…
Kukai hesitated slightly before he knocked on the door, which opened up a few seconds later and revealed Princess Emiko, though she looked nothing like herself.
Her normally vibrant and flaming red hair was flat and dull, having lost its shine and color from the lack of sun exposure, and her amethyst eyes were nearly lifeless with dark circles around them that contrasted with her paler-than-usual complexion.
"Oh, hello," she said, her voice lacking its usual loudness and quirkiness. "What can I do for you?"
Kukai swallowed, avoiding her eyes as he tried not to stare at her unhealthy looking condition. "Do you mind if we talk?"
Emiko did not blink as she stepped aside, opening the door wider as he slipped inside her room and she shut it behind them.
It had been nearly three weeks since Amu had been poisoned and though she had awakened after six days of slumber, she was still quite weak and required plenty of rest, something Ikuto and her family made sure of. Her friends visited the castle frequently to check up on her, obviously relieved by her improving condition though they still fussed over her, much to the future queen's annoyance.
However, as Amu seemed to get better, Emiko seemed to get worse each day. She rarely talked to anyone and often missed dinner, spending the days locked up in her bedroom.
Though she was never the brightest, Amu had a keen sense of knowing when the people she cared about needed some help so she requested that Kukai go talk to her.
The duke didn't mind since he had also been worried about the foreign princess; despite their lack of time together, they were still friends though Kukai would not deny that he sometimes found himself fantasizing about them being more than just friends.
"Would you like some tea?" Emiko offered, walking over to the teapot on the nearby desk that was cluttered with papers.
The brown haired boy noticed then that her normally tidy bedroom resembled a disaster zone with all the thick books and crumpled pieces of parchment laying around.
"I'll pass, thanks," replied Kukai, looking back at her as she poured herself a cup before going to sit on her bed. "Um, is this an inconvenience?"
Emiko blew on her tea before she took a sip, shaking her head gently. "No, I don't mind; what did you need to talk about?"
"Amu's worried about you," blurted Kukai. "She may be recovering from the incident, but that doesn't mean that she hasn't got her eyes on everything. Everyone in the castle has noticed how isolated you've become these last few weeks and we all want to know why you're suddenly so sullen all the time."
The corner of the redhead's lips quirked upwards slightly as she set her teacup down on the saucer and placed it on the dresser.
"Subtly was never your forte, was it?" She remarked before letting out a long sigh. "Well, I suppose I'm not surprised Amu's noticed; she has eyes everywhere and takes action rather quickly."
"She'll be a good queen," interjected Kukai, smiling.
Emiko returned the gesture, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "She'll make a great queen," she corrected. "But she's right; I haven't been acting myself lately, now have I? I really don't have an excuse, to be honest; I had just been thinking…well, do you remember the attack a few weeks ago on Prince Himachi Yuko of the Elixer Kingdom, the one before Amu was poisoned?"
Kukai nodded.
The redhead closed her eyes. "I never said it directly, but he is also my fiancé." The duke's eyes widened. "He was understandably upset by the attack but is now complaining to my parents that Easter is not a safe kingdom and that a royal member of the Lunar kingdom should not be resting here, nevermind her oh-so-important future husband."
The brunette swallowed. "They want you to go home." Emiko reopened her eyes and nodded once. "But that doesn't explain why you've been so secluded."
Emiko sighed again. "Well, my main mission when I arrived was to find a bride for my brother, remember? I had been slacking off, what with meeting Amu and all of you, and of course, help planning the wedding for her and Ikuto. I managed to convince my parents that I simply needed some more time to find a legitimate bride for Evan and then I will return to that wretched kingdom to marry Yuko."
"You truly hate your land that much?" Kukai questioned. The princess let out a shrill bark.
"Why would I feel anything less for the people who have all but tried to kill me?" She exclaimed. "I know not everyone in Lunar is bad, but I simply hate the kingdom as a whole, especially the royal family; we share the same blood, but we will never be family."
Kukai felt a chill go down his spine; he remembered the sadness in her eyes the night she told him of her upbringing, so long ago, and he also remembered the small anger she had as well. However, there was nothing but pure fury-perhaps even hatred-in her eyes at the moment and she looked nothing like the witty, care-free princess he had come to know.
He changed the subject. "That explains the frequent trips to the messenger room and all the crumpled parchment, but I still do not get the heavy looking books you have all around the room."
