And this is the last entry sent before deadline! Thank you everyone who participated Voting instructions will be up soon! Entry #24Title: A Figment of My Imagination
Main Character(s)/Pairing(s): Sae/Mayu, feat. Yuko, Sayaka.
Word Count: 9528
A Figment of My Imagination
When I was young, I believed I was a prince.
I dreamed of castles in foreign lands, brave knights, mystical creatures, enchanted forests, damsels in distress; anything you could find in a fairy tale.
In my dreams, I wasn’t the princess locked away in a high tower that could only let evil stepmother’s up and be woken by true love’s kiss. No, in my dreams, I was the hero. The gallant rogue, legendary sword in hand, that rode up on the finest white horse…the perfect prince. And no matter how hard the deed, I always found a way to save my princess and carry her off into the sunset, to a happily ever after.
But…
Like I said, these were my dreams. Reality was far from my imagination.
There was no way I was a prince. And even if I didn’t care that I was born a girl, the princess of my dreams didn’t exist in my world.
But…
Then why…
Why was my princess standing before me right now?
Am I…is this still a figment of my imagination?
*****
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… there lived a King and Queen, happily married. Their kingdom was prosperous, peaceful, and joyous. No citizen disapproved of their rule, especially when their marriage gave the kingdom one, beautiful, heir. A princess, by the name of…
“Mayu!” Curtains were thrust open. “Wake up Princess, today’s the big day.”
“Mmm…just five more minutes, Ai-chan…” A hump from beneath satin covers rolled away from the blinding sunlight that poured into the powder pink room.
“Your mother would have my head if I let you get away with that request this morning.” A young girl in pig-tails poured warm water from a porcelain pitcher into a bowl. “Now, wash up and come for breakfast downstairs. The Queen has personally decided your meal and proportions to ensure you look your best tonight. I will help you dress afterwards when you are done eating. There is an entire staff waiting to make you over; I doubt you will be doing anything else but preparing for the ball.”
Mayu groggily sat up and eyed her best friend, and personal maid, Aika. “I’m not looking forward to tonight,” the princess frowned.
Aika put down the pitcher and approached her ward. “Princess…” Mayu frowned more at the formality. “
Mayu, as a friend who could only dream of such an occasion for herself, seeing you celebrate tonight to its fullest would be the next best thing. I, along with every other citizen in this kingdom, wishes for nothing more but your happiness.”
“But what if I’m not happy with who I choose, Ai-chan? What if all the potential suitors my mother will introduce me to tonight are not capable of ensuring me a marriage as envious as my parents?”
“Hmm…point taken.” Aika took her princess’s hands in hers, “Well, at least they will be handsome, right?” she winked.
“Ugh,
you!” Mayu threw her pillow at the maid. “How can that be all you care about? That’s so typical! I want more than just a pretty face.”
The two giggled before a bell jingled above Mayu’s bed, concealed in a corner of the frilly canopy.
“Better not test the Queen’s patience any longer,” said Aika before leaving to attend other duties.
Mayu sighed and stretched out of bed, the ends of her white nightgown wiping the floor as she went to wash her face.
She patted her face lightly with a soft towel and met her reflection in the mirror above the bowl and spoke to herself, “Good morning, princess. You are officially seventeen today, and by tonight, you will be engaged. Whether you like it or not.”
* * * * *
Night came swiftly and the castle was filled with life.
Many important guests from neighboring kingdoms arrived by horse-drawn carriages and were ushered in by name and title, all the while descending a grand staircase into one of five ballrooms where the main event was to take place. Classical music resounded from every wall as guests mingled the dance floor and gorged themselves with foods unthinkable.
Citizens celebrated in their homes, in the town streets, all the way to the castle gates, lining up to catch a glimpse of other royal families they had only ever heard of.
Mayu stood peeking behind grand double doors, waiting to be announced after her mother and father.
She was nervous, to say the least.
“Stop fidgeting, darling. You will be nothing but the talk of the season after tonight.” Her mother patted her raven hair, styled down unlike her usual perfect pigtails, and smiled at her lovingly. “As well as your future partner.”
“Your mother is right,” her father, the King, approached and gave her a reassuring hug. “No one would dare ruin my princess’s night in my presence.”
“Papa…behave. Please don’t cause a scene like the time you thought I had a crush on someone.”
