A/N: Sooooo. I was in the mood for another installment of Hikari Hikuru. In this part, we learn a little bit of Shinji's (made up, of course) past.

Oh, and to LuckyTigger: I LURVE you, always reviewing and junk. So thanks so much! ILY!

Hikari Hikuru (part 3)

It was Hikari's fourth night at the castle when Himitsu came into the princess's room with a grim look on her face. She avoided the Princess's eyes, fiddling with her fingers.
"What is it?" Hikari asked the blonde-haired girl. Her cyan eyes shook with terror. She breathed in.
"Prince Shinji has requested your appearance at the rose garden tonight." Himitsu swallowed hard and left the room that was drenched in an awkward atmosphere. The Princess stood terrified. She bit her lower lip in thought. The prince wanted to see her.
Hikari sighed and walked to the closet that had been prepared for her. Grimly, she pulled out a dazzling dress that was decorated by swirls of ribbons, but deciding that it was too flashy for her, put it back and pulled out a simple dark blue dress that was flowing and simply beautiful. Without the help of the usual maids, she slipped it over her head, letting the silk brush across her porcelain skin. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and decided, in honor of her "date" tonight (she shuddered at the thought of that) she pulled the golden clips out of her midnight hair. She took the white brush off of the wooden vanity by her large bed. She ran it through her blue hair and swept her hair behind her back, so her face could be seen. In her entourage of blue, she kissed the pokeball housing her best friend and left the room.
Of course, she needn't get ready, seeing as her appearance with the Prince wasn't until tonight, but she couldn't stand the thought of sitting in her room all day, so she prepared early and decided to wander around the large castle.
Once she left the familiar hallway, she heard soft whispering from behind a closed door. Leaning into the door she heard the familiar voice of Reiji.
"I wonder what why the Prince requested the presence of the princess." He whispered.
"I-I really don't know." Hikari's eyes widened as she recognized Himitsu's voice. "But, I'm worried for the Princess. I mean, I fear that the Prince will hurt the kind Princess's spirit. Her soul is so pure ignorant of the darkness that embodies the Prince. She is so innocent and caring. And with what the Prince has been through, we know he will never trust someone like her." Himitsu whispered.
"I know." Reiji sighed. "Let's go prepare the dinner."
Before she could register what she just heard, Hikari raced away from the door and into the next hallway. Completely lost, the Princess wondered around. Turning another corner, the Princess found herself in a dead end, with only a large wooden door in her way.
Curiosity speared her mind, and without much thought she reached out for the dusty handle. Turning it, the door creaked, and the old door opened. Looking around, Hikari entered the dust-filled room. Inside were piles and piles of boxes. Standing on her tiptoes, Hikari pulled the top box off of the pile nearest her.
Setting it on the floor caused dist to billow around the Princess, but she carried on with her curiosity-filled task. Sealing the box closed was a piece of old yellowed paper. Plucking the paper off, she dusted off the surface until words could be made out.
"To never be opened without the consent of the Prince." she read out loud. Chuckling, she set the warning aside and opened the box.
To her surprise, everything inside was well kept, contrasting sharply with the dirty outside. At the surface of the pile was what appeared to be a photo album. She pulled out the album and opened to the first photo.
There were two people, probably about the age of six. They were standing in front of an old winding tree, roses around their feet. One of the kids was a young girl with long black hair and bright green eyes. Her little arms were rapped around a boy who was smiling. He had onyx eyes and purple hair. The Princess recognized the boy as Shinji. Smiling softly, she turned the page. There again was a the Prince and the mysterious girl in the rose garden. She flipped the pages until the scenery changed. Now, the kids were older, maybe ten. Shinji was holding the girl's hand, sitting on the edge of a fountain. In the next picture, the girl was pushing Shinji into the fountain, and in the next picture, Shinji was soaking wet, hair in his eyes, a large grin on his face. In the next set of pictures, the couple was older. Probably fifteen, a year younger than the Prince and Hikari were currently. The two were perched in the twisting tree pictured in the first photo. The girl was leaning in, lips puckered, and Shinji looked completely terrified.
Looking for more, she turned the page, only to find the back of the photo album. She set the album aside and returned to the box. There was a stack of papers, all bearing fancy script. Reaching behind the papers, her hands met something square. Pulling out the mysterious box, Hikari found a small glass box in her hands. On the white box were swirling patterns of sakura blossoms. The box was dainty and had gold trim. Opening it, she was surprised by a beautiful tune. The box was emitting a soft song that filled Hikari with peace. Inside the box was a locket in the shape of a sakura flower. Hikari tried to open the locket, but found it locked. Turning the locket on its backside, she encountered a small lock. Sighing she placed the music box back to its original place and put the note back on top. She perched back on her tiptoes and slid the box back unto the top of the stack.
Exiting the room reluctantly, she made way back for her bedroom. Once inside, Hikari, now determined, threw the blue dress off and proceeded to her closet. Behind all the gorgeous dresses was one pair of dark blue jeans and one pink blouse. Pulling on the jeans, she smiled to herself. Her plan was risky, and she was terrified, but she was determined. Once dresses, she brushed her hair into a ponytail and pulled some black boost over her skinny jeans. Checking the regal clock by her bed, she hurried out the door, determined to get to the rose garden before the Prince.
Running through the halls, she only hoped her plan would work.
~o0o~
Hikari stared up at the tall twisting tree, hands on her hips. Smiling, she grabbed hold of the first branch and hoisted herself up. Climbing the tree was slow work, but eventually, she reached her desired branch.
She sighed, and made herself comfortable, waiting for the Prince. She rested her head in the crook of a branch, and yawned. Soon enough, her eyelids grew heavy, and she had a hard time staying awake.
She was about the drift off the sleep, when she heard a dark chuckle from above her.
"Are you really going to sleep when I've requested your presence?" A snide voice hissed.
Looking up, Hikari spotted the Prince sitting a couple branches above her. His face was cold, and very expressionless.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"I, uh." Hikari was at a loss of words. She didn't think this was going to happen, not at all. She never expected the Prince to be in the tree. She never expected to be in trouble for this.
"You have no business being in this tree. This tree has history, a history that you are not a part of." The Prince stated.
"I'm sorry." the Princess mumbled. "I-I didn't know." She was close to tears, and when she chanced a look at the Prince, the tears spilled down her pale cheeks.
"Crying is pathetic." Shinji scorned.
Hikari chocked on more tears and climbed down the tree. Once she was on the ground, she ran off, leaving the glaring Prince in the tree.