"It's ridiculous!" she declared while her eyes glared at the wall, as if someone was over there. "We're basically being crammed with work for a good month and a half, with barely any breathers. It's paperwork, scheduling, examinations, more paperwork, lab results, and oh, more paperwork! Then, when that's all over, everything becomes quiet, except for the occasional sick visits and the annual flu shot."
"That does seem a little disorganized," the lady sitting directly across from the desk admitted as she swiftly poured some piping hot tea and handed the cup over to the exasperated lady.
"Isn't it, Aya-chan? Some of the physicians are slacking off! One guy bragged about how he beat all the levels of Candie Cube within 5 months!" her head shook before taking hold of the tea cup. " And don't get me started on the patient files! We only use hard copies, which can make them ridiculous find at times. We should be backing them up into digital copies just in case if anything happens!"
"Now, now, you shouldn't get so heated when you're holding the tea cup in your hand," she spoke soothingly. "Also, you should drink it before it gets cold."
"Sorry, Aya-chan. I guess I've just been lacking an adequate amount of fresh air lately," she gave a repentant look before taking a slow sip, her shoulders relaxed. "I shouldn't be taking advantage of your kindness and complaining so much."
"There you go apologizing again," Aya pouted seemingly put off, until she added with a light laugh. "I might have to punish you next time with a tickle."
"Then you're out of luck, because I've gotten ridden of that sense long ago," Nadeshiko said, with a slightly smug tone and smile before immersing herself in the flavour of the cherry rose tea.
A noise of momentary defeat came from the auburn haired lady and she crossed her arms. Then, her eyes sparkled slyly, "Then, how about... this!"
She grabbed both sides of the raven hair lady's face and started to pull. Borderline coherent phrases would come out of the lady like so,
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Aye thaw wroo saed nex taimu!"
Aya grinned from ear to ear and continued to not show any mercy, "It's what you get for being smug!"
"Wret go! Wra cup!"
"It's fine! You already drank everything! Your cheeks are so squishy!"
A few loud knocks echoed into the room and they froze staring at the door. Nadeshiko quickly called out, "Who is it?"
"Pardon me for the sudden visit. It is Yu," a muffled voice responded.
From the other side of the door, he heard a lot of shuffling noises and a few clinks of china before there was a reply, permitting him to enter. Inside of the office were his two childhood friends, elegantly drinking from their individual tea cups. His smile grew considerably wider at the sight before him, until something particular caught his eye.
"Nana-chan, why are your cheeks so red?"
The person in question's eyes grew large for a moment before glancing over at Aya meaningfully, "I was in a bit of a... pinch, you could say."
In which Aya glanced meaningfully back. Knowing them so well, one could piece together what might have happened. He finally spoke again after stuffing down his urge to laugh.
"I suspected you would be here, Aya. Glenn has been searching for you."
She removed her lips from the teacup immediately, "That's right! I forgot! Sorry, for abruptly ending our teatime like this, Nana-chan, but I really have to go. Oh! There's also no rush to return the album."
Aya then quickly downed the rest of the warm tea before scrambling to the door, "Thanks for finding me, Yu! I'll see you two later!"
And she made her exit, with her long, wavy ponytail swaying along.
"Well, since you got ditched," Yu started with a soft chuckle and positioned himself to sit on the sofa, "shall I join you for tea?"
"The flavours of the cherry and rose are quite subtle in the blend," he commented after his first sip. "It's really different from the bold flavours I often drink, but I like it."
"I'm glad you like it. It's actually a specially made blend for a hotel my friends and I would sometimes go to during their afternoon tea time. They import it all the way from a certain company in Oriens," she explained before placing her cup on the desk. "So, is there something else you wanted to talk to me about? I don't think you're here just to tell Aya-chan that Glenn was searching for her and accompany my lonely self for tea."
"You make it seem like I'm some kind of a villain now. You are right, though. I came hear bearing news. Exciting news," he said with an ambiguous grin, which caused her to quirk a thin eyebrow. "The Prince and Princess will be attending the grand opening of a casino-hotel resort in one of the neighbouring nations in two days."