Emiko suddenly blushed.
"When I was little and my siblings picked on me until I was on the verge of tears, I would hide in the royal library and read old myths and legends," she started, picking up one of the books from the ground.
"It helped calm me down, and I suppose old habits die hard. As twisted as it sounds, it was quite nice to read about people with worse fates than mine." She looked up, stroking the book gently. "I had one of my maids back home send me several books from the library, under the impression that they needed their bindings fixed at a special shop here."
Emiko attempted to smile reassuringly at him, but she failed miserably. "Thank you for checking up on me, even if it was under Amu's command, but I really am fine. If it helps, I promise to sleep and eat some more." She looked back at her enormous pile of endless parchments scrawled with different girls' names with a pained expression. "I should get back to work."
Kukai knew that if she started working again, she would most likely fail to stop for several days. So he carefully removed the cluttered parchment and books from her bed, setting it to the side as he sat next to her.
"Or," he began. "You can share your stories with me; all the books here are all fact and very little mythical, other than a few books that Tadase's uncle, a friend of Aruto's by the name of Tsukasa, occasionally brings." Kukai smiled warmly. "Plus, my brothers never really told me any fairytales as a boy; perhaps you can help enlighten me. This Cinderella character, was that really a girl or was it some sort of disease?"
Emiko chuckled, a true smile breaking out as she nodded in amusement. "I suppose I can afford a few more hours of leisure. And no, Kukai, Cinderella is not a disease."
She opened the book and began reading to him, missing the smile that grew on his face as he watched her eyes light up once more.
…
Utau was pacing her bedroom once again when Lulu entered. By now, the news of the attack on Amu's life was known throughout the whole kingdom and Utau feared for her own life.
Well, she would be if she wasn't so upset at the fact that the poison failed.
"That worthless witch," she snarled. "She told me that the poison would work for sure!"
"Why are you here complaining to air?" Lulu drawled boredly. "If you are unsatisfied with the work of a lower class, shouldn't you be there, complaining to them and having them gravel at your feet?"
Utau paused. "Of course!" She hurried towards the door.
"Though, I should warn you that the witch's house was burned down with absolute no sign of her survival," added Lulu, running her finger over the spines of the books that her half-sister had lined up on the shelf. Not to her surprise, they were all about ancient ways of execution and poisoning. "It seems she'd rather die by her own hand by than the prince's should it ever come out that she was involved in this attempt."
The blonde heiress let out an unladylike grunt that indicated just how frustrated she was at the moment.
Lulu ignored her as she pulled out a small vial from behind the potted plant that sat on top of the bookshelf. "Well, what do you plan on doing with this other vial then?"
Utau turned sharply towards her, not really that surprised that her advisor found her hiding spot. "I can't do anything at the moment with everyone being so suspicious, especially since the prince is on high alert for anyone who might want to get rid of his fiancée, including jealous girls like myself."
Lulu raised an eyebrow. "You are much smarter than I give you credit for at times, milady. However, you are correct in that assumption. But surely you realize that soon enough, people will be investigating the townspeople and if they warrant searches, they could stumble upon this vial?"
"Not if we hide or get rid of it," said Utau, wide-eyed. "As much as I want Prince Ikuto for myself, it is not worth being thrown into the dungeons and giving up all my treasures here; not to mention, my hair and body would get so filthy…"
"Good to know you have your priorities straight," muttered Lulu, turning away and pulling out a book from the shelf before going over to the study and opening it to a random page in the middle.
She lifted the skirt of her dress, revealing a knife tucked into her garter, which she pulled out and stabbed into the book. Lulu then proceeded to slice out a thick portion of the book and dump the ripped out pages into the waste basket. She completely ignored Utau's shocked look as she gently placed the vial into the newly made compartment and closed the book before replacing it on the shelf.
"There you go," said Lulu, putting her knife back in the garter before smoothing out her dress. "Don't give me that scandalous look; it's not as if you actually read."
"Yes, but you do," replied Utau, still stunned. "You used to hit me whenever I folded back the book and now you're ripping out whole sections?!"
"Because doing that ruins the binding," said Lulu, crossing her arms with an irritated expression on her face. "That aside, you now have a hiding spot for your vials of poison that you secretly stole from your mother's apothecary."