The man cleared his throat, “As you know, your mother will oversee those we have pre-picked for you, but I want you to decide for yourself who will be the lucky one to take your hand at the end of this evening. And when you do pick, I want to meet this person right away, is that understood, young lady?”
Mayu smiled at her father’s over-protectiveness. “Yes, papa.”
The older man almost shed a tear. “How you’ve grown up wonderfully. Your mother and I are proud.” He forced the following sentence out weakly, “Before we go out there, because I feel I will not be at ease tonight if I do not say this again…”
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” the king uttered, “for bringing this upon you at your age.”
The queen stepped in once more, “Truthfully, your father and I had agreed upon arranging your marriage within the next three years at most, but…with your father’s health at its current state, we…weren’t sure he would be able to see next spring.”
“Papa…” Mayu latched onto her father’s arm, taking notice of the wooden cane at his side. He was a masculine man, but if it weren’t for the layers of formal attire he donned every day, it was evident he had grown weaker and more frail in his step.
“If…if I were to pass before you are married, I would at least want you ready to take that step to inherit my throne. I want no one but the best to keep you company when I, and eventually your mother as well, leave you. So, for not only your sake, choose well for the sake of our people and this land.
Love brings happiness, and that is what sanctions us all. Remember that.”
“I understand, father.” Mayu hugged her parents, willing herself not to cry at possibilities. “Leave it to me.”
“And one last thing.” Mayu looked into her father’s soft eyes, ”Happy Birthday, my dearest daughter.”
“
Only daughter.” Mayu nudged.
The king gave a jovial laugh. “I do not regret not having a son. Do attempt to have some fun tonight as well.” He leaned in to his daughter’s ear so his wife couldn’t hear, “Unlike your mother, I would not mind so much if you decided to slip away for a while. A tip to a future ruler before you get too old and find your days filled with nothing but parchment paper.”
Hearing the final guest announced on the list, the king turned and nodded for the doors to open and have the appointed master of ceremonies announce him and his wife, the queen, officially to the party.
Mayu listened to the loud applause at their entrance.
Her father’s serious words from only a few moments ago rang in her head as she straightened any creases on the pastel pink gown her mother had specifically sent to be tailored for her. She stood tall in her white heels, matching the gloves she was grateful to be wearing, for her hands were still clammy.
“Love brings happiness, he says…well then, I will just have to find love tonight.” Mayu didn’t believe much about love at first sight, but for her father and kingdom’s sake, she was willing to believe it could happen tonight.
She heard the final fanfare blare and a voice clear.
“Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Tokimeki!”
The doors creaked opened in front of her, and she walked into the light.
* * * * *
“Thank you, princess, for allowing me to accompany you on that waltz. It was my pleasure.”
Yet another potential partner kissed her hand.
Mayu forced a smile, “Oh no, it was my pleasure, prince. You have quite the step in your right foot. How…is it…by the way?”
“Perfect, Your Highness. It is as if you didn’t step on it at all.”
“I do apologize, again…”
“Nonsense. I shall be back up to ask for another dance after a glass of wine. If you excuse me.” The young blonde man in front of her bowed and tried not to be so obvious in limping away.
Mayu sighed. It
was an accident; her lessons in waltzing were not finished yet and although the heir to the Hetalia Kingdom of France had been devilishly charming, he had been leading way too fast for her to keep up with.
She could use a drink as well.
But there was no time for one as she was greeted with another eager but stoic face.
“Your Highness, if I may?” He held his hand out just as the small orchestra started to play another song.
If Mayu recalled what her mother had briefed her on, this suitor in front of her was one of her favorites. Next in line to the throne of the Durarara Kingdom of the east that specialized in trade. He was boyishly handsome with his dark hair, fair skin, and spectacles. Sharper looking than most. She was sure Aika would choose him in a heartbeat if she didn’t already have a crush on one of their butlers. What was his name…Sebastian? Yes, the heir to the Durarara Kingdom would be a quite the object of affections for her friend in place; it wasn’t a secret that their head butler was too taken with a duke’s son to pay attention to her lovesick best maid.
She eyed the outstretched hand waiting in front of her while searching for her parents, finding them on the opposite end of the crowded room. Her father was sitting in his throne conversing with kings of minor kingdoms while, to her convenience, her mother was turned away. The queen was instructing servers to relay the chefs in the kitchen to continue bringing out more orderves and spirits.
But Mayu made a note that despite the different matters her parents busied themselves with, they were always within reach of each other, their hands intertwined.