"Outside of the Big Six?"
"Yes, and it is said to be one of the most luxurious casinos yet, opened by Satsuki Kitaoji, and you've heard about him before, right?" A nod of recognition. "It's his first casino outside of Oriens, too. Since, the Prince and Princess are attending, guess who's coming with them?"
"You?" she answered with singsong ring to it and Yu gave her a look for her to go on. "And I? Well, it does sound exciting, but my role is to ensure that the Princes' and Princess' medical needs are well taken care of."
"By name," he added.
"It doesn't mean I can slack off, though," she too, added. "You're performing your job when we go, so I'll perform mine just as well. However, working somewhere with fresh air such as a resort beats being cooped up in an office full of paperwork any day."
They shared a smile before Yu recalled something, "Oh, by the way, what was this album Aya was talking about?"
"Curious, are you?" she smirked, set down her cup once more, and grabbed a large album with flowery designs, the plastic coat over the cover was a bit wrinkly at some parts. "This album."
"Oh, that one," he stared in awe as he took hold of it. "Aya showed it to me a while back when she first re-discovered it from the abyss of her closet."
"She just brought it back from her house after her visit a few days ago to let me borrow since I told her misplaced mine a while ago when I moved," she then reached over to flip over the cover. "We went over a few pages until I went on a ramble that would rival one from a drunk person."
"I can somehow picture that and now I wonder what you would be like when drunk," he chuckled.
"That makes the two of us, then, since I've always stopped when I start feeling the slightest bit tipsy," she gave a laugh before her eyes fluttered to album. "These sure kick in the nostalgia. Look at that one of us eating watermelons at Aya-chan's house. Oh, and the one when we went to the summer festival."
"Also, this one when you first came over to play," he pointed at a shy child version of herself meekly staring at the camera when she sat at Aya's kitchen table. "I knew you'd agree to come play with us."
"Well, you both made a lasting impression on me at that time."
"Hi there."
She swivelled her head back in an instant and jerked her head backwards as she was face to face with someone. The back of her head collided against the window frame and she ducked back into the car, gingerly touching the pain with one hand while hissing. It only lightly drummed against her head.
"Are you alright!?"
The person poked their head closer and she inched back, shaking her head, "I'm alright. It is just a bump."
"Are you sure? You looked really hurt for a moment there. How about coming inside the shop instead so maybe a grown-up can have a look?"
She then finally looked up to see who the stranger was and met eyes with a boy around her age, with a bright smile stuck on his face. She blinked a few times at a thin shock of auburn shuffling behind him. Out peeked a pair of large honey coloured eyes for a split moment, who smiled shyly at her before scooting back behind the boy. The boy turned his head in the direction where the girl in the car was fixated.
"Oh, how silly of me. I'm Yu, and this here is Aya," he stepped aside so the one behind him came into view.
The little girl smiled back shyly and fidgeted with the skirt of her daisy-patterned sundress, "N—nice to meet you."
The boy patted his friend's head encouragingly, again the shock of auburn hair, tied by a candy-shaped hair tie shuffled back and forth, before turning back at the window, "Then, what's your name?"
"I-" and out it slipped, "Nadeshiko..."
The boy tested the name out before something came out of the blue, "Nana-chan, you have pretty eyes."
She stared at him in disbelief with her mouth hung open, "Wha-? Nana-ch—pretty eyes?"
Realizing how wrong her actions were she clamped her jaws shut and turned to a proper sitting position, facing forward with her hands on her lap without making any sort of eye contact at the two intruders. It was getting stuffier in the car by the minute, even her cheeks were hot.
"Why are you giving me nicknames out of nowhere, and why did you say something weird?"
"Why?I really think you have pretty eyes. Don't you think so, too, Aya? See? Aya nodded. My mom also tells me that when you think of something nice about someone, you should tell them. Also, we saw you poking your head out and wanted to ask if you could play."
She thought of her caretaker who was currently in the shop, the driver in the front seat of the limousine, and other people,and shook her head while making eye contact with the carpeted floor.
