Oh Moka and Tsukune, can you ever forgive me for having so much fun with making your lives so topsy-turvy?

CHAPTER 18

THINGS GET EVEN MORE COMPLICATED

Gin paced his room, frowning. Who the heck was Prince Fang-Fang, and why was he coming to the castle? Princess Moka was supposed to be his! Well, she had just turned down his marriage proposal without a second's hesitation, but still! Minor details! The point was, he was here first, and Prince Gin would be darned if he just let some other Prince mosey on in and try to take his place! Gin decided then and there that he was going to confront this new Prince and make sure that he knew his place!

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Gin tapped his foot in annoyance as he waited in the main hall with Moka and Kurumu for Prince Fang-Fang to arrive. Where is he? Gin thought. Just as he was about to call it quits and head back to his room, the door creaked open. Gin stood in rapt attention as the servant that was opening the door stepped aside, and Prince Fang-Fang came into view.

Gin was caught off-guard by how…simple he looked. Sure, the white Nehru jacket he was wearing was made of the finest silk, and the red pants of the same material, but it wasn't exactly what Gin expected a Prince to be wearing. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Fang-Fang, it's good to see you again." Moka said, stepping forward and extending her hand. Fang-Fang looked at her outstretched hand for a few moments, then batted it a way and grabbed Moka in a tight hug.

"Silly Moka!" Fang-Fang said, a goofy smile on his face. "You don't have to be so formal around an old friend!" Gin felt his mouth drop at such a blatant act of disrespect. He was so stunned, he could barely even finish a sentence in his thoughts.

What? Huh? Urgh…Guh… Grrrr….How come he gets to do that?

Moka coughed a few times. "Ack…Fang-Fang….Squeezing…too…hard…" Hearing this. Fang-Fang promptly let go and took a step back. Moka coughed a few times to try and regain her dignity, and then turned to Fang-Fang once more. "So, Fang-Fang…why are you here, exactly?"

"Well, you see, your parents found out about the whole Corma thing, and so they sent me to help protect you. Well, they said the kingdom, if you must know, but I'm sure they meant you." Fang-Fang replied.

"How did they find out about….never mind." Moka's eyes hardened. "Fang-Fang, while I appreciate the help, I can protect the kingdom just fine on my own." Fang-fang shrugged.

"That's what I said. But they were insistent." Moka put her head in her hand in a sign of exasperation.

"Fine. You and you're army can stay." Moka conceded. She turned and gestured towards Gin. "I guess I better introduce you. Fang-Fang, this is Prince Gin. He is staying with us for the time being." Fang-Fang strutted over and stuck out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Prince Gin! I'm Prince Fang-Fang, leader if the strongest military in the land!" He boasted. Gin dubiously took the outstretched hand and shook, not sure of what to make of the eccentric Prince.

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Yukari struggled to get a good grip on the pile of wooden planks in front of her. Ever since Tsukune had left to help out in the castle, all of the extra manual labor that had normally been Tsukune's job had fallen to her. Yukari sighed and look around. Since Tsukune had gone to work in the castle, Princess Moka had been true to her word and the taxes had stopped coming for the Aono family. Since they no longer had to forgo repairs in favor of paying the king, they had spent the last month or so repairing their house. It was looking a lot better already; the roof had been re-shingled, and there were no more holes in the walls. Still, there was a lot of work to be done, and sometimes Yukari couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Sweetheart?" Yukari was brought out of her daze by her mother calling her name. Blinking, Yukari focused on her mother's concerned face.

"Yeah, mom?" She asked.

"Are you all right, sweetheart? You've been daydreaming more and more often these past few days."

Yukari sighed. "I guess that I miss Tsukune, mom. It's so weird not having him around!" Her mother frowned.

"I know what you mean; it feels strange not having him here. And your father certainly misses your brother, too." She said, glancing behind her and saw her husband taking a nap. She smiled exasperatedly. "Well, when's he's awake he misses Tsukune." Suddenly, Ms. Aono had an idea. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "Didn't Princess Moka say we could visit?" Yukari nodded, smiling as she realized what her mother was getting at. Yukari nodded excitedly, and her mother smiled. "Why don't we visit tomorrow? It'll be nice to see him again!"

"Yay!" Yukari exclaimed excitedly, leaping around with joy. Mrs. Aono smiled.

"It's settled then; tomorrow, Tsukune gets a surprise visit from his family!"

"Can I go too?" Came a creepy voice that sent shivers up Yukari and her mothers' spines. They looked behind them and saw Mizore's purple-haired head staring at them from behind the nearest tree.

"Um, Mizore, how long have you been there?" Yukari asked.

"Can I come with you to see Tsukune?" Mizore repeated, as usual ignoring Yukari. Ms. Aono sighed, used to being caught off-guard by her son's best friend.

"Sure, Mizore, you can with us."

"Thank you." Came Mizore's frosty reply as she slid behind the tree and disappeared. After waiting a few seconds to make sure that Mizore was gone, Mrs. Aono sighed once more.

"She's a strange girl…"

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If you don't know, a Nehru jacket is the name of the sweater Fang-Fang is always wearing. Also, I didn't realize how hard Fang-Fang is to write for.