Hello once again~! I wanna give my thanks for those people who had the time to read this crappy story [xD]. I also want to give my deepest gratitude to Watanabe Yu (Guest), Pudina, Guest and HarukaShirononono for leaving your comments. Last but not the least, if there are any Rein x Shade fans out there that's reading this, I wanna commend you for continuing to read this fanfiction even though it's not your OTP. Cheers to you, and all of you readers! Please enjoy!

CHAPTER 3: I Like This Side Of You Too…

Rein, Bright, Auler and Sophie (along with Poomo) were hiking a steep hill on one of the various valleys of the Wind Kingdom. More often than not, a strong gust of wind will pass and Sophie has to lean against Auler for support. This is also true for Rein who has to grip Bright's waist to keep her from being thrown away. Poomo, on the other hand is always caught by Rein before the wind carries him off.

"The Sky Flower grows on the tallest mountain in the planet – Mt. Breeze. However to get there, we need to hike on foot and not use our balloons because the wind is strong enough to take it down," Auler explained.

"Why go to such lengths – pumo?" Poomo asked as another angry wind swept by, "Any flower would do the job! The thought is important enough – pumo!" he lectured.

"No!" Sophie interjected as she shielded her eyes from the dirt that was being blown in her direction, "It shouldn't be just any flower. Altezza deserves a flower that's hard to find and definitely hard to get!"

"Just like her," Bright whispered, amused with the analogy he made.

They continued to walk around like that until they found a clearing where the trees could serve as a shield to the raging winds. On their front, three caves loomed. No one could tell apart the one from the other, just that one is facing right, the other left and one at the middle. All of the caves promised scary obstacles once they are inside.

"I'll take the left," Sophie declared while she dragged Poomo with her.

"W – wait a minute!' the fairy struggled, "I need to protect Princess Rein – pumo!" he shouted but the duo was already inside the cave.

"I'm going to the right" Auler said.

Bright and Rein looked at each other, "Middle cave?"

"Yup. The middle cave…"

They started to walk towards it when Rein suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she said as she continued her steady steps, "I just remembered Fine. She always acts so cheery and happy but she actually gets scared easily."

The prince laughed. His laughter were like ringing bells in Rein's heart, resounding and echoing throughout her body, making her giddy and embarrassed at the same time.

"Really? I can't imagine her that way…"

"Well, she is," Rein looked at the stony ground, "I…I'm worried for her. I know she said she'll be okay and you said she'll be better but still…"

He suddenly took her hand which surprised Rein but she didn't let go. For some reason, his touch made her feel more safe… she felt that she was protected even if there wasn't any imminent danger in the area. The warmth was enveloping her with so many sentences that were not spoken and somehow his hand that was calloused from learning sword fighting fits perfectly in hers.

Wait… calloused hands?

Why didn't she notice it before?

She smiled as she held his hand tighter. This hand is not merely a hand of a dancer… it was of a fighter's too.

"The sooner you find that flower, the sooner you come back to her," he promised.

"Y-yeah."

The cave was getting deeper and darker. The only sound that can be heard was the constant drip, drip, drip of the water from the ceiling. Rock formations from both above and below (respectfully called as stalactites and stalagmites) were obstructing their path and Bright had to feel for them before pulling Rein in one particular direction. His eyes were straining to get a glimpse of light and his ears were perking up to the sounds of the wind. All this time, he held Rein's hand.

He was grateful for the darkness that was concealing his blushes.

"Just a bit more," he said, "I can hear the wind coming from one of the tunnels so there has to be an exit or some kind of open area."

"Okay," Rein replied. After a while, he heard her say, "Hey Bright-sama… what decided you to help Auler?"

The prince of the Jewelry Kingdom smiled and answered, "To help a friend of course. Well, that and because I can see how much he loves my sister," he pondered for a heartbeat and then added, "And to have an excuse to leave the palace."

"Leave the palace?" her voice was laced with curiosity, "Why?"

Bright chuckled, "Is it that really unheard of?"

"It's unusual, especially for you to leave without any reason – What I mean is… to leave just because you feel like it," Rein countered.

"Ah… well… being a prince is tiring. I love my kingdom of course and I'll gladly accept any duties but it's nice to take a break once and a while. I don't need to pressure myself or else I'll be conquered up by the darkness again," the last statement was meant as a joke but he was surprised when Rein held his hand tighter.

"Don't… say those kind of things, please," her worried tone made him stop in his tracks, "I may be brave in some things but I can't handle it when someone precious to me is in trouble. Poomo, Fine, you or anyone else in that manner."

"I'm sorry;" he apologized, "That was a bad joke."

"Really bad," Rein agreed, "It wasn't even funny."

"Please forget about it," the prince said as he stepped into the light of a more less-dangerous part of the cave. As he guided Rein towards him, the light fell down upon her. She was like a maiden coming out from the shadowy realm. A comforting beacon for the lost souls. His light when darkness swallowed him.

Her sky-blue hair was a little messy and he fought down the urge to tuck a strand behind her ear. Those sea green eyes met his and he felt like he was drowning on them. And then she smiled… he was at lost for words.

"No," Rein said, "I won't forget this moment. How you tried to cheer me up with an awful joke and told me about your feelings on being a prince. I like this part of you too!" she said without thinking.