Utau blinked. She had known Lulu all her life so it wasn't surprising that her advisor knew her so well, but it made a pang of guilt course through her. Utau probably didn't even know Lulu's last name.
She wasn't a monster, but her personality made her have very little friends and she was grateful for what Lulu did for her.
However, thanking the help-no matter who it was-was simply not something Hoshina Utau did.
"Yes, well," started the heiress, flipping her long blonde hair back. "Ugh, how disgusting; my hair has lost its pomegranate fragrance. Lulu, go do your job for once and tell the maids to prepare my bath."
"Il and El are most likely already on it," replied Lulu, though she still headed towards the door. "They are very committed to you, and have memorized your daily routine. And yet you probably don't even know which is which." Before her half sister could reply, Lulu added, "And you received a gift basket; it's outside your door."
The door slammed shut behind the French maiden and Utau could only stare at it in shock. Never in her life had she heard Lulu speak so coldly. She had been impassive and snarky, but never cold or intimidating.
Lately, Utau's advisor had been uncharacteristically quiet; granted, Lulu had always been quiet unless spoken directly to, but this was a different kind of quiet. It was the kind of quiet associated with someone who spent their days daydreaming or getting lost in thought. Lulu was never like that.
It was quite unsettling.
Before Utau could dwell too much on the matter, there was a soft knock on the door before El poked her head in.
"Milady, your bath is ready," she said.
Utau nodded once to acknowledge her, waving her hand dismissively before El quickly disappeared.
She glanced at her bookshelf once more before she swept out of her bedroom to wash her hair.
It wasn't important; Lulu would never betray her. None of her maids would.
At least, that's what she told herself.
…
Dia and Miki exchanged looks as they watched Ran and Su pace the room anxiously, occasionally looking up to say something to the other before continuing the pacing.
"You guys," said Temari finally, folding her fan and putting in her lap. "Why are you so antsy?"
"Amu's wedding is in just two weeks desu," exclaimed Su, biting her nails. "And she's still recovering from this attack desu! Plus, we haven't caught the would-be murderer yet desu!"
"Not to mention, her feelings for Prince Ikuto are still not fully developed so they don't love each other yet," added Ran, wailing.
"Of course you would focus on that," muttered Miki, sitting up in her chair as she twirled her paintbrush between her fingers. She wanted to create a painting as a wedding gift but she struck out on inspiration, which bothered her greatly; the lack of inspiration plus the lack of time she had with Yoru, who was helping with the wedding, frustrated her and made her quite cranky.
Ran glared at her sister. "I am upset that Amu got attacked and that her attacker is still out there, but they haven't shown up or made any other moves so maybe they left town or something."
"It's possible, but not likely," said Daichi, swishing the wine in his glass around absently from the corner where he sat with Rhythm. His words were slightly slurred but he was still sober as he stood and wrapped his arms around his fiancé.
"Daichi?" She questioned, craning her neck around to look at him curiously. They were very much in love, but they rarely showed affection other than the occasional kiss and hug.
The green haired male closed his eyes and sighed softly, the faint smell of wine wafting over to Ran, who made a face. "Ran, let's go somewhere."
"Huh?" Ran asked, confused as she stared at him. "Why? Are you alright?"
"Can't a man take his fiancé out once in a while to show his love?" Daichi remarked quietly, opening his eyes. There was an uncharacteristic seriousness in them that made Ran frown worriedly.
Rhythm and the others suddenly found interest in something else, though they were obviously listening in.
Ran slipped out of her lover's grasp and took his hands in hers, looking at him.
"Daichi, what's wrong?" She asked. "Not that I am opposed to going out, but we almost never do anyways so why do you suddenly want to go now?"
The pinkette then noticed that several wine bottles were missing from the open cabinet, even though they had restocked from Ikuto's bachelor party. She bit her lip; Daichi rarely drank, simply because he was an easy drunk.
He sighed. "You know how my family never approved of our relationship and criticized everything about it?" He started, and she nodded slowly. "Well, they learned about the drama at the castle and somehow pinned it on Emiko, saying things were fine before the 'wild card' showed up and how she's the prime example of how 'distrustful' and 'scheming' the lower class is…among other things I don't dare repeat in front of Su."
Ran blinked, looking upset and confused. "I can see how that would upset you because that's completely ridiculous, but I still fail to see why that is causing you to suddenly be all…romantic. Daichi, I love you, but 'romantic' is one of the last things I would call you."