Brushing away her envy at the ever-happy couple, she knew this was going to be her only chance to get away for a while. Surely, entertaining twelve suitors were enough for now. She needed a break.
“I…I do not wish to be rude, but you’ll have to excuse me. I need a moment to freshen up. I shall find you myself when I come back, don’t worry.”
Without another word, the princess backed away, opposite anyone else’s notice.
* * * * *
Finding her home occupied in every nook and cranny, even loitering around the stairs to her personal chambers, she decided she had enough of being inside and took a stroll out, in the gardens.
The night was young and the breeze that passed was welcomed.
She allowed herself to linger a while longer before she suspected someone (moreover her mother) would take notice of her absence, and followed the stone path lit by colorful paper lanterns imported from the east.
There seemed to be something at the end of the path, hidden away by tall hedges.
She inspected it closer and found it to be a well.
But no ordinary well; a wishing well.
Mayu had almost forgotten this was here. She was much younger the last time she had played this far into the gardens. This section had been marked private.
“Mother was so scared I’d fall in when no one was around that she didn’t let me beyond a certain point ever again…” She muttered to herself as she felt the rocks beneath her palms and peered down into the dark abyss of the well’s mouth.
It actually wasn’t that deep. Some moonlight enabled her to make out water that was indeed there, a wooden bucket bobbing around as a sturdy rope ran from its handle straight up to the rusty pulley to her side.
Now that age had made her taller, she could probably stand in it even if she were to accidentally fall in.
“A wishing well, huh…today
is my birthday, and one can never be too old for such a myth.” Mayu stood amused and closed her eyes. She thought about what her father told her and wished with all her might, “
I wish…to find a love that brought happiness.”
After a few moments of silence, Mayu opened her eyes and peered down into the well.
There was nothing there, nor was there anything, anyone, around her nearby.
“I knew it was too good to be true…” She huffed, ready to make her way back to her party.
“What’s too good to be true?” A voice called out to her.
“Huh?” Mayu looked around, startled, “What was that?”
“Down here, sweet cheeks!” The voice called once more. It seemed to echo.
That’s when Mayu turned to approach the well again. “It can’t be…”
But it was. There, down in the well, illuminated by the moonlight and her own self-glow, was a woman. “Hey!”
“Ar-are…are you a…ghost!?” Mayu asked, immediately scared for her life. If this woman was a ghost, what was she doing greeting her and not halfway through the gardens by now? This was crazy. Was she dreaming?
“A ghost? How rude!” The water rumbled beneath the woman and she suddenly shot up like a rocket, sending Mayu back in fear. “Ouch! Damn, I forgot that was there.” The woman rubbed the bump she had attained from hitting the small wooden roof that shaded the circular stone well.
“Are you all right…?” Mayu asked out of concern but distanced herself.
“Ah, yeah, I’ll be fine. After two centuries I’m still alive and kickin’ so why wouldn’t I be
well. Get it?” The woman clicked her tongue and winked at Mayu as she sat on the ledge of the well’s mouth, crossing her legs and pointing her fingers as if shooting the young girl.
Mayu nodded for safety purposes. She still wasn’t sure who or what she was talking to.
“What, no laugh? You’re supposed to laugh, darlin’. Ah, why bother, you look too young to get it. Anyway, back to business,” the woman dismissively waved her hand and cleared her throat. She rested her fists on her hips and spoke in a dramatically deep voice, “To whom does Yuko, the water spirit of this well, owe her services to?”
“You’re a…water spirit?”
“In the
flesh,” Yuko grinned. “Ah-haa, got you again. Get it this time? No? Aww c’mon, work with me here! You’re no fun.”
Mayu stood defiantly. This was the first time anyone’s spoken to her this way. “Pardon me, miss water spirit, but I’ll have you know you are talking to the princess of this land which your well resides on.”
“Ooohh, so I got myself a bonafide drop of royal blood, huh? Interesting, interesting,” Yuko rubbed her chin, “Do go on. But I suggest making it short; I seem to have other clientele heading this way…”
Mayu followed Yuko’s gaze behind her and spotted a few servants at the very end of the pathway she had ventured upon, oil lanterns in hand, calling out her name in search for her.
“Oh no, I’m going to get an ear full from mother now…” Mayu said.
“Mother? Are you talkin’ ‘bout the Queen? How is she when she’s angry? I do like ‘em feisty!” The water spirit purred.
