Chapter 5: Reminiscence

(Miku's POV)

That red flower earlier... Where did that come from? Who put it on me? Len gave me a smile and replaced that flower with a yellow one.

"I think this rose suits you more, Miku. It brings the hazel color out from your eyes." he said while placing a yellow flower on my choker.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"I hope if it's not too much to ask, can you accompany me while my friends and I go heron hunting tomorrow afternoon?" One of his hands lay upon my lap, while the other grasped my fingers.

"My pleasure, Len. There's not a lot to do nowadays since we're on break from mentoring children. Today's been awfully boring, so it would be nice to look at the nature of the outskirts ever so often.

I haven't been to the outskirts that often. I was always more of a conservative person who liked staying at home and creating some of my own art. Nature itself was an art that changes on its own, and it never ceases to amaze. Rarely do I ever turn to it, but in this case of experimenting and openly accepting my situation I'll do it. It hasn't ignited in me yet, but the love for him will soon grow. I hope.

After Len left the manor, I went to my room and changed into a more modest outfit. Even though my father had died, I still was able to take care of my mother and myself well. When King Gakupo Shion asked me to become one of his nobles, I knew that he wanted to rebuild that family connection. His wife had died, and my father was killed. Both families had suffered. As odd as it seems, I took his offer while accepting his grant of wealth to rebuild what was lost. Yet, there was some other faction that held us together. I can't remember who or what it was, but I know there was a much stronger bond before. Of course there's always another way such as marriage, but he was much scarred from Luka's death and the Shions didn't have any one that could court me when I reached my marital age at sixteen. Whether or not I was wrong of a Shion descendent, it didn't really change the present; I was arranged to marry the chief of the Royal Knights last year only so that my mother can guarantee that I am protected.

And yes, her decision and the king's decision were very absurd. He and my mother would've remarried together, but this goes back to my argument of Luka.

I changed into my old clothes my mother sewn me when I was fourteen. I was surprised I was able to fit it still four years later. It wasn't made of silk or any fancy sort of fabric. It was mostly cotton and wool that a typical florist would wear during work. I didn't want to be recognized as the late viceroy's daughter or one of the nobles of the Empire. I didn't want to be easily targeted as my father's child as well. I wanted to just be a normal girl, buying whatever necessities she needed for her artwork she calls life. And when I say that, I mean obtain whatever I need to thrive and fill my dull life.

I went into town to purchase some supplies and food to prepare for my trip tomorrow afternoon. The marketplace was always colorful in the daytime with all the vivid colors of fruit and food and jars of concoctions. The only thing that was a nuisance was the little flying pests around them and the heat of the weather it came with. I spent several minutes looking around for food to stock up on, and then I sat down on a nearby log to grab my leather flask and gulped down some cooling water. Then as I deeply breathed in and out, I got up and bumped into a stranger that made me drop the flask.

"I'm so sorry! Excuse my rudeness Sir!" I apologized. The man had blue hair of midlength around his earlobe, and the hair in front of his face covered his right eye a bit yet his hair almost reached his chin. He gave me a deep look in the eyes and smiled before he started talking.

"It's alright, my love," he said. 'My love'? Why would he be calling me this? I looked at him more. He was wearing a white buttoned shirt with a blue tunic vest outside. His pants were of dark navy and his boots were strong yet silky. This man must also be a nobleman of the Empire, yet why haven't I seen him at the council meetings? He gave a pleasant smile on his face as he asked, "Why are you out here in the marketplace in this heat wave?"

I swiped off the sweat on my forehead. "I'm preparing for a ride to the outskirts with my fiancée."

He gave a quick grimacing look before he spoke. "The outskirts, huh? You'll have to be careful on your ride." He gave me a sincere look on his face.

Badum. Have I seen him somewhere before?

"You are Lady Miku, am I correct?"

Badum.

How does he know my name when I've never seen him in council?

A burst of recollecting feelings and memories had struck me, making my heart beat faster and faster. Where did this burst come from? How is this man affecting me right now? I swear I think this is unusual to feel like way... Much to my embarrassment, I sat and looked down in shyness as I've forgotten that I dropped my flask. The water had drained out of it, leaving it dried.

"Yes," I replied. I reached out for my flask, and then he grabbed it for me, getting the attention needed by looking into my eyes more. Even after he handed it to me, he gave me more of an endearing look. I knew I couldn't avoid his eyes, I couldn't be that rude.

Then I've realized. This face, I have seen before. The memories of my childhood started to align with my subconscious as I grabbed his cheek with one hand. That boy from my old memories. This man looks just like him! Both my hands grasped his face and I examined him closely. I sat up straight and looked back into his eyes only to find that sincere look in his face close his eyes as if to take pleasure in resting in my palms.

The boy who sat under the sycamore tree, holding a box of toys. The boy who played the piano while I sang. This was him. That smile I drew on his face was the exact smile I saw on this man. Before I knew it, his name had hit me, and my youthful side had returned to me.

"Kaito?" My face became pink with enlightenment. "Kaito Shion?" my voice broke as his smiled widened. The man pulled me in to his tight embrace as my eyes widened. Kaito was the missing part of my memories all this time! What happened to him back then, and what is he of now? So many questions I wanted to ask him and so much to reminisce and rebuild on!

"Miku! My sweet love, Miku!" He exclaimed. He nuzzled his face into the curve of my neck and back and leaned forward into his embrace.

