[16] - I miss You
"Ai, What happened?!" Miki rushed into Ai's room as he asked. "I saw that -" Miki halted his sentence when he saw Ai, all collapsed on the group, covering her face with her palm. "Ai." Miki rushed forward to Ai and kneeled to the same level as her. "What happened?" Miki asked in a gentle voice. He did not managed to receive any response from Ai. Instead, he heard soft muffled sobbing coming through the covered face. "Ai. . . " He continued in his gentle voice as he brushed Ai's hair. Ai looked up at him with her teary eyes at the touch. Miki felt his heart melted at the sight of the vulnerability of Ai he had never seen in his life. "Don't cry. . . " Miki continued as he patted Ai's forehead.
Yet that one simple consolation made Ai burst into a huge fit of tears once again. She threw herself onto Miki's shoulder and began to sob into it.
'Why . . . Why does it hurts so much over here . . .. ' Ai thought painfully as she clenched her fist at her left chest.
'Why is it that he had managed to make me feel all these emotions that I had never felt before in all my life. He made my heart race. He caused the adrenaline rush each time we touch. He raised the heat of my body. And. . .Now. . . He . . . ' Tears continued to pour out her tear glands as memories with the Penguin came flashing back to her mind. The fist at her chest tightened. "It hurts. . . " Ai cried out almost inaudibly as she buried deeper into Miki's shoulder.
"Hush . . . " Miki stroke the back of Ai's head gently. "Just cry it out, Ai. It would be less painful if you cry it out." Miki softly whispered as he nudged his chin on the top of Ai's forehead, allowing Ai to completely rest onto his shoulder.
Ai stayed in Miki's hold for a long 2 hours before she could calm herself down and stop crying. When she finally did, she pulled herself away from Miki and found the spot she rested her face was totally soaked wet by her tears. "I'm I'm sorry for that . . ." Ai apologised immediately as she stood up to her feet with the intention to retrieve a towel from her wardrobe to dry the wet spot.
"It's alright." Miki stopped Ai right away, even before Ai could make her first step away from him. "It will dry up soon." Miki continued in a tender voice before pulling Ai back down onto the ground, right beside him. "What happened?" Miki concerned. "You had never cried so much this way before. . . " He continued.
Ai shook her head stubbornly. "Nothing happened. " She continued in her nasal voice.
"Did that Penguin - " Miki asked in a worked up voice. But before he could even finish his sentence, he was already being interrupted by Ai.
"We're over. . ." Tinge of hurt could be detected from the nasally voice of Ai. "He left. " Came the short two worded sentence. Ai bit onto her lower jaw, trying to stop herself from bursting into tears again.
Silence persisted in the room for a moment before Ai felt a pair of warm hands wrapping around hers. Ai looked up and found Miki looking sincerely and gently at Ai. "Marry me, Ai." Ai pulled her hands back to herself straight right at the moment as shock filled her teary eyes. "I didn't mean that way, Ai. I know you do not feel the same way like I feel for you." Miki quickly explained. "But isn't this the only way to help you from the marriage with the crown prince from the Land of Penguin."
"I - "
"It would be just a marriage for the sake of the paper, nothing much else. " Miki added on.
"That would be so unfair to -"
Ai was interrupted once again. "I don't mind, Ai." Miki intercepted. "As long as it involves you, I will go all out just for you." Miki continued.
"I - " Ai was lost for words. She knew it was being unfair to Miki, yet the selfish part of her was asking her to accept, as she really does not want to be tied to someone she never knew, let alone to be someplace so far away where had had not returned to since infancy. "I - " Ai stuttered again.
"Don't probe so much for me. I really won't mind it Ai." Miki urged.
'But I promise, I will be back for you, definitely.' Risa husky voice echoed quietly in Ai's mind.
"Let's go Ai. Let's get Erina and leave this place immediately, before the people from the Land of Penguin returns again." Miki continued, failing to notice Ai's fading out. He held onto Ai's wrist and began to pull Ai out of her room, out of the hut. That was when Ai snapped out from her world of memories.
"Where are we going?" Ai blankly asked when she realised her surrounding was different.
"Get Erina. And the two of you shall stay with me for the moment before we get the paper work done, before the soldiers from the Land of Penguin get you." Miki repeated as he set his sight far away, searching for the presence of the young teenager in the wide strawberry field ahead. "Erina!" Miki called out loudly, hoping that would attract the attention of the girl. But no, Erina was not appearing, even after her name was called out for a couple of time.