"I don't think I have the permission to."
"Can you ask for permission to then?" he pressed. "We can play another day."
She frowned significantly and creased her brows, "I don't know... I'm only here because my caretaker is buying sweets from the shop."
"If you ask, you might be allowed to come back and play." Before she could reject, he boldly reached inside to hold her hand. Utterly stunned, she gaped and saw his determined eyes. The girl behind him too had the same face. "Please... think about it."
And he gave he a smile that was shining more than the sun itself while speaking,"Okay?"
"Nana-chan?"
Her body stiffened and her mind was placed in reality once more. She looked around, oblivious to her current location for a few moments before Yu came into view.
"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment there."
"I figured. Back then even though you'd play with us often, there would be times where you would just lie on the grass or sit somewhere and let your mind launch into space," he mused.
"I guess that's one of the few things I took with me from my childhood days," she gave a little grin before her eyes landed on his watch, whose numbers partially stuck out from under his sleeve. "Oh my, tea time is almost over."
He flicked his wrist out and took a look at the numbers, "You're right. I need to take my leave soon, since I'll be needing to make arrangements before we take flight. I'll be sending you the rest of the details by dinner time, at the latest."
"Alright, I'll see you in two days, I guess? Oh, and there's no need to clean up. I'll take care of that."
She was about to bounce onto her bed until some quiet thumps were heard against the door and shuffled to greet her unexpected guest while forcing herself to be rid of her languid state.
"Wait right there!" a voice from the other side declared as soon as she just turned the knob halfway.
"A—Your Highness, is there something you require?" she asked with still holding firm onto the handle.
"Is it alright if I intrude?"
"Yes, it is perfectly alright. I will just-" she twisted the knob.
"Wait!" And untwisted the knob. "Could you sight by your bedside with your eyes closed while I come in by myself?"
"Alright?" And so she did.
She was suddenly aware of how empty the room felt with her eyes closed. Then there was sound. There was the knob turning, the clicking of the closed door, the eager footsteps against the carpet, and a weird rustling sound. The footsteps were no longer heard once they were somewhere in front of her.
"Okay," the melodic voice flowed out, "you can open your eyes now."
Nadshiko first saw Aya who made no attempt to contain her excitement in anticipating for Nadeshiko's reaction. Both of Aya's fingers were curled around the glossy metal hooks of the wooden coat hangers.
The left one held a sheath shaped little black dress. Under the wrapped sweetheart neckline was a gathered bodice and on the large banded waist a big cream coloured bow on the side.
The right one hung a strapless periwinkle frock with a white mesh overlay. The overlay was crocheted with floral accents and the waist was tied by a white silk ribbon.
Suddenly all that fatigue she felt minutes ago were sucked away.
"Are these... ?" her lips trembled.
"For you? Yes," she burst into a half giggle and half squeal. "They're belated welcoming presents! You should try them on!"
Everything happened so fast as the raven haired lady found herself pulled to her feet and gently pushed into the bathroom with the two dresses in her clutch.
"Wait—what—now?" she sputtered out as she was halfway into the bathroom, trying to resist.
"Of course "now"! I want to see if I should make any adjustments," Aya responded still bubbling with joy. "Though I've started to become super confident in my eyeballing skills."
She decided to just go with the direction the wave swept, slipped into the dresses one at a time, and twirled around for her childhood friend to observe.
"They look gorgeous on you!" she jumped on her spot on the bed and gave an applause after Nadeshiko emerged out back in sleepwear. Nadeshiko then placed herself sitting beside Aya and wrapped her into a warm embrace.
"Thank you, Aya-chan," she softly spoke while her eyes closed serenely. "I love them so much."
She knew that her childhood friend must have had to use a lot of what little spare time she had from royal duties to make them.
"You might love them now, but perhaps not when you hear the conditions they come with."
She pulled back crinkling her face, "What do you mean?"
"Well," Aya gave an impish grin, "I made the LBD a while ago for you to wear for the first party you'll attend while accompanying us overseas..."