“Don’t talk about my mother that way! She and father are happy and they don’t need your interference.”
“Whoa, okay. Sorry, I was only joking.”
“Well I’ve had enough of your jokes and you aren’t funny and I’m probably going to end up the complete opposite of what my parents are and let down the entire kingdom at this rate and—!”
“Whoa, there, whoa! I don’t need to know your life story, toots.”
Mayu calmed herself, “Sorry, it’s just…not my night I guess. Well, it
is my night. I mean, it’s my birthday.”
“Really? Happy Birthday then! Are you legal yet?”
“Um, I’m seventeen…?”
“Darn! I’d be thrown in the dungeons.” Yuko clicked her fingers in disappointment.
“What?” Mayu was perplexed at this deity…spirit…strange character…in front of her. This was a
good water spirit she was talking to, right?
“Nothing, nothing.” Yuko waved off again.
“
Princessss!”
“
Princess Mayu! Are you out here?”
The servants were getting closer and Mayu began to berate herself at staying here conversing with what could be a figment of her imagination for all she knew!
“They’re going to be a problem, aren’t they? Why don’t we get to that wish then?” Yuko turned serious. “What was it, again? My ears were clogged with water I didn’t quite hear it well.” It took all her might not to play off her words for a third time.
“My wish…oh! My wish! You heard it? And you can grant it? Truly?” Mayu unconsciously took a few steps forward out of excitement, stopping right in front of Yuko.
“
Yes, to everything. Now, unless you want a fresh red hand print on that cute butt of yours at your age, you’ll make that wish again. Right, now.”
The servants’ lights were making their way just behind the hedges.
Mayu panicked but found her voice, “I, um, I WISH TO FIND A LOVE THAT BROUGHT HAPPINESS!”
Another second later, Yuko grinned that Cheshire smile. “Wish, granted. But you’re not going to find it here.”
Before Mayu could ask what Yuko meant, the water spirit turned into liquid and wrapped her arms around the princess, pulling her down into the well.
* * * * *
2012. Modern day, Tokyo.
“
I don’t care what you have and don’t have, I just better have it in my hands by next Monday! Your ass is on the line, Miyazawa!”
“I’m sorry, can’t you give me another week?”
“
You asked that last week, and the week before, and the week before that—it’s been an entire freakin’ month past your deadline!”
Sae winced at the tone on the receiving end of her cellphone. “Okay, okay, I get it. Just please, an extension is all I ask. One more.” She pleaded.
After a moment, she heard a deep sigh breathe into the speaker. “
Fine. But that’s the last one I’m giving you. I’m prying it from your ink-stained hands and submitting it smudged for all I care the next time I see you, and as your damn editor, I will personally be making the visit. You can’t pretend you’re not home this time, ‘ya got that!? I’ll break that door down!”
“Yes, ma’am! Thank you, ma’am!” Sae couldn’t hold in the relief and gratefulness bestowed upon her yet again.
“
Just get me that damn manuscript by the end of the week, that’s three days from now, or your contract is terminated and you can find some other publisher to run your damn story! Get to work!”
“Just leave it to—!” The line went dead. “…me…” Sae sighed and slumped back into her chair. “Arrghh, what am I supposed to do!?” She ruffled her hair, stressed to the bone.
Tossing her glasses to the side, she scrutinized the papers scattered on her desk.
Nothing but uneven lines and a few sketches of scenery filled marked boxes plastered on each sheet. Pens of all sorts laid uncapped beside said sheets, on the floor, on her ear…
She gazed at the two stacks of papers she had deemed worthy and finished, closed off on a shelf, away from any other mess in her cramped apartment.
A picture frame laid face-down next to them.
Sae retracted her hand from reaching for it and forced herself to look at her desk.
“I need to finish this in a week…” She took the pencil from her ear and scooted her chair in closer, the tip of her pencil meeting the smooth white surface of paper.
But the pencil didn’t move.
At all.
Instead, it trembled. The lead cracked under the pressure.
Was it all the coffee she drank today on an empty stomach?
Was it the lack of sleep she’s been having for the past three days?
Was it that she just didn’t know what to do next with the story?
Maybe it was a combination of everything.
One thing was for sure though…
She could use a bath.
“Ahh, forget it! I’ll just set my alarm and start on it again in the morning. I’m not stupid, I’m working myself to death here!” She dropped her pencil, happy to be free of it, and switched off her desk lamp so she wouldn’t have to look at all her un-accomplishments. “I’m going to need a miracle.”
