just accepted the throne five years ago, but it is better late than never," a voice said from a dark emerald chair. Cecil turned to glare at his father who was grinning in triumph. "You see, you will accept the throne very shortly. You must have thought you were so clever, trying to stay away until after your 21st birthday so you would not be allowed to ascend to the throne, but I knew exactly what you were doing, now I just have leverage." Cecil shivered at the way his father said the last word.
"And what makes you think I would ever willingly take that throne?" Cecil growled with clenched fists.
His father let out a barking laugh. "Well, maybe you would like a little input from your dear Haruka, oh wait, I cannot allow that right now."
"How dare you bring her into this! I don't want a throne that is stained with the blood of our people. I want to be free of this whole country! It may seem beautiful on the outside, or in the eyes of a child, but as I grew up, I discovered the wicked secrets lurking beneath. And you; you're a wolf in sheep's clothes. When I was little I worshipped you like I do the Muses, but you are a dangerous man, I hate you!"
Cecil was too furious to notice the sadness in his father's eyes. The sadness was masked by the time the prince faced his king again. "You have two choices, Son. You can either take the throne and make Haruka your queen, in which case I will let all of your friends and their families go free, or you can refuse and you will never see any of them ever again."
Cecil's fight left him when he heard his father's words. Sohrab continued on, "You have six hours to decide. Choose wisely."
...xxXXxx...
Haruka woke up in a gilded room with drawn curtains. She could just see a glimmer of light streaming in from the crack between the thick velvet drapes. Rising slowly, she was surprised to find herself in an ivory gown with gold trimming with shimmering teal jewels that adorned her throat and crown. The dress was floor length and shimmered in the bright light that flooded in when Haruka pulled back the curtains.
Haruka's hand flew to her swollen abdomen when she looked at the flood of people on the city streets below. White and cream-colored buildings stretched as far as the eye could see and dark-skinned people waved to the ivory-skinned composer above.
"W-where am I?" she gasped.
...xxXXxx...
In an entirely different wing of the palace, everyone else from the villa was locked in a giant series of chambers. Food and clothes were laid out, but there was no escape. The windows were locked and barred and the door was three feet of solid cement.
"Damn it!" Syo yelled as he punched a wall. "Where the hell are we?! And where are Haruka and Cecil!?"
Shining looked out of the window as he spoke, "We are in Agnapolis. My guess is that Cecil has been putting off his coronation for too long and now the king is... working things out. You might want to find a way out of here or Miss Nanami could be the new queen of Agnapolis and we may be stuck here."
"WHAT!" Otoya shrieked. "I thought you said he was your friend, can't you do something about this?"
"I'm afraid I have no jurisdiction here. But the reason for all of this may be so that power is not passed to Sohrab's brother's line. Here in Agnapolis, the crown prince must ascend to the throne between the age of fifteen and twenty-one or else power will be passed to the next royal line if there are no other legitimate heirs. He may also be trying to stall until the babies are delivered because a royal child would perpetuate the throne in Sohrab's direct bloodline."
The boys paled as the realized the precarious situation they were now in. The tangible silence was broken by the sound of Kaito's fist shattering the drywall where it impacted. "How dare anyone touch my little sister, and to use her and us as bait; it's despicable. Listen up men, we are going to go rescue our princess before she becomes the queen!"
"Don't forget about us," Tomo-chan said as she gestured to herself and the other women. "Haruka is my best friend, and no one is going to use her as bait on my watch."
"One of us should escape through the air vent and fend off the guards that are, no doubt, just outside this door. The wedding and coronation are crucial to Sohrab's plans, so he must be trying to contain us. The only one of us small enough to get through the air vent, though,is Miss Hijirikawa, but we need someone who can fight off the guards," Shining pondered.
Mai looked right at him and said, "I can fight the guards. Ever since I was little, Father has been training me in the ways of the sword and mother has taught me hand-to-hand combat."
"But Mai-chan, it's too dangerous!" Noriko cried.
"Unlike the rest of this family, I have met Haruka-nee-chan before. She is a kind and wonderful person who cares for Onii-chan very, very much. I want to do this for her and for the sake of my future nieces or nephews."
"Mai," Masato began, "it will be dangerous, so at least take this with you," he finished, handing her a sword that he had taken down from the wall. ( Gotta love convenience.)
Mai took the sword from her brother with a solemn nod. Natsuki tore the vent off of the wall and stood back.
Ai looked at the teen and handed her a folded piece of paper. "I prepared a map of the palace air-ducts based on the positioning of where we are in the palace and a set of blueprints I memorized. The dashed lines will lead you to a viable point of exit and then the solid line will lead you back to the other side of this door. You shall succeed if you follow my directions. Based on my data, you have the skill level to defeat any guards you may encounter."
With that, Mai was off through the cold, silver air duct, and everyone else was forced to wait for her to come back.
...xxXXxx...
A few hours later, Cecil heard the click of a key being turned on his bedroom door, walking toward the looming oak structure, he faced his father once more.
"I hope you have a favorable response," Sohrab drawled, knowing that any decision his son made would not have been made lightly.
