Chapter 3: The Orphan and The Prince's Encounter
(Nikki's POV)
I slowly woke up from a dream of marshmallows, lollipops and rainbows. I yawned and rolled onto my side and faced the clock on the nightstand. I couldn't see the time properly so I grabbed my glasses and put them on. I blinked a couple of times then looked at the time. It read 2:15pm. "Oh it's 2:15….HOLY CRAP IT'S 2:15! MIGUEL'S GONNA KILL ME!" I yelled as I jumped out of the bed. I dashed into my room and got out a skirt and a shirt. I then dashed back into Miguel's room again and went into the shower.
When I came out it was 2:45. "Damnit!" I shouted. I take 30-40 minutes in the shower. I don't know why I do. Anyways I put my clothes on and dash into the kitchen. I open the fridge. "Bread, bread. What no bread?" I said as I slammed the fridge door. I grab a glass of water and drop two of my blood tablets in the water. It turned red and I drank it. It tastes disgusting. I don't know why they couldn't inject flavors into it like caramel or pineapples. I put the glass in the sink, dash over to the table, grab my keys and Miguel's blood tablets and dash to the door. I pushed the door but it wouldn't move. "Damnit! Why wouldn't it open?" I thought as I tried a couple more times. Then I remember. "It's pull not push. Oh I forgot" I thought as I pulled the door open. I closed it and locked it. I then started running down the hall. "Miguel's gonna be so mad at me" I thought as I ran down the hall.
(Miguel's POV)
"Damn Nikki. Damn her, damn her, damn her. I am so going to kill her. Damn her, what should I cook for dinner?" I thought angrily as I was walking down the street. I was on my 15-minute break. I was wandering around the markets looking for something I could cook. Most of the food was expensive. And I didn't have a lot of money. I sighed. "Wait, there's spaghetti at home. I can probably cook that tonight" I thought. "Screw Nikki, she'll be dead…maybe" I thought. Me and Nikki have been friends ever since we were little. I still remember when my parents invited them over for the first time.
Flashback
I was sitting in my room twirling one of my arrows through my fingers. I was only 3 years old yet I know how to use a bow and arrow. I know how to shoot an animal and kill it using only one arrow. My dad taught me. It was very easy since I used to play with a slingshot. I put my arrow down and jumped on the bed. I would've jumped up and down on my bed but my mommy doesn't like me doing that ever since I fell off and hurt my arm once. I then glanced out my window to look at the forest. My house is located in the forest. Just a 20-minute walk from the town. I then stared up at the ceiling for awhile. I had no friends and was completely bored. Just then there was a loud knock that made me jolt up into a sitting position. "Come in" I said once I sensed a familiar presence. "Hello sweetie, are you okay?" a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes asked me in a sweet voice. "Yeah, I'm just bored" I answered. The woman just smiled. "Mommy, why are you smiling?" I asked. "Because you will have someone to play with very soon" my mommy smiled. "Huh?" I asked tilting my head in confusion.
"Come with me" she said holding out her hand. I took it and got off my bed. She led me out of my room and into the hallway. We then went down the stairs and turned left and entered the living room. My daddy, who had light black hair and gold eyes, was setting a meat and cheese platter on a small table in front of three couches. One three-seater, one two-seater, and a one-seater that my daddy usually sits in. "Daddy!" I shouted. He turned around and smiled at me. He then got on one knee and held his arms out. I let go of my mommy's hand and ran into my daddy's arms. He wrapped his arms around me, and lifted me off the ground. I laughed as he spun me around in circles. He then sat down on the one-seat couch with me sitting on his lap. "How's my boy?" he asked me ruffling my hair. "Fine but I wanna ask you something. You too mommy" I said. "Well what is it?" my daddy asked.
"Well, I told mommy I was bored and she said I'll have someone to play with soon. What's that about?" I asked looking at my daddy then my mommy. "Our friends are coming over!" my mommy said happily. "You two have friends?" I asked bluntly. "How come I've never seen them?" "Yes, Miguel we have friends. And they were too busy taking care of their-" my daddy said. "Who? Taking care of who?" I shouted interrupting my daddy. "Well they have a daughter who's about a couple months to a year younger than you. We arranged for them to come over today" my mommy said happily. "So, I have to spend my day with a girl I don't even know" I said. "Yup. And you are not going to ditch her. Be friendly. And you might have a friend." My daddy smiled. "Fine" I said as I got off of my daddy's lap. I walked over to the platter and popped a meat cube and a cheese cube into my mouth. "Miguel!" my mommy shouted. I gave her the puppy dog eyes and said in a cute tone "B-But I'm hungry" "You just had a snack 30 minutes ago!" my mommy shouted.
"But I wanna eat lunch but you won't let me!" I shouted/whined stomping my foot. "No, you'll wait until they come!" my mommy shouted. "Listen to your mother, Miguel" my daddy said. I mumbled a fine and turned away. "You're always grumpy when you're hungry" my mommy sighed. "Miguel, don't be like that" my daddy said. I just pouted. A sudden loud knock caused me to flinch. "They're here. Miguel remember be on your best behavior" my mommy said as she went to the door. "Yeah, yeah, be friendly got it" I said. A couple of seconds later I could hear my mommy and two unrecognizable voices saying hi to each other. My mommy came back with a man and a woman. They both had black hair. The man had dark blue eyes and the woman had purple eyes. In the man's arms was a small girl hiding her face in the man's chest. My daddy stood up and shook hands with the man. "Nice to see you again" my daddy said. "Yes, you too it's been so long" the man answered.