"You mean the grand opening of the urban casino? I'm only there for work, you know. So, no parties for me."
"But that means you can't provide us immediate medical attention if something were to happen," the auburn lady retorted. "No one will say anything about you joining in on the party anyways. You deserve a break."
"What about His Highness?"
"He already gave an a-okay."
"Casinos aren't really my thing."
"There will be a wide variety of food."
She shrugged, "I could just get the same variety with room service if I wished."
"Geez, you're stubborn!" she pouted and crossed her arms in mild frustration. "Maybe I should get Yuyu to hold your hand and give you those pleading eyes."
"Wh—wha? I—I have no idea what you're talking about," she darted her eyes to the bed sheets as if they suddenly became the object of fascination.
"You're blushing, you know."
"Anyone would at such a claim!"
"Only if they had some sort of romantic feeling towards the person," she pointed out.
With her shoulders momentarily slumped in defeat, she protruded her bottom lip outwards, and replied, "Aya-chan, I didn't know you could be so evil. Where did the little girl who hid behind her brotherly-like childhood friend go?"
"She's only like that around people whom she first met, you know," the threw her head back and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well, she wasn't this hyper and mischievous, despite being on the demanding side," she threw a wry grin and pinched Aya's cheek. "Payback for earlier. Okay, I admit defeat for this round, but this is a one time thing only."
Aya made a small victorious gesture.
"Oh, by the way, what about the other dress?"
Aya clapped her hands, "I'm glad you reminded me! That one, I want you to save for a really special occasion. To be more specific, when you go on a date in the future."
"You sound like you want to be my fairy godmother."
"Well, that's one way to put it," she winked.
He took hold of her wrist to put a stop to her current fidgeting and made direct eye contact.
"You're going to end up damaging the fabric if you play with it like that."
She was about to chew on her lip, but she recalled it was painted with a fresh coat of lip gloss.
"Sorry, Yu-chan, I'm just a tad bit anxious," she sighed. "It's been a while since I've been to one of these parties, but don't worry. I am extremely capable of proper social mannerisms, and I won't do anything to taint the Royal family name."
It was Yu's turn to sigh. "That's not what I'm worried about. I want you to relax and enjoy the party. As your old friend and as your partner."
The corners of her mouth threatened to twitch into a goofy grin, but she resisted without biting back. However, she turned her eyes away from his and inched back a little to regain calmness. Fortunately, no one could feel the drumming of her heartbeat except herself. She recalled this sudden revelation Aya had revealed to her earlier this morning and mentally thanked her once more.
"I'll do my best, Yu-chan," she pulled a smile, "I've got to make sure my partner enjoys the party, too."
He patted her head soothingly and she felt the tension that possessed her flow away. Suddenly, the intercom flashed, followed by the pilot's voice informing that they would be landing soon.
"We should be heading to the front where Glenn and Aya are then," he spoke as he stood up, offering her his hand.
Before they headed into the other room, he turned to her.
"You look stunning, by the way."
Managing a lame nod and a word of thanks, she once again, thanked Aya in the back of her head while also thinking about how she blessed she was to hear such words from him.
There were people at every nook and cranny of the hotel. Seemingly endless chatter would follow them everywhere they went along with other types of noises. The tune of the slots playing, rolling and spinning sounds from roulette, coins jingling, glasses clinking, and much, much, much more.
Normally, all of this would have made her feel stuffier than a lion in a circus cage, but this particular casino had a mystifying way of easing her senses. It took her a moment to consider it being the interior design. Unlike, the flashiness that often decorated casinos there was a perfect blend of warm and cool colours. Tonnes of chatter went on, but it was in a more subdued manner. Everyone seemed to be in their own element and wanted to engage with one another instead of merely making connections or saving face.
She stood near a pillar quietly when a tall figure made his way next to her.
"Thank you for waiting patiently. Here's your pina colada," the tall figure spoke, extending the cocktail glass toward her.
"Thanks, Yu-chan," she grinned and took the glass by the stem. She took in the flavour of the drink and felt the cool liquid flow down her throat and they started to wander around.