* * * * *
Scrub, scrub, scrub…
Her eyes were closed as she avoided soap suds from getting into her eyes, working the shampoo into her short dark hair as she sat on a bath stool in all her tan glory. Beside her, the bathtub was filled with waiting warm water.
She blindly reached for the detachable shower head and turned it on.
Eyes still shut, she was too busy humming and listening to the cooling sensation of the water raining down on her that she failed to notice the tub next to her begin to bubble with a soft glow…
More and more it bubbled, until a certain pink princess came gasping up for air.
Sae finished rinsing herself clean and stood, ready to relax in the tub. The washroom had become somewhat misty by now.
“Alright—“Just as she had one leg dipped in, every muscle in her body paused.
Her head craned slowly to the stranger in her water.
Brown orbs met another pair.
“…A-ah…”
“Um, greetings…” The girl stood up in the tub to curtsy, causing water to overflow from it due to her sudden movements. “I am Princess Mayu of the Tokimeki Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“AHHHH!!!”
“
AHHHH!!?”
They both screamed; one just because the other was.
“Who-who are you!?”
“I believe I have already introduced myself…?”
“No, really, who the heck are you!? How did you get into my apartment!? You look totally innocent but this is beyond weird,” Sae stumbled back, knocking the bathroom door open, consequentially letting all the mist out.
Mayu gasped and shielded her eyes. “E-Excuse me! I did not mean to…to pry.”
“Huh?” Sae regained consciousness that she was still naked. “OH! Oh my god…! DON’T LOOK!”
“I was not!” the princess retorted, still hiding behind her gloved hands.
Sae scrambled for her towel, wrapping herself loosely and holding onto the knot as the rest of the mist from the bathroom revealed her unexpected guest’s full form in plain sight.
“You…there’s no way…” Wide eyes couldn’t help but check, “Who…did you say you were again?”
The young girl lowered her hands from her flushed face and spoke again evenly, yet shyer than before, “My name is Mayu, and I am sole heir to the Kingdom of Tokimeki. I…I do not know of the customs of your kingdom but I assure you that you are not the only party feeling surprised at the current situation—eek!”
Something fluttered to the floor at Sae’s feet.
The taller girl stood gaping. She had lost her grip once more.
* * * * *
“Mm, this is delicious. What is it?”
Sae stared at the girl sitting across from her under her kotatsu. “Instant…ramen?”
“Ra-men?” Mayu pronounced curiously. “I see. This ra-men is magnificent. Better than the pasta the chefs cook at home. I would like another serving of ra-men, please.” Mayu set her fork down next to the styrofoam bowl and sat poised in some of Sae’s old clothes. Baggy, but cute, Sae noted.
The princess’s sparkly pink gown was hanging above the heater as Sae was too afraid to leave such an expensive-looking dress outside her window to dry on the clothesline, knowing her type of low income neighborhood…
“I think you’ve had enough
ra-men for now…and you don’t have to keep saying it that way.”
I hardly had anything in the fridge to begin with…oh no, not that look. She observed Mayu pout, “You w-wouldn’t want to ruin that slim figure and porcelain skin, ‘ya know? It may taste good but it’s full of crap fit only for poor, struggling artists like me, haha.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Oh? You’re an artist?” Mayu had noticed before from materials scattered around her but she did not want to assume.
“Ah, yeah…I am. Sort of.”
“May I see some of your work?”
“M-maybe later…” Sae changed the subject. This was still too weird for her to take in. This girl…she couldn’t really be who she says she is…it wasn’t plausible. “I know you might find me weird by asking this, but can I ask it anyway?” Sae started again, twiddling her thumbs.
“As I am a guest in your house, by all means, do as you please.” Mayu gestured, her body warming up from the kotatsu’s heating effects. She was suddenly very comfortable right now.
“Okay. Well, princess…um…how…”
How is this happening? How did you get here? As far as Sae understood, the girl came from her bathtub but…
This really is just too freaky. This must be a dream, yeah, definitely a dream. She only appears in those. I knocked out while working and this is just one of those lucid dreams or something.
“Y-es…?” The younger girl yawned.
“Are you tired?” Sae stopped herself.
“Don’t mind me, please, continue.”