"Who's that cutie pie?" the woman said looking at me. I backed away until I bumped into my dad. "This is our son, Miguel" my dad said pushing me forward a bit. "Nice to meet you Miguel. You're so cute!" the woman said kneeling to my level and pinching my cheeks. I squealed and held my cheeks. She stood up again and said "Oh, sorry I couldn't resist. This is our daughter, Nikki" the man who must be her daddy set the girl on her feet. She held onto her daddy's arm but finally let go. She turned around to face me. She had black hair just like her parents but had highlights that were purple. I was surprised that a kid younger than me had highlights. I thought I was the only toddler that had highlights. Anyways she had purple eyes just like her mommy but hers was a deeper shade of purple than her mommy's. She had big glasses on and was looking at me with scared but determined eyes. For what I don't know. I stepped closer to her looking at her. I was only a little taller than her.
"Why don't you take Nikki to your room Miguel?" my mommy asked. "K" I said as I began walking to my room. "Go on Nikki" her mommy said. I entered my room with Nikki following me. I turned around and stared at her. She stared right back at me. We stared at each other for a couple minutes until she spoke up. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked. "Okay…" I said. "Are you a girl or a guy?" she asked. She asked it. I look like a girl because my hair goes a little past my shoulders. "I'm a guy" I answered. "Are you sure?" she asked tilting her head to the side. "Yes, I'm sure" I said through gritted teeth. She then walked around my room. She walked to my toy box and got out a toy truck. She looked at it then threw it over her shoulder. "Hey, what are you doing?" I shouted. She just ignored me. She then looked under my bed and pulled out a box which I kept my art supplies in. She opened it and took out one of the boxes of crayons. She opened it, turned it upside down and all the crayons fell out. Most of them landed in the box but about 5 of them landed on the ground.
"Why'd you do that?" I shouted. I was becoming very annoyed with this girl. Her eyes then wandered to the floor. I followed to where her eyes were looking and saw it. My arrow. Just when she was about to grab it I dived for it and held it away from her. She just stared at me with a shocked/scared expression. Mainly because I was glaring at her. I stood up. She got up too and she moved closer to me. She then reached to grab my arrow but I raised my arm over my head so she couldn't reach it. "Give it to me!" I want to see it!" she shouted reaching up for it. "No, you'll break it!" I shouted. "No, I won't!" she shouted standing on her tip-toes. When she stood on her tip-toes she was actually the same height as me. This made me stand on my tip-toes just so she couldn't reach my arrow.
But I didn't think she would jump. She jumped and almost grabbed my arrow. She jumped again and this time grabbed my arrow. But what she didn't know was that she was standing on a crayon so when she jumped she actually slipped on it and still managed to grab my arrow. Well because she was falling backwards she made my arrow snap. I froze for a moment and watched her fall to the ground with a broken half of my arrow. After I recovered from the shock I glared at her. "YOU BROKE MY ARROW!" I yelled. "I'M FINE THANKS FOR ASKING!" she yelled back. " I DON'T CARE IF YOUR FINE! I REALLY DON'T CARE IF YOUR HURT EITHER" I yelled. "Someone has a temper" she mumbled. "I HEARD THAT! AND I DO NOT HAVE A TEMPER! I'VE TRIED TO BE NICE FOR THE SAKE OF MY PARENTS BUT YOU JUST MESSED UP MY ROOM AND BROKE MY ARROW!" I yelled.
"DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO COME HERE! WHY WOULD I GO TO THE FOREST WHICH IS BORING AND LIVE IN ISOLATION LIKE YOU DO! I BET YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" she yelled at me. I was shocked. She had the nerve to say that the forest is boring and that I didn't have any friends. "OH YEAH, I BET YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS CUZ EVERYONE THINKS YOU'RE A FREAK!" I yelled. Nikki's face softened and she had tears in her eyes. "What is going on in here?" my dad shouted as he, my mommy, Nikki's mommy and daddy appeared in the doorway. "SHE MESSED UP MY ROOM AND BROKE ONE OF MY ARROWS!" I yelled pointing at Nikki. "I'm sorry but she's only 2" her mommy said. "Yes, Miguel she's only 2. She didn't mean it" my mommy said reassuringly. "WHY ARE YOU TAKING HER SIDE?! SHE'S A FREAKY EVIL LITTLE GIRL!" I yelled.
"Miguel! Don't say that!" my mommy shouted. "WELL YOU'RE A DEVIL! I NEVER WANTED TO COME HERE!" Nikki cried as she ran out of my room. "Nikki, come back!" her daddy shouted as he and his wife ran out of my room to find Nikki. "Miguel…." My mommy started. "She broke my arrow mommy" I cried. "It's okay Miguel. You have many arrows" my daddy said reassuringly. He was right. I do have many arrows. It's just that, that girl hurt my feelings a little. "We can't find Nikki anywhere! We think she ran into the forest! My little baby!" her mother cried returning to my room. "Oh my gosh I hope she's not hurt" my mommy said worried. "I'll go look for her" my daddy said. "WAIT!" I shouted just before my daddy left the room. Everyone turned towards me. "I'll go look for her. It's partly my fault she ran away in the first place" I said as I reached for my bow and quiver. "But you might get lost in the forest too" Nikki's mommy said worriedly. "Miguel knows his way in the forest. He won't get lost" my daddy reassured her.