Ai plied her wrist away and took a step forward. She was getting wary about the situation. The lack of response of Erina was starting to worry her up. "Erina?" Ai called out for the younger sister too. However, the response she had was the same as Miki. Just pure silence, except for the slight echoing of the voice. "Erina!" Ai furrowed her eyebrow when she still did not get the response from Erina.
"If the two of you had told Erina, Erina will stop myself from falling in love with Penguin more, since Penguin belongs to Ai-nee!"The confrontation of Erina with Ai and Risa the evening before sounded in Ai's mind.
'Could it be? ' Ai thought worriedly in her mind. "I'm going to find where Erina is." Ai turned around abruptly and disclaimed to Miki before turning away again. She then head towards the mountains, the direction Erina had wanted to escape to before Ai had lost her consciousness the evening before.
"Wait for me, Ai!" Miki chased after quickly. "Do you exactly know where she is?"
"No! But I will find her! She's the only person I care left." Ai continued advancing ahead stubbornly, forsaking the fact her barely healed health and the coldness of the night ahead and headed straight into the mountains.
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It was already night time when Hitomi and Kanon had reached the land of Penguin. The duo got off the horses they were riding and stood before the gates that will lead them into the palace while Erina was still out, lying forward on the back of the horse.
"Where am I?" Erina slurred as she asked. She sat up from her lying position on her chest and realised that she was not on the ground level - she was above the ground level. "Ah!" Erina cried out in surprise. The next moment, she came stumbling off the horseback and landed onto a pair of soft arms.
"Be careful, you are going to hit your head if you fall off the horseback in this way." Came the young boyish voice.
"It's you!" Erina wriggled to get herself off Kanon's arm. "You are not a good person!" Erina continued. "What's your motive for kidnapping me? Where am I?" Erina continued her questioning, yet to realised another personnel at the site.
"Kanon, she's loud." Hitomi complained.
"I understood." Kanon responded. With that, Kanon placed his finger on Erina's lips, hoping that would silent the older girl. Though that effort, Kanon had failed.
Hitomi shook his head lightly at the childish actions of Kanon. He stood forward and placed his arms over Erina's shoulder. "Young lady, you are in the Land of Penguin right now, and right before you, is the royal castle of the Land of Penguin. And no worries, we are no bad people. We are just bringing you here in advance." Hitomi explained vaguely. With his arms still around Erina's shoulder, Hitomi began to lead Erina through the gates, with Kanon following closely behind them.
"General Yoshizawa has return from his trip and request to see you, Your Majesty." Said the royal guard of the King.
"Allow him in." Ordered the King.
With the permission, Hitomi made his way into the courts, with Erina walking in between him and Kanon. "Your Majesty, we have found Lady Takahashi." Hitomi informed.
"You are Ai?" The king astonished. "I remember Ai to be 2 years older than my son, General Yoshizawa, but the Lady you have brought in seems way so much younger than Prince Gaki." The King continued.
"Return to You Majesty, This is not Lady Takahashi. She's the younger sister of Lady Takahashi." Hitomi explained as he bowed. "Lady Takahashi had refused to return with us. Therefore, I had decided to invite her sister over to the royal castle before going back to persuade her to return with us again." Hitomi continued.
"I see. . " The King trailed off in realisation. "What's your name, Young Lady?" The King asked.
"Who are you? Why should I answer you? And, who's Lady Takahashi? My sister is Ikuta Ai, not Takahashi." Erina rebelled, only to be nudged by Hitomi and Kanon painfully on both her side.
"Have some respect. He's the King of the Land of Penguin." Hitomi whispered lowly to Erina under his breath.
"Sorry for the disrespect, Your Majesty." Both Hitomi and Kanon bowed down in apology. "Her name is Ikuta Erina." Kanon added on.
"You're excused." The King forgave. "Erina, I see. You share some resemblance to the nanny of General Takahashi household. Are you by any chance the daughter of maiden Araso Yukino?" The King continued.
Erina looked away to her side, refusing to answer any questions that was posted to her.
"I guess you are exhausted from the travelling, Erina." The King turned to his guard. "Prepared the Royal guest room for this lady over here and send 4 maidservant to serve her needs." The King ordered.
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"Ai, it's getting late!" Miki called out behind Ai. It was already pitched dark and there were no lights in the mountains. Miki could only barely make up where Ai was from the silhouette he saw before him. "Let's get back first before continuing our search for Erina shall we? Perhaps Erina has returned back to the hut already?" Miki continued.
"I'm a really bad sister, aren't I?" Ai keep mumbling to herself.