"There interior design of this place is amazing. It contrasts so differently from what I've seen in casinos, but it really draws you in somehow," she glanced above and around in pure awe.
"I found out that the Ichikawa Design Group was behind this. They're building an even bigger reputation than what they had before. From what I know, what makes them stand out so much is the amount of care they put into making the interiors close to the heart of their clients and others to love."
"They must really enjoy their job then," she spoke, her eyes shone pure admiration, which quickly faded away when she heard a piercing shriek. The two of them turned their heads to the direction, which turned out to be the slots area. There was an erupting cheer and applaud with voices hollering, "You got the jackpot!"
"Oh my, isn't that rare? I remember I got better chances with Black Jack than with those machines the few times I went."
Yu looked mildly surprised at the sudden information, "I'm guessing you've been to casinos in the past?"
She gave him a little sheepish grin, "Yeah, I have. The first time, my friends invited me because they were bored and curious. The other three times were for parties. One of them was a welcoming party for medical students, and things went haywire that day."
"Oh," he tilted his head, "how so?"
"Most of the students got heavily intoxicated," she had already began to shake her head and sigh."They started stealing liquor from the bar and running around screaming. A bunch of them packed themselves in the elevator and ended up surpassing the maximum capacity. So, the elevator stopped functioning midway and they were trapped. The fire department was then called to rescue them. The organizer, a fellow med student herself was in tears because of what happened and the bill that was sent after the incident."
"And these were medical students?" he gaped with wide eyes, but then changed his features to something more playful. "You weren't one of them were you?"
"Of course not," she puffed her cheeks. "I was at the outdoor lounge having some time with myself that time and was extremely confused when I saw the blaring lights from firetrucks and police cars."
"Haha, for a moment there I was beginning to wonder what I missed all these years at the thought of you having that kind of a wild side."
"If I ever do anything wild, it would be because I was dragged by my friends from Liberty. Thankfully, they may have a thirst for entertainment and adventure, but nothing that risky."
"I'd like to meet these friends of yours," he said and made a gesture for her to pass her empty glass over.
While he handed them to a nearby server who was collecting empty glasses, she glanced at her watched. Once he was within close proximity to her, she began to speak, "We should be heading to the ballroom. Aya-chan will soon be presenting her speech."
But, Aya was nowhere present in the said room. Just as they were about to search around, Yu caught a glimpse of her figure through the bay window. In her hand, was a sheet or two of paper. Her mouth opened and closed while her eyes moved along the contents.
He was filled with a warm surge of nostalgia as he was reminded of how she would practice for plays. There was an urge to run out to the gardens rushing inside of him, until it was deflated by a figure jogging towards the brunette. The two of them spoke happily and looked fondly at eachother before jogging back into the building.
He felt it was as if his heart was a thin plastic bag dumped with a block of lead, which only ended up with it being ripped, leaving a big hole as he witnessed the scene before him. Unconsciously, he whispered out, "Perhaps, there isn't even a place for me to be a brother for her anymore."
Still, he continued to stare beyond the glass and unbeknownst to him, Nadeshiko had heard his little monologue. There really was no need to ask him anymore, and she wasn't sure she could handle a direct answer right now.
She gave a shaky sigh before putting on the smile she was professionally known for and patted his shoulder, as if she never heard any of those words, as if he never witnessed that scene, as if they were perfectly okay.
"It looks like she'll make it on time. Let's go."
That night, after the party, practically all of of the guests had retired to their suites and probably drifted off into a deep slumber. She didn't belong in this particular group, however. Instead, she was at the outdoor lounge hugging her knees on one of the couches. She was in thin light blue pyjamas and her robe hung over the wooden arm of the couch as she discovered the air was a bit humid. On the coffee table was a tea set she had requested be prepared for her.
She poured the red-brown contents out and sipped. Her face scrunched up. Bitter. Too bitter.
With a sigh, she stared up at the sky. Since it was clouded, the moon was barely visible. She continued to stare above, not at anything specific, since her mind was elsewhere. They floated towards the events at the party.