"Well, I'll go look for her. You guys can continue your conversation before me and that Nikki girl interrupted" I said as I left my room. I then left my house and started walking around. I breathed in the smell of pine trees. There were different types of trees in the forest and they were all green. I loved the forest. It's my own personal playground. Me and my parents are the only ones who live in the forest. I come here every day to practice shooting, eat berries, apples, and other things that are edible, and to play…by myself. I soon sensed a presence. And I knew that it had to be that Nikki girl. I moved closer to the presence and started to hear a faint whimper. It came from behind one of the trees. I moved closer and saw the tip of a boot. I slowly moved toward it. I peeked around the tree to see the girl sitting on the ground leaning against the tree, knees to her chest, head buried in her arms. I stepped closer to her. I guess she sensed my presence because she looked up at me. She then got up and tried to run but tripped over a tree root. I did my best not to laugh. But I failed. I couldn't stop laughing. Nikki turned to glare at me. "Stupid you and stupid forest" she mumbled.
That made me stop laughing. "The forest isn't stupid" I said. "That's what you believe" she said. I extended a hand out to her. "What? You're going to pull me up halfway then drop me so you can laugh at me more" she said. "No, I am doing this to be nice" I said. She hesitated then took my hand. I pulled her up and she dusted her clothes. "Are we going back?" she asked. "Nope" I said. Her face changed to confusion. "I'm going to show you that the forest is not stupid and boring" I said in a determined tone as I grabbed her hand and led her to a clearing. I let go of her hand and raised my own hands in the air and started to spin. I smiled. I then stopped to see Nikki on the other side of the clearing. "Why are you all the way over there?" I shouted. "Cuz I don't want random people thinking that I'm with you when your acting like that" she replied. I rolled my eyes and went over to her side.
I took out an arrow from the quiver that was slung on my back. I drew my bow and turned my head to look at Nikki. "Keep your eye on that apple" I said pointing my bow at an apple that was on a high branch on a high tree. "Why?" she asked. "Just wait for it" I said. She sighed and turned to look at the apple. I aimed my bow at the apple and drew my bow. I centered my arrow so that it would pierce through the middle of the apple. I let go of the arrow. It flew and my aim was spot on. It pierced the middle of the apple and the apple fell to the ground. I turned my head to look at Nikki who's mouth was wide open. She turned to look at me with a surprised look. I smiled at her. "How'd you….but it's so…..and you're so…..HUH?" she stuttered. "My daddy taught me. I practice every day. My parents say I'm very skilled at it" I smiled even wider. "You're not very skilled…your very, very, very skilled" Nikki said. I then shot another apple down. "Thanks. I could also draw too" I said as I shot down a third apple.
"What are your talents?" I asked. "Uh….I don't really have any talents" she said. "Come on I know you must have at least one talent. I can tell" I said. "Well….um I can write stories and…..I do gymnastics" she said blushing while looking down. "Gymnastics? Really? Show me" I said as I took a seat on the ground. "Um….I really don't think….I'm not that good….." she said. "Awww come on pretty please" I said putting my clasping my hands together. "Fine" she said as she went to the other side of the clearing. She then put her hands in the air and ran forward. She bent and did a cartwheel, a one-handed cartwheel, a cartwheel with no hands, and what looks like flips. When she finished she was right in front of me. I realized that my mouth was hanging open.
"Wow, your good! No better than good! I didn't know there was such a thing as a no-handed cartwheel. And what was the name of those flips you did?" I gushed. "Oh those are called front handsprings. There are also back handsprings. Same thing but backwards" she said. "Whoa, can you also do the splits?" I asked. "What kind of question is that? The first time I did the splits was when I was 1-year-old. I'll show you" she said. She then slid to the ground with her legs on either side of her. She then got up, put one foot in front of her and one behind her. She sank to the ground again. She then got up. "Wow your really flexible" I said. "I know" she said. "Come on I want to show you something else" I said grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
We arrived at a big hill. "So you dragged me to a big hill" Nikki said in a bored tone. "I brought you here so we can roll down a big hill" I smiled. I saw her eyes brighten. "So you roll down this hill all the time" She asked me. "Sometimes. First one down the hill wins!" I said happily. "You're on!" Nikki said happily as she lied on the ground. I lied on the ground next to her. "Ready, Set, Go!" I shouted. We both started to roll down the hill. When we came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, we were laughing and had grass in our hair. "I win!" Nikki shouted triumphantly. "No, you didn't I won!" I shouted. "That's what you think!" she shouted back at me. We both looked at each other and started laughing again. "There's grass in your hair!" I laughed pointing at her head. "Your hair has grass in it too!" she laughed pointing at my head. "Ha…..ha…..do you want some berries?" I asked. 'Berries? There's berries here?" she asked. "Yup, come with me" I said grabbing her arm and leading her to a couple of bushes.
I bent down and picked a couple of blueberries from the bush. I stood up again and held my hand out to her. "Take some" I said. "A-Are you sure they're not poisonous?" she asked unsure. "Don't worry. They're not poisonous. They're blueberries" I said. She hesitated then took some blueberries out of my hand. She then put them into her mouth and chewed for a while and then swallowed. "Mmmm…..they taste good!" she said happily. "See I told you they're not poisonous" I said. "Well the forest isn't so bad after all" she said. "Really? Yes I finally convinced you! Oh we have to go back to our mommies and daddies must be worried about us" I said. "Oh! Yeah your right! Let's go!" she shouted as she began to run up the hill. "Wait for me!" I called out as I started to run up the hill.