Cecil gritted his teeth. "I will take the throne. Just let the others go."
"Very good choice, my boy." Sohrab withdrew his cell phone and called a number. Cecil heard it ring for a moment before the call was picked up. "Yes, let them go after the ceremony, send over the stylists, and make sure the new queen is ready in an hour." Sohrab hung up after a nameless subordinate gave the affirmative.
Soon Cecil was lost in a swarm of stylists who dressed him in the traditional formal robes of Agnapolis. The cream colored cloth wrapped around his body and the gold trim signified his rank. Teal stones decorated the broaches that held his robes in place. Cecil looked sadly in the mirror as he thought, 'Forgive me, Haruka.'
...xxXXxx...
Haruka's head snapped toward the door when she heard it opening. Kotomi walked in followed by several other women who were dressed in plain lavender gowns with teal edges. Haruka noted that Kotomi looked like she had been crying recently based on the puffiness under her eyes and the redness of her face. Haruka took the queen into her arms and tried soothing her.
"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry this has to happen," Kotomi apologized.
Haruka's innocent honey eyes met the clouded seas of the queen's. "What do you mean?"
"Cecil's coronation is tonight, and Sohrab is holding your wedding first. He intends to keep you here as the new queen. If Cecil hadn't agreed to ascend to the throne, all of your friends and family would have been held prisoner here."
Haruka gasped, "Why would he do such a thing? Can Cecil not be coronated later? Why now?"
Kotomi shook her head. "In Agnapolis, the crown prince must be coronated by the time he turns 21 or else power is passed to the next highest ranking family. I would normally say 'who cares,' but the next ranking family is that of Sohrab's brother, Dimande, and his wife, Esmeraude. He is an awful man, which is why he must never take the throne, and why he is currently under house arrest. However, I never wanted Cecil to get caught up in all of this. I know I didn't think this through, but now Cecil must become king."
With that, Kotomi got up and left while the handmaidens prepared Haruka for her wedding. They girls deftly applied rouge, eyeliner, mascara, and lip color. When they turned the mirror toward Haru, she could barely recognize the elegant beauty as herself. Her pretty rose pink locks were lightly curled with the front strands pulled back in a golden clip shaped like Cecil's violet tattoo. Her eyelashes were curled upwards, giving full visibility to her shimmering amber eyes. Her lips were painted a shimmering pink with a clear gloss overtop. A fine coat of blush painted her delicate cheeks the color of spring chrysanthemums.
Adorning her head was a delicate band of gold with the finest gems dangling from it. Attached was a thin, gossamer veil with intricate gold patterns woven in. Her necklace was a series of beautiful gold chains at varying levels that each had a beryl gem set in gold in the shape of a music note. The gown she wore was pure white like freshly fallen snow with an empire waist and a sweetheart neckline. Around the waist of the dress was a golden belt fashioned with swirling music notes and instruments. From the belt, a sheer teal layer of sparkling chiffon wrapped around her body with a slit in the front so that the fabric draped around her baby bump.
The chiffon pooled at her feet with the rest of the dress and her little feet were showcased in a pair of low heels with a teal bow on the front. Haruka was also wearing a pair of long white gloves with gold and teal bracelets. She looked absolutely radiant, or at least she might have if she could have brought herself to smile. She loved Cecil, but this was not the way she hoped things would go. She loved all of her boys, and to think that she may never see them again...
No, she told herself. She had to be strong, everything would be alright, she just had to have faith in STARISH and her family.
...xxXXxx...
Everyone waited with bated breath as they finally heard the lock click. Mai opened the door and stood there triumphantly. "Let's go save Haru-nee-chan!"
Shintaro, Kaito and Kei cracked their knuckles and grabbed the nearest things that could be used as weapons, "Anyone who messes with our Haru-chan will pay." An aura of evil radiated off of the trio, but they were nothing compared to STARISH.
"Must kill...," was what the aura around STARISH seemed to be saying. Masato took the sword back from Mai when she offered it. Natsuki seemed to become Satsuki one more. Syo and the others also seemed determined to use raw force. Minori's eyes were like steel now as she, Rima, Lulu, Yuki, and Noriko formed a team ready to hurt anyone who got in the way of their children's happiness. Tomochika, Ringo, and Mai were determined to get their friend back, and the other fathers and brothers also formed a task force. Finally there was QUARTET NIGHT and Hyuuga-sensei who were also ready to kick some ass.
"Okay guys, split up and look for Haruka or Cecil!" Tomochika ordered. Soon the groups charged through the doors, headed off in different directions. Shortly into their search, Mai's group heard a girl shouting. As they cautiously approached the sound, they found themselves on the other side of Miki's door. "LET ME OUT!" she screamed. Pounding from her side was also heard.
Ringo looked at the door and held up his thumb, as if sizing it up. "Allow me," he smirked. He shouted to the other side, "Stand back!" He stepped out of his ruby red heels and did a spinning back-kick right where the door met the frame. The door buckled and splintered into little pieces.
Mai and Tomochika joined Miki in staring at him with slack-jaws. "Since when can you do that!?" Tomochika squeaked.