"K-Kaito-chan, I mean, Kaito-kun," Calling him that was childish of me as hilarious as it was at the moment. "You're going to make me fall!" I gripped the log with one hand hard to keep myself in balance while holding the opened flask with the other.

"Oh! I'm so terribly sorry, my love!" He brushed off some of the dirt off of his shirt and my dress as he got up. "Let me refill your flask! I'm so sorry I spilled it. I guess I didn't look at where I was going!"

My old childish playful side kicked in to tease him. "Yeah, right! You were just waiting to spill it all out so I end up dizzy by the end of the day! You're evil!"

He caught on with my teasing and smiled. "Well at least I know where I was going! It was your fault for even dropping the flask. Not mine!"

"Didn't you say that you didn't know where–" I stopped and just rethought about what he just said. At least I stopped there before embarrassing myself even more from there. He gave a suspicious grin of accomplishment and chuckled.

"Tongue tied, my love?" he snickered. I looked down and away from him and blushed again.

"Just fill up my water flask, Kaito." He grinned again.

"As you wish, love." he went to the well in the center of the marketplace and collected some water while I looked down in shyness. He's definitely grown out of his youthful image and grown into a more masculine and bolder figure. I can't help but think about his facial changes I've just seen. When he returned to my log, he gave back my flask and sat alongside me.

"When did you return to Amorluxia? Doesn't your father know you're here?"

"It was not too long ago, I've only gotten here a few days ago. I've met with my father the day I came back. He still wants me to stay away from his political affairs so he gave me enough necessities I needed to support myself."

"And I even mistook you for a council nobleman..." I dragged on with my sarcastic tone.

"Hey, I'm as noble as I'll ever be, and you know it!" The persistent look on his face had never left him. I chuckled. "What's so funny?" He stared into my eyes and squinted at my take of humor.

"It's nothing!" I calmed. "It's just that I haven't seen you for six years and it's been forever since I've seen you or laughed with you like this!" My smile grew across my face as I gave him a genuine look.

He looked away from my smile and continued his story. "I was at Verunia with my half-brother, who was an army commander at the time. He taught me everything from swordsmanship to raw endurance in battle for five years. When he died, I started practicing alone. When all these news from Amorluxia reached me about the viceroy's death, I remember I had to come back to fulfill something."

"You would have been the Commander of the Royal Guard instead of Len!" My eyes widened and I moved closer to him. "Anyway, what was it that you had to do?"

He looked me in the eyes again and asked, "Do you remember the promise we made back before we separated?"

I tried to remember everything I could about my childhood and all I could recall was pictures of the event. What was it that he promised? I looked down in disappointment, hoping he wouldn't scold me. He looked at me in a pitiful, teasing kind of way and continued on.

"My promise was to come back for you." He grasped both my hands and neared my face again so his forehead was on mine. My face grew redder as he said that and my heart was bearing very fast. It was as if my heart was about to take off and fly like a bird. Before I even knew it, he neared my face again in attempt to close the gap between our lips.

This was wrong! I'm engaged! I slowly pushed him back and got up. "Kaito, please understand this! I know I shouldn't have done that, but I'll have you know I'm engaged to Len!" I showed him my ring. I was expressionless, trying to reassert myself that I've been chained to someone.

"Yet, you do not love him do you?" He reassessed. I looked down again in uncertainty. Whether or not I've fallen for Sir Len was my own matter, and I had to obey the conditions of the arrangement for the sake of my mother's heart. I turned back towards him yet gave no response. "Miku..." Kaito stepped closer to me as I looked down in confusion. "Let us continue our reminiscence tomorrow. I won't bother you about this subject anymore since it isn't my business. Will you come to my manor tomorrow evening after your outskirts trip?"

There are so many questions I want to ask him now. And yet, why is he so curious all of a sudden? "I'll be there, Kaito. We have a lot more to reminisce on the next day. I have so many questions left unanswered about back then! I really hope you don't mind me asking!"

"I don't. You can ask me anything tomorrow, since hopefully that will make up for any uneasiness I've caused. Sorry for my attempt..."

He got up and we exchanged hands and information. His affection for me still hasn't changed. He was still that figure of back then who swore to protect me no matter what. Yet, I can't help but think he's completely changed. I don't mean his figure or the way he speaks or the way he acts (more active and open than before though), but it's something even I may fear to touch at.

We parted ways and I returned home. A lightheaded feeling started taking over my consciousness as I showered. After I got out, I put on my sleeping lingerie and grabbed my Twist novel. As I read, the words began clouding up until I fell almost unconscious. Before I ended up falling asleep in my book, I placed it on my tabletop, blew out the candles, and passed out from the sudden heavy fatigue.

Okay, I might have gotten off-tangent from what I see from a lot of the Cantarella PVs, but this chapter is pretty much how I would see it; both Kaito and Miku are childhood friends now reunited after six years officially (but not in that romantic sense... yet, haha), and Kaito's got some tricks up his sleeve to get his way. In a way, it does prolong the story, but there's gonna be some lemon-y parts and some super shocking parts you might expect with some twist (hence it being called "Twisted Cantarella"). Also to the user who commented last chapter, I was typing this up as my own personal story from my 1st person point of view at first, making the main character an artist like me, until I gave up on it lol. Anyway, PLEASE R&R! :)