15 minutes later we were back in my house. "Oh thank goodness you two are alright!" my mommy said hugging us both. She let go of us both and Nikki's mommy appeared behind my mommy. "Oh, Nikki your safe! I'm so glad!" her mommy said as she hugged Nikki. "Mommy your crushing me!" Nikki said struggling to breathe. "Oh I'm sorry but me and your daddy was very worried sick about you! Don't ever run away again!" her mommy shouted at her. "Ok I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry daddy" Nikki said sadly. "Me and your mommy forgive you. We're just glad you're safe" Nikki's daddy said. "I'm taking Nikki to my room now" I said. "Oh, you two bonded while you were in the forest. That's why you took so long" my mommy said. "Yeah…." Both me and Nikki said as we left the living room and went into my room.
Nikki began cleaning my room up. "I'm sorry I messed up your room. I don't know why I did that though" she apologized. "It's okay, I forgive you" I smiled. "Hey you wanna draw?" "I'm not good at art" she said embarrassed. "It's okay we'll do it for fun" I said reassuring her. "Okay" she said happily. For the rest of the day we did fun things together like play hide-and-seek and do one of my daddy's jigsaw puzzles. "Nikki, it's time to go" her mommy called out. "Awwwwwwww…" both me and Nikki said. We both stood up and went to the front door where both our parents stood. "Can I stay longer" Nikki asked whining. "Maybe next time we come over you can stay for the night" her mommy said. "Okay…" Nikki said sadly. I was sad that she had to leave. I actually had fun with her. "Bye Nikki" I said sadly. She turned and said to me "Bye Miguel" Our parents said goodbyes to each other. Nikki and her parents walked out the door and me and my parents stood at the door waving. I turned to go back inside when someone shouted "Wait!" I turned back around to see Nikki running towards me. "What?" I asked as she stopped in front of me. "Do you want to be best friends?" she asked happily. "Best friends?" I thought. "Well she is fun. And this might be my only chance to have a friend. A best friend at that fact." "Yes!" I said happily. "Yay, I finally have a friend!" she said excitedly. "Me too!" I said equally excited. "Pinky swear!" Nikki said happily holding out her pinky. I held out mine. "We promise to be best friends forever!" both me and Nikki said as we joined our pinkies together.
End of Flashback
And that's how me and Nikki met….and became best friends. The fact that I can remember what I was thinking and what everyone said on that day is surprising to me. I realized that I was halfway home. "Wow, I walked this far" I thought. I then saw men with steel plate chests. Knights. Today was the day the Knights were checking up on us. I sighed. "Hey look at that guy over there" I heard someone whisper. "Yeah his shirt's ripped" I heard another person whisper pointing at me. "I think he sells his body. I think he's a prostitute" "Yeah, what a slut" "Slut" "Such a slut" I was running now. Away from those people with their words echoing in my ears. They always think I'm a slut because of my work clothes. I saw people looking and pointing at me as I ran. I shut my eyes so I didn't have to see those people looking at me. I kept running until I slammed into something hard. I was knocked off my feet and fell to the ground. I opened my eyes to see a figure standing in front of me. "Are you alright?" the person asked. The deepness of the voice told me that the person was male. "Yeah, I'm okay" I replied. "Here" the male said extending a hand down to me. "Thanks" I said as I took his hand and he pulled me up. I saw that he had orange hair and orange eyes. He was tall. I looked down to see that he had a steel chest plate. That was what I slammed into. My eyes widened. "He's a knight. Oh shit!" I thought. I backed away from him. I turned around and dashed away. "I hope he doesn't follow me. That would be bad for the club" I thought as I ran.
(Orange-haired guy's POV)
That boy with the gold eyes bumped into me and just ran away. I can understand the reason why he ran. It's because I'm a Knight. Most people fear us Knights. I was about to walk away when I saw a glint of something. I looked down to see a pair of keys on a key ring. I bent down and picked it up. "That boy must've dropped it when he fell. I could still catch his scent. Maybe if I hurry and follow him I could return his keys to him" I thought as I started running in the same direction he ran in.
(Miguel's POV)
I finally made it to the club. I was breathing really hard so I had to catch my breath. When I got my breath back I entered the club. I took my usual place, behind the bar counter. It was 4:00. One more hour then I can leave. I'm glad I'm the only one here because I just realized that instead of a 15-minute break I took a 45-minute. "All because of that long flashback and that Knight" I thought. A picture of him flashed through my head. I buried my head in my arms. "Why am I thinking about him?" I asked myself. "Hey you" a voice said. I recognized the voice. I looked up to see the Knight I bumped into standing on the other side of the counter. "Oh crap he followed me! Now he's going to tell the King about the club!" I thought sadly. "Uh…..this is not a club!" I shouted. "You dropped your keys. And I can see this is a club with a bar" the orange-haired guy said holding out my keys. "Oh thanks" I said taking my keys back. "Please don't tell any other Knights or the King about this place!" I said bowing my head.
The Knight just stared at me. "T-This job means a lot to me. So I can pay my rent and buy food!" I shouted. "Well if it means so much to you then I won't tell anyone" he said. "T-Thank you" I said raising my head. "My name's Akatsuki Kain" he said. "Miguel Della Rosa" I said. "So you're here all by yourself" he asked. "Yeah, my friend was supposed to come but she hasn't shown up yet" I said. "Then I'll stay with you until she comes then" he said. "Y-You d-don't need to!" I said. "But you'll be all alone here" he said. "I get off at 5. I'll probably see her at home" I said. "She lives with you? Are you two a couple?" he asked me. "NO!" I yelled. "She just lives with me because she doesn't have a home and we're both orphans!" I shouted. "So you rent an apartment? And your both orphans? How old are you?" he asked. "15" I answered. "I was just wondering how'd you become an orphan? It's okay if you don't want to tell me" he said. "No I don't mind" I said. The way my parents died was tragic.