"Well when you dress like a girl, you have to know how to defend yourself from both pervs and bullies, so I took self-defense classes with a bit of Judo."
Miki looked at him, still in shock. "Th-thanks," she managed to stutter.
Ringo winked at her, causing a deep blush to color her mocha skin. Then he spoke again. "Your brother and Haru-chan are being held hostage, do you know where we might find them?"
"I can lead you to Cecil's room. Just follow me," she responded before taking off down the hallway. The other three looked at each other, nodded, and ran after Miki.
After what seemed like an endless maze of gilded hallways and parlors, Miki finally stopped in front of a pair of large wooden doors. "This is my brother's room," she whispered, touching the wood gingerly. "I just hope he's okay."
Tomochika gently pushed on the door and found it to be open. The group rushed inside and began looking around.
"This is definitely Cesshi's room," Ringo pointed out, "but the problem is the he's not here."
"He was here not too long ago though." Mai pointed to the bed where the teal covers were twisted and warm to the touch.
"Where could he be!?" Tomochika shouted. Suddenly they heard a melody playing and Miki paled.
"That's the wedding march!" she squeaked.
Tomichika, Ringo and Mai simultaneously shouted, "EH!?"
"We have to hurry, the wedding and coronation must be soon!" Mai shouted before running off again. The others were hot on her tail.
On their way through the winding maze, the group managed to find the parents, brothers, and QUARTET NIGHT with Hyuuga-sensei. "Man!" Tomochika shouted "Where is STARISH when you need them?"
Her question was answered soon enough though when Miki abruptly stopped upon entering an antechamber. The others skidded to a halt behind her. Ahead of them was STARISH fighting off a battalion of guards in front of a pair of white doors with gold molding.
Satsuki threw one man over his shoulder and then barely paused before using a round-kick to take out two more at the same time. Tokiya leapt deftly over two guards and knocked their heads together while in mid-air. Ren and Masato played tag-team by guarding each other's backs and fighting off a circle of guards. Masato wielded the sword with grace while Ren threw punches like a seasoned boxer. Syo and Otoya were helping each other out too. Otoya swung one of the guard's clubs and Syo used his martial arts from Prince of Precipices.
Kei, Shintaro, and Kaito wasted no time in joining the fray. The others soon joined in, and while the heroes were outnumbered ten to one, no one could stop them from saving Haruka and Cecil.
Masato and Masomi fought side-by-side with Mai and Noriko, and Seiichiro and Kenji joined Ren naturally. "We have to hurry guys!" Miki called over the roar of the crowd. "The wedding march is almost over!"
With renewed vigor, the guys fought on for their princess with their families joining them. But would they make it in time?
...xxXXxx...
Haruka slowly made her way to the alter where Cecil stood with a priest. He blushed when he saw the beauty who carried his child walking down the isle toward him. He felt another flash of guilt that he would be married to her before any of the others. He had figured the would all have a commitment ceremony one day, but being the only one to marry her was unfair. Even the little part of his heart that was happy he would be the one marrying her realized this was not how he would have done it.
Glancing over to Sohrab, Cecil found himself growing weary. After all these years, he would take the crown after all. He was torn between a laugh and a sob. Kotomi looked on with remorse at her son's crestfallen expression. She didn't want him to go through with this, but Cecil would understand everything soon enough.
Beside her, Sohrab coughed into a handkerchief. She took note of the dark red stain in the once white cloth, but she said nothing because she already knew.
When Haruka finally stopped in front of him, she looked into his eyes. The two of them shared a moment of sad understanding as they realized the implications of going through, and not going through, with this marriage.
As the priest droned on, Haruka's eyes met Cecil's once more and this time they held each other's gaze until the priest handed Cecil a ring. The two snapped out of their reverie as Cecil took the ring and the priest said something in his native language. Cecil responded and turned to Haruka, reaching for her hand slowly, asking permission one last time...
...xxXXxx...
After some time of relative silence from the other side of the door, the group was almost done with the guards. A final fifty men blocked the door solemnly. The group faced them with determined eyes before lunging into battle once more.
After fighting the sea of guards, our tired heroes trudged toward the door. Satsuki stood before both doors and pulled them open. When they looked inside, they gasped in shock.
"Haruka," the boys whispered.
...xxXXxx...
Cecil slowly slid the ring onto Haruka's left index finger. The crystal clear diamond was surrounded by smaller blue diamonds and beryl that sparkled like the stars. This thought saddened Haruka because she missed her stars.
The priest turned to Haruka, pressing the matching silver band into her palm. He spoke in Japanese for the first time to her, albeit with a thick accent. "Do you, Nanami Haruka, take Crown Prince Aijima Cecil to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I- I."
Suddenly her head snapped to the side when she heard the doors open and she let out a sigh.
A/N: Hooray for cliffhangers! Sorry again for the wait. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to review and let me know what you thought. This story has taken some interesting twists, I think. When I first developed the concept, it would have jumped from chapter one to the delivery of the babies, but then all of this happened in between.
See you next time!