Sae observed the girl for nth time; doll-like and pristine in every way. She dared not touch her in fear of her crumbling. Fair skin without a single blemish, midnight raven hair, perfect pink lips, rosy cheeks, long eyelashes, and the way the young girl struggled to control her head from bobbing with fatigue cemented Sae’s thoughts…this girl in front of her, princess or not, was simply…adorable.
“Maybe you really should get some sleep now. I mean, it must have been a long journey for you, right?” Sae awkwardly joked. “We can continue our conversation in the morning.”
“But it is already morning, is it not?” Mayu motioned to the faint rays of sunlight peeking through Sae’s tiny window.
“What!?” Sae shot up and tore at the blinds, setting her eyes on the rising sun peeking over tall buildings in the distance, “Seriously!?”
The few hours she had planned to finally get some rest with had been spent taking care of her unworldly visitor in front of her. She might as well start on the coffee and get back to work; she didn’t need another week, she was determined to finish her manuscript today. What else mattered in her life? She sighed, defeated.
The tall girl busied herself at her kitchenette, “Hey, I hope green tea is fine with you. It’s not much but it’s all I have right now so—” Sae turned with steaming mugs in her hands before pausing at the sight before her.
She set the mugs down and went over to the hunched frame. The princess had fallen asleep with her head nestled in her arms on the table.
Sae took a blanket nearby she normally uses to keep herself warm during late nights and draped it over the girl’s shoulders. “Now what kind of posture is that…quite unbefitting of you, Your Highness.” She arched her brow, amused. Bloodline and riches behind, princesses were normal girls after all.
Tentatively, she reached over to brush the girl’s surreal bangs away from her face; she couldn’t help it. ”She…really is what I imagined her to be…”
* * * * *
Mayu awoke to what felt like someone spitting at her face.
“Wakey-wakey,” a familiar voice prodded.
“Mmm…just five more minutes, Ai-chan…”
“What? First, a ghost, then you confuse me with some maid? This kid…”
…Hm? Mayu stirred. That didn’t sound like Aika.
Mayu gasped awake in an instant, “Yuko…!”
“About time you got up.”
“Yuko? I hear you, but I don’t see you…” Mayu looked around, still fairly unfamiliar with her new setting.
“I’m right in front of you.”
Mayu gazed at the sole object in front of her. A mug of tea gone cold.
Hesitantly, she leaned forward, inspecting it. “Yu…ko…?” It had grown eerily quiet…
Then, the mug shook by itself. Fingers crawled from the tea’s surface. If that wasn’t frightening enough, now, imagine this: a full-grown body prying itself out of a five-inch ceramic cup.
“Ahh, much better,” Yuko cracked her back. “Blegh,
not my cup of tea if I must say.”
“H-how did you do that?” Mayu exclaimed, as if she could still be surprised after everything else that had transpired.
“I’m a
water spirit, remember? I can inhabit and travel through anything as long as it’s a liquid,” Yuko explained, “I can also use water as portals to other dimensions, such as we did last night.”
“So, we really aren’t in Tokimeki anymore?”
“Nope, ‘fraid not Dorothy.”
“It’s Mayu…”
“Whatever you say Toto. Welcome to Tokyo. How goes your search for true love?”
Mayu’s cheeks tinged. Is that what she wished for? A love that brought happiness…true love?
“Are you telling me that I won’t find it here? I must still travel?”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t put it that way. I took you to where you could have a proper start. All you have to do now is let your heart lead its way to your prince charming.”
“That’s certainly easier said than done.”
“Happiness doesn’t come easy, darlin’. Love is even harder to find. But once you’ve found one, the other is sure to follow. Anyway, how do you like your new digs?” The water spirit looked around, piles of dirty clothes and unwashed dishes everywhere, “I take that back; what a dump.”
“I-It may be different from the castle, but it’s more humble than a…dump. It just needs a little sprucing up, that’s all,” she retorted despite evading a fly buzzing around her head.
“If you say so. Not my responsibility.” The water spirit shrugged. She may be free to inhabit any body of liquid as she wishes but you wouldn’t catch her dead in the murky sink water emitting poison from the kitchenette. Mayu would need to hire a welder to scrape off the moldy food that had homed itself on certain discarded dishes. She shivered… “So, where is the head of the household?” Yuko already knew but someone had to push things along.
“It seems she went out…” Mayu picked up a note that had been left on the table.
Princess,
I have something to do in the city.
Please stay where you are until I come back.