"Nicky was right," she mutter wanting to laugh at her foolish self. "I really still love him."
"Shouldn't you move on?" the ponytailed blonde spoke through bites of her pizza slice. "I mean, isn't it enough that you've liked him for almost twenty years?"
"Well, first love is hard to die," Becca spoke as she picked out the olives from hers. "But, I agree with Nicky, you should really move on. You're not trying to pursue him actively, heck, you're not even making any attempts to visit either of them after all these years."
Nadeshiko took her sweet time to chew her bites and swallow before saying anything.
"First off, I'm not in love with him anymore." Their eyes rolled. "I mean, it was a childhood crush, that's all. Second, you know my circumstances before I was able to move out with you guys, and even after that, how do I know they even remember me let alone want to see me?"
"You're so silly!" Nicky shook her head and reached over for the bottle of soda. "Of course they remember you and of course they would want to see you! I mean, you may be too stuffy for your own good, but you're a great friend."
"Thanks, you're a great friend, too," she shot a glare her way, which the blonde shrugged off while chugging her cup.
"Plus, judging by your descriptions, they don't seem like the type to be so cold," Becca wiped her hands with a napkin and made a gesture for Nicky to pass over the bottle.
"Maybe you guys have a point, but Aya's a princess-to-be now. I can't just waltz into the palace claiming I know her. As for Yu, I tried to search for his number on the net." Nicky muttered something about internet these days making things too easily assessable. "It says his house now belongs to someone else."
"Okay, well, then maybe that's indication you should try to move on, and don't try to deny it again." the brunette gave a knowing look at her friend. "We've known you for all these years. You are able to act and function as if you're fine. However, there's this part of you where time has stopped, despite everything else of yours is moving forward. You either need to get that part moving forward or you will never be happy."
"I-"
"Nana-chan?"
She found herself forced out of her flashback and turned to stare at him, looking like a doe caught in headlights. He too, stared at her with the same expression and then down to her teacup. Following his line of vision, she saw something going plip-plip-plip down on the surface of the tea. Her mind and body remained numb for a second. Then, the cool moist sensation running down her cheeks was felt.
In a heartbeat, she placed the cup down, turned to the side and slipped a hand into her robe for the handy handkerchief to dab her eyes. She didn't dare look back, didn't dare say anything, and didn't dare move a muscle as soon as her face was dry.
His footsteps made rustling noises against the grass as he approached closer and closer, causing her to instinctively flinch. He spoke out, as if he was handling glassware, "Is it alright if I sit next to you?"
She slowly bobbed her head, with her curled ends bouncing along. They sat in silence for who knows how long, until he spoke out once more.
"What kind of tea are you having?"
It wasn't the exact question she'd thought he'd ask, but she gave him a proper answer, "Kuding tea: it's a type of herbal tea that has a lot of medicinal uses."
"May I have a sip?" She nodded, still not meeting eyes with him. "I'll call for someone to get you another cup."
"That's okay," he reached out for her cup. "I'll just have yours."
Immediately, she shot her hand out to block him, but she was too late. "You shouldn't! It's lukewarm now and it has my te—ahh..."
Her shoulders slumped as he was already gulping the contents. The cup was empty by the time he placed it on the saucer. Yu made an unpleasant face and spoke in an unusually hoarse voice.
"So bitter," but then he gasped, "Oh, but it has a sweet aftertaste. I could use some time to get use to this, though."
"Yeah," she gave him a little giggle as she saw his face from before, "I only drink it occasionally as a way to wake myself up when I'm depressed..."
Her voiced trailed off at the last word and she looked away once more. More silence, except for the insects chirps, and Yu spoke once more.
"Say, when you were talking about how the interior designers must enjoy their jobs, it got be wondering," he paused for a moment. "Why did you decide to work for us after residence out of all places?"