Flashback
I was trying to sleep but the thunder and lightning kept me up. I pulled my blanket over my head. The thunder and lightning still continued. I put my hands to my ears and curled into a ball in an attempt to block the noise out. Which didn't work. I was becoming more and more frightened by the thunder and lightning. I crawled out from under my blanket and jumped off the bed. I entered the hallway and stopped at a door. I quietly opened it and tiptoed inside. I shut the door behind me. I went up to the bed and climbed on. I crawled under the blankets and made my way to the top of the bed. I wedged myself between two people who were sleeping. "Miguel, what are you doing here?" my mommy asked. "I'm scared. I wanna sleep with you guys" I said. "Okay you can sleep with us" my daddy said. "Thank you" I said as I snuggled into my parents arms. About an hour later when I finally fell asleep I was woken up by my mommy. "Mommy? Why'd you wake me up?" I asked rubbing my eyes. "We might be in danger" my mommy said worriedly. "W-What?" I asked. I turned to see my daddy peering out the window. The thunder and lightning still continued. I covered my ears in fear. My mommy hugged me as I started shaking. There was another low rumble and a flash of white in the far distance. "This thunder and lightning storm is still going" my daddy said. Another rumble. A flash of white. This time I saw it from the sky. "Wait where'd the lightning hit?" I thought.
Just then I heard a crack coming from above me. Me and my parents looked up at the ceiling. I could see a crack forming. "It must've hit our house" I thought. Everything happened in a flash. I was pulled away from the bed just as a piece of the ceiling fell. I looked back to see the ceiling piece that fell on fire. The fire spread to the bed and gave the room an orange glow. My eyes widen in terror and fear. The fire quickly overtook the bed and most of the walls and was coming towards us. "We need to get out of here! Now!" my daddy shouted as he grabbed my mommy's hand. My mommy picked me up with her other hand and she and my daddy ran out of the room. When we were in the hallway we were shocked. The fire had already spread to the hallway. The walls were already starting to collapse. "Go now!" my daddy shouted as he pulled us along. A small fire landed on my daddy's hand. "Ow!" he said holding his hand. "Are you okay?" my mommy said worriedly. "Daddy!" I cried. "I'm all right. The fire's catching up to us. We have to run" my daddy said.
At that my parents began to run. A piece of a flaming ceiling fell onto my mommy's arm. The arm that got burnt was the one that was holding me. She screamed in pain as I fell to the ground. I rolled about a meter away from them. I looked up to see them running to me. Flaming structures that supported the house fell in front of them blocking their path to get to me. "Mommy! Daddy!" I shouted as I sprang up. "Don't come near!" my daddy shouted. More of the structure fell between us. "It's too dangerous. You'll have to get out of here" my daddy said. "B-But what about you guys?" I asked. My parents looked around. The fire was enclosing…fast. "You'll have to leave us" my daddy said sadly. "W-What? NO! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU GUYS!" I yelled. "You have no choice" my mommy said sadly. "NO! YOU'RE MY MOMMY AND DADDY! I DON'T CARE IF I DIE I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU!" I cried. "No, you will leave. You have to. We want you to live your full life to the fullest" my mommy said. "NO! NOT WITHOUT YOU GUYS!" I yelled. "Miguel, promise us you will live on with your life in happiness" my daddy said as more of the structure began falling between us. I knew in my heart that they won't be coming out alive. "I promise" I said looking them in the eye. "You have to go" my daddy said. I nodded my eyes filling with tears. "We will always love you. Never forget that" my mommy said. I nodded once again. I made a heart with my hands at them and turned and ran. I stopped briefly to turn back and look at them. They were hugging each other, looking at me with tears in their eyes. They smiled at me…..just before the flaming ceiling fell on them.
What I saw just then…shattered me. I turned and ran screaming with tears pouring from my eyes. I tripped and fell to the floor. Small flames jumped onto my pajama pants and started burning holes into it. I screamed in pain as the flames started burning my legs. I struggled to get up and I started running again but slower because of the pain that was shooting up my legs. I managed to burst through the front door just before the flames swallowed me like how it swallowed my parents. I collapsed onto the grass and watched helplessly as my house burned to the ground. More tears streamed down my face as I thought of my parents being burned to death. "MOMMY! DADDY! WHY?" I yelled into the night sky.
End of Flashback
I had tears running down my cheeks from the memory. "I was only 7" I whispered. I hid my eyes behind my bangs because I didn't want Kain to see me crying. I felt arms wrap around me. I looked up to see Kain leaning over the counter hugging me. "I'm so sorry that happened" he said pressing my body closer to his. I was still crying and gripping his shirt. "I could tell that you haven't moved on yet" Kain said. He was right. I haven't moved on. I would lie awake most nights remembering the fire. "I just can't let it go" I said sniffing. "Didn't your parents want you to move on, live life to your fullest?" he said. ""Miguel, promise us you will live on with your life in happiness" This was they're dying wish. For me to live on even without them. "Yes, they did" I said. "Well shouldn't you?" he asked. I thought about this for a moment. I did promise my parents I would. And 8 years later I still haven't fulfilled let alone start the fulfilling the promise. Maybe Kain was right. I should move on and live life to the fullest. I pulled away from Kain smiling at him. "Thank you for comforting me and helped me realize that I should move on" I smiled. "You're welcome. I got to go now I have to patrol. Bye" he said walking to the exit. "Bye!" I called out as he left. I sighed as I began to get my bag and keys. It was finally 5:00. I left the club and locked it. I then began to walk home.