"And that's precisely the problem," exclaimed Daichi, looking frustrated. "My parents called our relationship a 'fling incited by raging hormones and pure desperation for attention' for crying out loud!"
Ran suddenly put together the pieces; she had her ditzy moments-all the time-but she was far from stupid. She stepped forward and kissed him tenderly.
"Daichi, you don't need to prove our relationship to anyone, you know," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him close to her. Daichi returned the embrace, burying his nose in her bright pink hair.
"I know that," said Daichi, frowning. "I do, but I just…I want them to know that I love you as much as you love me."
"No offense," cut in Rhythm. "But your family is a bunch of snobby idiots; you shouldn't let them get in the way of your happiness."
The other girls nodded in agreement. Daichi and Ran blushed slightly, suddenly remembering that their conversation wasn't really private.
"He's right though," said Ran, still holding him. "It doesn't bother me…does it really bother you?"
"No," said Daichi quickly. "No, no; it really doesn't. I just…" He looked at her, a half smile on his lips. "I guess it doesn't matter…but I still want to take you out somewhere."
A vibrant smile formed on the pinkette's face. "I'd like that a lot."
"Oh, this is so romantic," gushed Temari. "I wish I had somebody like that in my life, but all I get is Rhythm and he's not romantic at all! He just flirts shamelessly with everyone!"
"I do not," exclaimed her brother, looking offended. "Right, Dia?"
The opera singer blinked. "Oh, look at the time; it's getting late. Come on, Su; we should get going."
She quickly stood and left the room with her youngest sister, leaving behind a chortling Miki, Daichi, Ran, and Temari, as well as a gaping Rhythm.
The sea captain grumbled to himself, though the smile on his face took out any sting in his words.
…
Somewhere not too far away, Ami sat on the cobblestone road, talking animatedly with her friends from the village.
The sun began to set so the girls departed, leaving the young eight-year-old alone. She sighed, standing and grimacing slightly when the pressure fell on her ankle; it still hadn't healed completely.
"I guess I should head back to the castle," Ami said to herself, pulling her robes tighter around her to keep the chilly autumn winds out. "Can't let Amu, or god forbid, Papa finding out I left!"
She laughed; her sister would kill Ikuto if she ever found that he had shown Ami all the secret routes out of the tunnel.
"I know a sneaky cat when I see one," he had said with a smirk on his face.
Ami was eight years old and she caught diseases far too easily, but that did not make her weak or stupid.
"After all," she said happily. "I'm the one that attacked the evil prince, who ended up getting punched by my big sister!"
Suddenly, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye and she turned towards the woods. Something seemed to be shining from faraway.
Confused and a little curious, Ami glanced around her before stepping towards the heavy forest, ignoring the darkening sky or the various warnings from her parents never to leave the safety of the village or go to the woods.
Nothing bad could happen…right?
…
I don't own Shugo Chara!
Oh, I really haven't updated since October? My bad, you guys; I told you how stressful and time-consuming school is, right?
That's a lame excuse I use every single time, but it's true.
So…who saw Catching Fire? Awesome, right? YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN AWESOME DIRECTOR FOLLOWS THE SERIES?!
I'm looking at you, Percy Jackson, Mortal Instruments, the fifth Harry Potter, and THE LAST FREAKING AIRBENDER movies!
Yeah, that's right; I called you guys out! Seriously; those movies sucked compared to the books/show.
I'm not going to say anything about Catching Fire in case you haven't seen it, but I'll just say that it was phenomenal and Jennifer Lawrence is a God-sent actress.
Hm…let's talk about my chapter here, shall we?
I'll say nothing about the last part because most of you will most likely review or react like "OH MY GOD, AMI IS GOING TO DIE", "GET HER OUT OF THE WOODS", or something.
Relax, relax; I actually have a plan-*gets cut off by people groaning and trying to get away*
Hmph, fine then. *grumbles to self about being unappreciated by ungrateful brats*
Now, Ami may or may not die; but something will happen in the woods, m'kay?
Don't hesitate to tell me if you found any mistakes or what you thought of the chapter! I hope I satisfied you guys for now with some romance from the other couples!
Oh, and also because I most likely won't update by then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever it is you celebrate, and happy late birthday to our own Tsukiyomi Ikuto!
*takes a bow because I don't know how to end this note*