The next thing Miki heard was a loud thud onto the ground. "Ai?" Miki called out as he made his way blindly ahead to where he felt Ai was.
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Erina sulked as she sat on the king sized bed that were surrounded by a silken cloth.
'Where am I? Where's Ai-nee?' "Lady Erina, your dinner is ready." Came the serving maidservant beside her, serving the tray of food before Erina.
"I'm not hungry. I'm not eating." Erina stubborn.
"What about this?" Came the same young boyish voice. It turns out that Kanon had been in the room for half an hour, watching Erina sulking all these while. Erina looked up and saw Kanon holding onto a black bag and offered to Erina.
"What's this?" Erina asked.
"Check it out yourself. I think you will like it." Kanon continued as he settled himself comfortably beside Erina.
Erina stretched hand into the bag and pulled out a green strawberry out of it. "I took it from the field before I left, since I had never tried them before." Kanon explained.
"These can't be eaten. They had yet to ripe." Erina sighed.
"Really?" Kanon sit up in attention, in surprise. "No wonder they taste so weird. They bit on my tongue." Kanon continued as he stuck his tongue, causing Erina to burst into laughter. "You are finally smiling, aren't you?" Kanon turned around and starred at the laughing Erina. "You looked cute with your laughter. " Kanon blurted out without realising.
Erina blushed at the compliment. She looked away from Kanon immediately and at the black bag she held in her hand. Silence sat between the pair before Erina decided to speak up again. "Why did you bring me here?"
"I don't know. . .It was General Yoshizawa's idea. He said it will be easier to invite Lady Takahashi back . . " Kanon answered honestly.
"Who is Lady Takahashi?" Erina pondered.
"Your sister?" Kanon replied effortlessly.
"Why do you want invite my sister back then?"
"She has an arrange marriage with the Crown Prince, that's why?"
"EH?!" Erina jumped up in surprised. "Impossible! Ai-nee has Penguin!" Erina objected.
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"Ai. . . Ai . . ." Ai felt someone patting on her cheeks as she gradually heard her name being called. When she attempted to had her eyes open, the striking light of the room caused her to close her eyes once again. "Ai . . ."
"I'm up. . . " Ai answered with her eyes closed.
"You scared me. . .You have been out the whole night again .. " Miki explained.
"Really?" Ai tried to sit up and attempted to open her eyes slowly again. "Where Erina?" Ai remembered.
Miki shook his head lightly in response.
Ai's anxiety for her sister was shown all over her face. "I'm going out to search for her again." Ai flipped the blanket off her legs and attempted to get off the bed. When she did, the first thing she saw on the ground, was a dying bouquet of flowers - the ones Risa had gave her last night. Ai bent down at picked it up. It was only a night without proper hydration, and the flowers are dying, with the petals threatening to fall out the bud at any moment. Ai's heart broke when she saw the flowers in its state.
'It's only a night, and it marks the end of the never changing love he promised. . . .' -----------------------------------------------
"Father!" Risa stomped into the King's bedroom hurriedly. That was his first destination the first thing he reached the palace.
"Risa?" The King was surprised to see Risa back in the palace. There was still half a year away from Risa's year away from the courts. "Why are you back so early? You looks like you had gotten so much skinner, My Son." The King concerned.
"Father are you alright?" Risa brushed the hand on his head away and began to check on his father. "I heard that you are seriously sick. Are you alright?" Risa continued.
"Where have you heard them from, my dear Son? Except for the flu I had acquired 2 months ago, I am in a perfect pink of health since you left." The King explained.
"Eh?" Risa responded. Rumours had complicated the situation and Risa had believed in it.
"But, well, since you are back, we shall go ahead and pull the wedding forward then, since it has been ages the country had any major celebration. " The King continued.
"Father, actually I have something to tell you . . . " Risa spoke up.
"What, My Son?"
"I want to pull off the wedding with the General's daughter. I don't want to marry her." Risa declared as he looked at the king with determination in his eyes. He was fixed and sure. He wanted only Ai in his life and that's all. The lingering thought of Ai's disappointment with him still haunts him. He promised he will be back for her. And he was determined to fulfil that promise, whether or not if there were any objections against his decision.
Update~~~~
yah. . . It's a short transition chapter. . .
Yuppps. Uni work is piling up like a mountain. . .so I will try to find time to write whenever I have the time to . . .
Writing really cheers me up, so . . .
hopefully next chapter will be quick, if not, it would be until the next week end already. . .
so yupps
de wa, til the next chapter then