About half an hour later I was home. And Nikki was nowhere in the apartment. I sighed and collapsed onto the couch. "Live life to the fullest…..how should I start?" I asked myself out loud. I looked down to my legs and got an idea. I sat up and rolled up each of my pant legs and stared at the burns on my legs. "Maybe I should start with these burns" I thought smiling as I got up and went to my room.
(Nikki's POV)
I was walking behind buildings back to the apartment carrying 4 bags of groceries. "Ah Damnit Miguel's probably back there. Preparing to scream his head off at me" I thought. I was carrying groceries I got so he can probably not go all out on me. Hopefully. "These are so freaking heavy. Why'd I have to take so much?" I thought. I passed by an old abandoned playground. Me and Miguel used to play here when he came into town with his parents. Ever since that devil man took place as King the parents were too scared to let their kids go to the playground because they were afraid that the Knights would take them away. Because of that the playground started wearing down and such. "These are so heavy! But I'm almost there" I thought.
(Takuma's POV)
"Why does there have to be Knights all over the place?" I thought as I entered one of the back alleyways. It took a couple hours for me to make it to this point. Because there where Knights on almost every corner of the main street. So that was a bust. It was 5 now. Only about 3 and a half hours. That sucks. "I think I'll run. Maybe that will get me to Kaname's house faster" I thought. I started running. "I'm almost there now!" I thought happily as I ran faster.
(Nikki's POV)
I was still walking. I'm just about 15 minutes away. I began to walk faster. "The sooner I get there the sooner I can put down these bags" I thought. I was passing one of the back alleyways when I was crashed into and knocked to the ground with the groceries flying up into the air.
(Takuma's POV)
I think I crashed into someone. One minute I'm running the next I'm on the ground. My body aches from where I crashed into that person full on. "Please let this be a dream" I thought.
(Nikki's POV)
"Damn that person!" I thought angrily. That person made me drop the groceries and make my body hurt. At least the groceries are okay. I look to my left to see the carton of milk with its white contents forming a white puddle around the carton. "Damn that person….again!" I thought. I slowly sat up and looked around. I looked at the destroyed groceries on either side of me. I noticed there was a hat and sunglasses. Probably belonged to the person who crashed into me. I looked toward that person who was already sitting up rubbing his forehead. He had blonde hair. Wait blonde hair?! That shade looks familiar. My heart began beating really, really fast. "No, it can't be. It can't be him!" I thought. He moved his hand and opened his eyes. Emerald green. "Oh shoot!" I thought. My worst nightmare came true. I was staring at him. The guy with blonde hair and green eyes. Known as…the prince of Shadow Grove.
(Takuma's POV)
I moved my hand away from my face to see a girl staring at me. She kept on staring at me and I began to feel nervous. "Why does she keep staring at me? It's making me feel weird" I thought nervously. Still staring at me. I was about to ask her why she was staring when I noticed a pair of sunglasses beside her. "Oh she has a pair of sunglasses that look like mine. Wait a second she wears glasses why does she have sunglasses…wait another second those are my sunglasses!" I thought. "Damn it…..well at least I still have my hat on my head…..wait I see it on the other side of her….damn it!" This is bad. Very bad. My disguise fell off and now I'm exposed. The worst part is there's a girl across from me knowing that I'm the prince. "What am I supposed to do now?"
(Nikki's POV)
I could not believe that the prince was sitting across from me. That meant he was the one who crashed into me and made me drop my groceries. I now have 2 more reasons to hate him. I was still staring at him seeing what his next move will be. He looked at me and then glanced at the hat and sunglasses that were on either side of me. I then knew what his next move. He lunged for his hat and sunglasses but I pulled it away from his reach. He lost his balance on his knees and fell onto his face. "Pssh…Your such a failure" I said. He looked up at me with a sad face. "Oh shoot I said that out loud" I said. He was still looking at me. "Can you please stop staring at me!" I shouted. "I should be saying that to you" he answered. "What's with your tone?" I shouted. "Actually it's you with the tone" he answered. "Stop doing that!" I shouted. "Stop doing what?" he said. "Doing all that!" I shouted pointing at him. "Your confusing" he whined as he reached for his hat and sunglasses. I pulled it away from his reach again. "Why won't you give me my hat and sunglasses back?" he asked. "Cuz you crashed into me and made me drop me groceries that's why!" I shouted pointing at the groceries that were on the ground. "Oh, oops I'm sorry…" he said grinning sheepishly. "I know that sorry is fake" I said. He looked at me and said "That wasn't a fake sorry" "Yes, it was you're just like your grandfather!" I shouted. This seemed to make him mad. "I am not like my grandfather! I wouldn't torment people like that!" he shouted angrily. "Yeah sure" I said sarcastically. "See now you believe me!" he said happily. "That was sarcasm smart one!" I shouted. The frown came back. "Your rude" he said angrily. "Yeah while you're an egomaniac!" I shouted. "I'm not an egomaniac!" he shouted clearly frustrated and angrily. I just rolled my eyes at him. He stood up and offered a hand to me. I ignored his hand and got up on my own. "I was going to help you up" he said. "I don't want your help" I said.