I won’t be long.
-SaeMayu smiled. So her caretaker’s name was Sae.
Last night, she had been expecting to greet a boy.
But after what she’s seen, there was no way Sae was a boy.
Was there a reason she was brought to Sae of all people? Sae was a girl…a tall, dark, and handsome… “Ara, what was I just thinking…?” She shook away her blush just as Yuko was about to ask her about it. ”Yuko.”
“Yeah…?” The water spirit had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what she was going to be asked to do.
“I want to repay Sae’s kindness for letting me stay here for the time being. Let’s get to work, shall we?”
Yup, she didn’t like it.
“As much as it’s an honor to serve you, princess, I told ‘ya.
Not my business.”
“Wait! You can’t just leave me—!”
“Catch ya’ later!” Yuko positioned herself into a diving position and literally dove back into the mug of tea, leaving not only Mayu to extract her plans herself, but an extra mess to mop up. How did so much tea come from one small mug??
The princess gazed at the sink she had noticed Yuko leering at before abandoning her. It made a low gurgling before a green bubble floated from the surface and popped mid-flight.
Yuko was right. This wasn’t going to be easy.
* * * * *
Sae exited an elevator and approached a receptionist.
“Hi, I’m here for my two o’clock—”
“One moment,” the busy receptionist shushed her with her finger. The woman whose headset sat perfectly on her head nodded at her to take a seat and wait off to the side.
Sae slid into a leather armchair in a corner and tried to relax.
She stared at the manuscript in her lap. It was wrapped in brown paper and bundled with a thin rope.
It had taken her five hours to finish. Honestly, she hadn’t liked it; she knew she could do so much better than this rushed ending, but she just didn’t feel the same amount of inspiration she had had when she came into this. She only wanted to get it over with now.
Her mind drifted off to something else that had not been a big distraction as she thought would be when her brain went into work-mode. It was a miracle she even remembered the cute girl snoozing under her kotatsu before she left her apartment an hour ago. “I wonder what she’s doing right now. I hope she’s okay by herself and found the note I left…”
“Miyazawa-sama?” She heard the receptionist buzz her in, “Akimoto-san will see you now.”
Sae thanked the woman that didn’t seem to care and proceeded down the hall, weaving her way through the busy cubicles of the magazine firm. At the end of it all was a door with the name of her editor printed on a gold name plate.
The short-haired girl swallowed her nerves and knocked.
“Come in!” The voice commanded.
Sae opened the door and closed it immediately behind her.
“Have a seat. I’ve only got another quarter-mile to go.”
Sae wished she had convinced herself to come another day. Her editor was jogging on a treadmill set up in her office. That was not a good sign. The only time she got on the treadmill was to run off stress…and here Sae was, about to, maybe, pile it back on.
“Phew, okay. Much better.” The woman jumped off the machine and flicked her long hair back. She wiped her face with a towel around her neck and took a swig from her water bottle before swiveling around in her chair behind her desk to face her subordinate. “So, let’s see what ‘ya got. Hand it here.”
“Um, you know what Sayaka, maybe I’m not done after all…I think I want to redo—”
Sayaka snatched the manuscript from Sae’s hands. “Stop belittling yourself, Miyazawa. Now, let’s see…”
Sae shrank in her seat and averted her eyes from her boss. She couldn’t stand watching, waiting, for that look of disappointment.
“Mm-hm, okay…” Sayaka continued to skim the pages, “Not bad…uh-huh…eh?” Sayaka came to the end. “What…is this…” Uh-oh. Here it comes… “We can’t publish
this!” Sayaka slammed the last of the manuscript down.
Sae winced. “I was trying to tell you…”
“What the hell did I just read? I gave you one more week, no, by now you have six days left! I refuse to take this as is. I don’t care what you have to do, but you better fix this, soon,
now!”
“Yes ma’am! I’m sorry, right away!” Collecting the rotten fruit of her labor, Sae left the office in a rush, but was stopped by Sayaka’s voice.
“Miyazawa!”
Sae didn’t turn; she dared not show any more weakness. Even if it threatened to fall from her eyes at that very moment. She had not only seen disappoint from her boss, but she was disappointed in herself.