Bright made a heartfelt expression. He's been unraveled by Rein in a matter of moments and found himself wanting to learn more about her too. The princess however, just realizing what she said, blushed a deep shade of red.

"You always seem to understand me more than anyone else," he whispered.

"Did you say something Bright-sama?"

"I was just wondering where that flower could be," he lied.

Rein looked upwards and pointed at one of the rocks, "Could that be it?'

The flower that jutted out of it was like a cloud. Its fluffy petals puffing out proudly and it's white color standing out in the gloomy cave. So this was the Sky flower.

Fine and Shade were already in and out in five different bakeshops. The two were always thought to be a couple until Fine waves her hand and tell the owner that, "No, no… He's just my friend," and then proceeds on buying whatever sweets she wanted even though she promised the boy that it'll be her treat as a reward for saving her. Not surprisingly, she already got two paper bags and four other plastic bags in her hands.

"Sweets, sweets. Yay, sweets," she sang as she carried.

Suddenly, Shade took the paper bags and the two plastic bags, leaving Fine with the remaining two. The princess was so shocked that when she finally came to her senses, Shade was already a block ahead.

"Where are we going anyway?" he asked.

Fine grinned, "To my secret base,' she answered as she led him to a maze of alleys and streets. About some time later, Fine outstretched her arms like presenting a big reveal.

"Ta-da~!" she proudly said.

The prince looked around at the ancient ruins and Fine got nervous. Sure, it wasn't that much… just some pillars and rubbles, cracked walls and broken tiles but it was her place. This was her sanctuary when she wanted to be alone and get attached with her brain once in a while.

"Interesting…" Shade commented as he eyed a particular area where there were cryptic drawings, "Do you know what this place is?" he asked.

Fine who was placing their bags in one corner shook her head, "Nope," she replied as she took out a box of donuts and started eating.

Shade sat beside her and took a donut when she offered.

"This is a temple but not just any ordinary temple. It was a place where marriages were held before they were celebrated in a Kingdom's palace… there are just a few of it left and you somehow found one."

Fine suddenly regretted hearing that this place was for marriages. She figured she was blushing by now.

"I-is that so?" she gulped. This topic was making her uneasy. Distraction. Distraction. She needed a distraction, "Well, it just so happens that when we were kids, Rein and I decided to have a secret base."

"Separately?" Shade questioned.

"That's the catch. We'll have separate bases because… I don't know, it seemed fun at that time. Rein's base was mother's closet while this one's mine."

"I thought it would be the kitchen," he teased.

"That was my first option… but then I found this place and for some reasons got attached to it. I don't know why," she explained. Fine was already putting out a jar of assorted cookies.

"So? What happened?"

"I guess we grew old of it. Rein already stopped but I just keep on coming here to check it once in a while."

"I bet Rein was shocked to see this," Shade said. He was amused at how the twins could think so differently from the norm. By the way… he thought… Where is Rein? Why is Fine alone?

"No… um… actually," Fine started fidgeting, "You're the first to visit my base."

The princess blushed and Shade could tell he was too. He lowered his hat in an attempt to hide his face and muttered, "Thanks."

He then became aware of the flowers surrounding the place.

"Those are desert flowers," he stated, pointing at the creamy white flowers that was common in the Moon Kingdom but could not be seen in any other places – especially not in the Sunny Kingdom.

"Oh! It's desert flowers! I might have read it wrong the first time, I thought it was dessert flowers," Fine said, laughing at herself for her idiocy.

"Why are those here…?" he asked as he turn around in full circle, appreciating the view.

"I planted them!" she said, "Just to brighten up the place."

He faced her. Disbelief flashing in his eyes, "You did what? But they have thorns…"

"Don't sweat the little details, at least they all grew up into beautiful flowers right?"

Shade didn't thought about his next actions. He just grabbed Fine's hands.

"H-H-Hey!" she protested.

Her hands were not like the usual hands of a princess. There were old scars and some little wounds. This hand that has always helped others… this hand that have always reached up to him even when he shut her away… this hand that was so tiny, he could cover it with his own hand… He found himself releasing his yellow tie and wrapping it around Fine's right hand.

"W-w-w-what are you –"

"Its unfit for a princess to have such a dirty hand you know."

She pouted as she blushed. Okay, he'll admit that she's cute, "Now your'e sounding like Camelot," she complained.

He released her hand and she said, "W-what are you doing here anyway?" Fine said as she kept her beating heart on the row. She was clearly flustered at Shade's act and she was desperately trying to turn the table around.

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to find Sunny Drop candies for Milky," he said. Fine brighten up for the tables have successfully turned!

"Ohhh~ Is that so…?"

"W-what's with your voice?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking how great you are… a prince and a big brother at the same time."

"Are you making fun of me?" he asked as his irritation slipped away.

Fine held up her hand, "No… actually, I like this side of you too," she said. Her genuine voice made him stop and he stared at this fire colored princess with ruby eyes that was burning with so much vigor and honesty. Her innocent eyes beckon him and when she smiled, he cannot help but smile back.

"C'mon! C'mon!" she said, "I'm gonna show you the best place to buy Sunny Drop candies aside from the ones that Mother makes."

So how was it? Please feel free to comment or review on this chapter! 'Til next time, folks!