I was about to walk away when he grabbed my arm. 'Let go of me!" I shouted. "Um….I'll give you money so you can go buy back your groceries" he said. "No! I don't want your money! Your just doing that so you can be forgiven!" I shouted. "No, I'm doing this because it's my fault" he said. "Yeah it is your fault. And why are you even here? The goody-two shoes prince trying to do something bad" I said. "I'm not a goody-two shoes! I sneak out of the castle everyday!" he said. He then covered his mouth as if he wasn't supposed to say that. "You know if you're really bad you wouldn't wear a disguise when you're out in town. Your just a prince who can't even do something bad!" I shouted. He didn't reply. He just looked around the corner into the alleyway he came from. He then looked back at me and said "Shhhh" "No! Just because you're the prince I don't have to listen to you!" I shouted. The nerve of this guy! "Shhhh the Knights are there" he said pointing down the alleyway. "I don't care! Maybe the knights can escort you, the PRINCE back to the castle where you belong because you obviously don't belong here!" I shouted. "I mean it they're there! Please be quiet!" he whispered pleadingly. "NO! STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO! I CAN TALK AS LOUD AS I CAN CUZ I-" I started yelling but was interrupted by an arm going around my waist and pulling me closer to him. He covered my mouth with his other hand and stood behind a building corner. I was struggling to get out of his grip but his grip was strong. Too strong to break out of. So instead I stomped on his foot. The result of that was him gripping me a little harder. "Damn that didn't work!" I thought angrily. I then felt my cheeks grow hot and realized that I was blushing. "Why the hell am I blushing?" I asked myself. I then heard a couple of the Knights talking. "Hey I think I just heard someone say that Prince Takuma was out here" one Knight said. "Don't be an idiot. Prince Takuma would never sneak out of the castle" another said. "Yeah I your right. What was I thinking?" Both of the Knights started laughing. "So I guess he really did sneak out" I thought.
Takuma peeked out from the corner into the alleyway to see if they were still there. He then let go of me and I whirled around to face him. "WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled at him. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" "You wouldn't be quiet and I didn't want to be caught….." he said averting his eyes from me. I glared at him. He turned to look at me with a faint blush on his face. His blush darken into a medium red. I was wondering why he was blushing when my cheeks grew hotter. "Why am I still blushing?" "Um…..w-what's your name?" he asked me. "N-None of your b-business" I stuttered. "O-Okay…" he blushed. We stood there for a couple minutes before he walked to me. "I'm really sorry for crashing into you" he said bowing his head. I noticed something in his jacket pocket. I stepped closer to him and reached into his pocket and pulled the thing out without him noticing. It was a container. I opened it to see a star-shaped bread with chocolate chips in it. "Oh this looks good" I thought. Takuma raised his head to see me holding the container. He looked into his jacket and looked back at me "How'd you-?!" he asked pointing at the container. I just remained silent. "Does this taste good?" I asked him. "You can have it if you want" he said. "Really?" I asked him. "Yeah, you look thin" he said poking my stomach. "Hey what the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted pushing him away. "Ah, sorry" he said picking up his hat and putting it on his head. He then picked up his sunglasses and out them on his face. "Bye" he said flashing me a smile as he walked away. I was left standing there with a blush still on my face. "AHHHHH WHY AM I STILL BLUSHING?!" I yelled in my head.
(Takuma's POV)
I was still thinking about that girl. That girl with the purple streaks in her hair. With those deep purple eyes behind those glasses. She looked so cute. Wait am I calling her cute? Why am I doing that? I reached Kaname's front door and knocked on it. A brown-haired male with wine colored eyes answered the door. "Hi Kaname!" I said happily. "Ah hi Takuma. Come in" Kaname said standing to the side to let me in. "Thank you" I said as I entered his house. We were the same height and the same age. He's been my best friend ever since we were little. I took my hat, sunglasses and jacket off and hung them up. I took a seat on the couch as Kaname sat beside me. "You took a long time getting here" Kaname said. "Yeah I know. Where's Yuki-chan?" I asked looking around. "She's out with her boyfriend. My parents are on a date night so I'm alone in the house" he answered. Kaname had a younger sister named Yuki. She had a boyfriend, Zero Kiryu. He made her very happy from what I heard from Kaname. "Oh okay" I smiled. "How's life so far?" he asked. "Same old routine. I'm happy I'm here because I'm so free" I said happily stretching my arms. "Yeah…..Now I want to know why you took so long" Kaname said. "Well you know the Knights are out today" I said. "Today you took longer than usual when the Knights are out. Why?" he asked. I flinched. "Well I crashed into this girl and yeah….." I said. An image of her flashed into my mind. But this time she was in a white dress with angel wings with a halo over her head and smiling. Then another image of her flashed into my mind. She was wearing a purple sundress that matched her eyes and highlights. Her black waist-length hair was fluttering in the soft breeze. She was standing in a garden full of flowers in different shades of purple.