She furrowed her eyebrows and collected her thoughts for a moment before speaking, "Well, I did get offers over at Liberty and a few other nations, but the palace was the the only offer from Oriens. I wasn't sure if I wanted to accept the offer at first, but there was something inside of me that wanted to return to Oriens again. I wanted to see Aya-chan, and thought she might possibly know your whereabouts. However, another part of me had second thoughts, but with a lot of conversations with my friends, I managed to find the courage to accept."
Her amethyst eyes then rolled, "Looking back at it, I didn't think I had much of a choice to refuse an offer because it was from the palace. Plus, my job doesn't change anywhere I go. As for the private life, I barely had one anyways because of the career I wanted to pursue, so I really didn't mind."
"Do you like working here at the palace?"
"Yeah, I may not seem like it at times, but I love my job. It has its own challenges and I love dealing with patients, but I do have to be professional, of course."
"That's good to hear," he smiled at her, and hesitantly asked in a soft voice. "Now that you've shared something personal about you... you can ask something personal about me. You've been having this look like you want to know something for weeks."
"Oh... so, you knew... and..." Strangely, maybe it was the talk just before, but she no longer felt as troubled thinking about the subject.
"Umm, then," she tucked a loose strand back to her ear, "do you still—wait, no, that's obvious. I mean, umm..."
She took a deep breath.
"Does Aya-chan know of your feelings?"
"She does," he nodded, shocking her. "Actually, how about I tell you a story."
And a story he told.
"After you had left for Liberty, my mother's illness turned for the worse and she passed away. I then moved into a different neighbourhood with my dad, but he had passed away shortly after."
"I'm so sorry for your loss. Your parents were wonderful people."
He shook his head, "There's no need to be sorry, but thank you for your thoughts. The queen then took me in, saying that she was close to my mother back when she use to work in the palace. Many years after, as you probably know from the media, Aya was hired to be the royal designer. Then, a few things happened. Lord Kaneda, do you remember him?"
She nodded.
"He revealed to me that I was actually... the child of my mother and the late king. Lord Kaneda didn't trust Glenn to handle the throne, and had a plan to have me take over instead. I know that look you're giving me, it's like a plot in a drama, but it's really true. Initially, I was against it, but then I thought that Glenn would prevent her from being a designer. So, if I took the title, I could let her keep her position and possibly make her choose me. Of course, I realized how selfish I was being. She only ever loved Glenn, and she would give up anything for him, unlike me..."
His voice grew shaky at the end and there was a wistful look in his eyes. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and he glanced at her with a tiny smile, before finding his voice again, "So, I gave Glenn my support and the council could say no further. The rest, I think you can figure."
"Yu-chan," her eyes began to well up and there was a burning sensation, threatening to spill out. She pursed her lips and hid her face behind her long hair. Tightly, she gripped her fabric of her pyjama pants and attempted pulled herself together. It wasn't the time for her feelings.
Seeing her turmoil, he patted her head, "It's alright, I've learnt to accept this reality. For me, Aya... she's like the sun, and I'm probably the earth. Her light brings me life. However, I can never reach her. All I can do it was her shine from the distance, and like I said, I'm okay, as long as she's happy. Thank you for worrying about me."
Still she showed no signs of a response, and he decided to throw in a teasing, "If you do want to comfort me, maybe you should let me hold your hand or lean my head against your shoulder for a few seconds."
It took him a moment to be aware that she had pulled him in an embrace. He could hear her voice behind him saying, "You need more than a hand or a shoulder to lean on right now. Also, feel free to let it all out. I'm not looking."
Perhaps it was just because he was swept along in the moment, but he returned the embrace and she could feel his warms tears soaking the back of her pyjamas and onto her skin.
"Sorry, you-"
"It's alright, you don't have to say anything."
Once again, her gaze drifted up to the moon, which was once again, clouded. A scene formed in her mind. There was a boy and a girl holding hands while they walked on the winding path of a park amidst the cherry petals showering about. There was also someone in the distance, someone watching this scene while they drove further and further away.
Nadeshiko closed her eyes and she soaked in the scene... the memory. She'd known, she always did.
She wasn't aware that she whispered this out, "If Aya-chan's the sun, and Yu-chan's the earth, then, I'd probably be the moon."