"Hello? Hello? Earth to Takuma? Your laughing in a creepy tone…..and also drooling" Kaname said pointing at my mouth. I realized he was right. I was drooling. I quickly wiped my drool with my sleeve and felt myself blush slightly. "Wait a second….you have a crush on that girl" Kaname smiled. 'Wha? N-No. I-I don't" I stuttered. "What's her name?" Kaname asked. "Uh…she didn't tell me. She doesn't like me. I think it's because I'm the prince" I answered. "Tell me what she looks like. I know who everybody is" he said. It's true Kaname knows everybody in town. Even though he's never met most of them. "Okay…well she has purple highlights-" I started. "Nikki Luna" 'W-What?" I asked. "Nikki Luna. That's her name. Nikki Luna" Kaname said. "Oh do you know anything about her?" I asked. "Um…well she's a thief" he started. "She steals stuff?" I asked. "Yeah….she is mainly seen with her friend Miguel Della Rosa and she's an orphan" Kaname said. "She is? What happened to her parents?" I asked. "I don't know. That's all I know about her" he said. "Oh" I said. "So she has no parents just like me" I thought. "Hey when do you have to leave?" he asked me. "Mmm…about 8:30- 8:45ish" I said. "Good now I can finally take you somewhere that I've always wanted to take you but you always leave before we have the chance" he said getting up from the couch. "Where are we going?" I said getting up myself. "The club" he said as he threw my jacket, hat and sunglasses in my direction. "There's a club?" I said catching my stuff. "Yeah and I'm going to take you there right now since you can stay for a bit longer" he said as he put his shoes on. "Oh okay" I said putting my jacket, hat and sunglasses on. "Come on let's go" he said opening the door and walking out. "Okay" I said following him out the door. He locked it and we began walking down the street. "I wonder what the club looks like" I thought curiously.
(Nikki's POV)
It was dusk when I finally arrived in front of the apartment. I took the elevator to the 10th floor and stood outside Miguel's door. "Better prepare for him to yell at me" I thought. I took out my keys, unlocked the door, and entered. I closed the door and locked it behind me. I turned around and saw him sitting on the couch. He turned to look at me and smiled at me. "Nikki your back! I'm so happy!" he said happily. I was dumbfounded. I thought he was going to be yelling at me because he'd always do that right when I walk through the door when I didn't do what he wanted. But he was smiling and it creeped me out a bit. "Are you okay? Did you beat up Aido? Or got bit by a strange bug?" I said. "No, no" he said shaking his head still smiling. He got up and walked towards me. I noticed that he was wearing shorts which made the burns on his legs show. I was shocked. Because ever since his parents died he swore that he'd never wear shorts again. "Y-Your wearing shorts!" I said pointing at his shorts. "Why? I thought you said you'd never wear shorts again" "Well, I felt like I needed a new start….well for my legs that is. To start off" he smiled looking down at his legs. "What's this about a new start?" I asked clearly surprised. He just laughed. "Come on I'll make us some pasta for dinner" he said as he went into the kitchen. I was practically still standing at the door with my mouth wide open. "Aren't you going to sit down. Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes" he said as he poked his head out of the kitchen. "Uh…okay" I said sitting on the couch.
30 minutes later Miguel called out "Dinner's ready!" in a happy tone. He is creeping me out….seriously. "Are you sure your okay?" I asked as he emerged from the kitchen carrying two plates of spaghetti. "Yes, I am" he said placing a plate in front of me. He sat beside me and started to eat. He looked over at me. "Where'd you get that?" he asked pointing at the container. "Oh, you'd never believe me" I said. "Come on tell me" he said. "Mmm, well I was carrying a couple bags of groceries when someone crashed into me and it turned out to be the prince" I started. Miguel looked at me with disbelief. "And well I took this out of his pocket and he said I can have it" I finished. "Are you sure that was the prince? Maybe you were hallucinating" Miguel said. "No, I wasn't! Open the container and see what kind of bread it is" I said giving him the container. He took it, opened it, and his jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God. You really meet him. Wait a second he crashed into you. Are you hurt?" he said looking at my arms and legs. "I'll kill him if your hurt!" "I'm not hurt" I said taking the container back. "Wait what was he doing in town?" he asked. "He said he snuck out and he always sneaks out everyday" I said. "Did he do something perverted to you?" he asked narrowing his eyes. "No…" I said. "He did! What did he do?" he asked angrily. "He touched my waist…" I said turning away. "He's going to die!" he shouted angrily stabbing his fork into a meatball. "Then you'll be arrested and probably killed" I said. "Yeah…..can we eat the bread?" he said staring at the bread.
"Yes" I said ripping half of it and giving it to him. His eyes lit up and began eating it. "It tastes so good! Try it!" he said happily. I picked up the other half and bit piece of it. And I'm glad I did. Miguel was right. It did taste good. So good. "See! It does! If you see him again and he's walking around with food, take it!" he said. "I thought you were going to kill him" I said. "That's if I see him" he said. "Okay whatever" I said. "Hey after we're done eating let's go to the club" he said happily. There's that happy tone again. "Yeah, I feel like going. What's the theme for this week?" I asked. "Lasers" he answered. "Ooooo that sounds so cool! Now I really wanna go!" I said bouncing on the couch. "Then hurry up and eat then go change cuz your clothes are dirty" he said looking me up and down. "Fine" I said. After 15 minutes I finally finished my food. "You always take a long time to eat" he said. "I know. I'll go change" I said getting up and walking to my room. 10 minutes later I came back out to see Miguel waiting by the door. "Finally! Now can we go?" he said impatiently. "Yup let's go!" I said happily as I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Miguel followed and locked the door and walked beside me. "Yay we're going to see lasers!" I said happily. "Now to start living my life to the fullest!" he said happily. "Huh?" I said. "N-Nothing" he smiled. I was about to ask again but I decided to drop it. I am so excited. "I can't wait till I get to the club so I can see all the colored lasers!" I thought happily as me and Miguel entered the elevator.