“Sae…” Sayaka spoke evenly. “I may be a hard ass on you all the time but I know you can write. I wouldn’t have signed you in the first place if I didn’t think your stuff had potential. DiVA Magazine caters to girls who want to escape reality through fiction. This fantasy world you created intrigued me in the beginning, a genuine fairy tale…your first series was a hit for god’s sake! But you can’t just let readers down like this by ending it that way. You’d be breaking hearts, dreams…” There was a pause. “What ever happened to
your dream, Sae? Find that again.”
Her dream…?
What was that again?
Her dream…oh, yeah…that.
This. She squeezed her manuscript to her chest.
Sae felt her feet moving before breaking into a run.
* * * * *
Each step felt heavy. She trudged her way to her apartment, exhausted. She had ran all the way home. It took all her might not to rip her life into shreds right then and there. Literally, rip the manuscript that equaled her life…her dreams.
“This is stupid. I’m an idiot…what did I ever think would come of this?” She mumbled, rubbing her tear-stricken face with her sleeve. She sniffled, “Why did I ever think I could become someone that I’m not?” It seemed nothing could keep her eyes from clouding over as she stared at her apartment door. “It probably
was just a dream. Why am I expecting her to still be there? This isn’t some fanfiction or something.”
But, as if it was her saving grace, the door in front of her opened on its own.
She must still be dreaming…
“I thought I heard someone out here. Welcome back, Sae.”
An angel, no, a princess…smiled warmly at her.
“You’re still here…”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because you told me to stay.”
It was simple; what Mayu said to Sae. But little did the princess know, choosing to wait for Sae’s return was the first step her heart was making.
Sae felt hers skip a beat. She entered her apartment as Mayu stepped aside and was shocked at its appearance.
It was…SPOTLESS.
“When did you…” She walked around; amazed she could do so without tripping over who-knows-what and her own two feet. Her desk had been organized, she noticed. Usually she would mind when someone touched her things without her permission, but heck, when was the last time she’s seen the surface of that desk? Everything was as when she first moved in, when she still had time to take care of herself, to take care of her home, before all she did was work all day and night. The sink…this princess had to have magical powers or something.
She turned to look at Mayu, meeting her eyes as the girl had been observing her reactions proudly. Her gaze drifted down to the girl’s petite hands. As expected, it wasn’t obvious but when she reached out for them, she could feel the difference in the amount of callouses earned from the girl’s hard work.
Mayu blushed at Sae’s touch. It was warm and gentle… “Um…”
“Thank you,” the truth had to be said. Was this a dream? Was she still dreaming? Maybe…this was the miracle she needed.
* * * * *
The following days, Sae had decided to delay any further confrontation about the princess. Mayu was not at all a threat and deemed herself her assistant at times.
Sae had accepted that the gods had given her a second chance at everything, and she dared not take it for granted. She was going to do everything she could to take care of this girl, and finish her manuscript properly.
Both had grown content in each other’s company, spending their days peacefully. The distance between them, whether they were conscious of it or not, grew slimmer by the hour. A day felt like an eternity they were willing to accept living in.
But fate had other plans as Sae’s deadline grew nearer. It was tomorrow.
“Sae…”
“Hmm? What is it, princess?” Sae answered without looking back at the girl that relaxed to the cool breeze from the open window. The tomboy was focused on her work; something she had found to pick up from last time. She still hadn’t slept all that much since the girl’s arrival, but she was liking the way her story was turning out more than before.
“I’ve been wondering. If it’s okay with you, may we…go out tomorrow?” Mayu asked shyly. “It’s been days and I have only ever seen you at your desk. Fresh air would be nice, yes?” In those days, Mayu couldn’t deny she had grown to feel something for Sae. But she didn’t want to confuse kindness and budding friendship for something more she was feeling. Thus, she had proposed a date.
Sae put down her pen and turned to eye hopeful orbs.
* * * * *
“Uwahhh!” Mayu gasped. “This is unbelievable!”
The tall tomboy strolled behind in ripped jeans, sneakers, and a knitted sweater over a flannel button-up as the princess frolicked in front of her, amazed at her surroundings. This really wasn’t her homeland anymore.
All the while, Sae had been reluctant on leaving her work and the safety of keeping Mayu inside, but she felt compelled to do as her muse wished. She watched as that muse became engrossed with a window full of character figurines, colorful makeshift garments, and wigs of every color.
Sae didn’t have much money at the moment and it wasn’t far from where she lived, so when Mayu had asked her to venture outside, she had taken her to a place where the princess wouldn’t stand out too much in her powder pink gown (as she had kindly refused to be seen in public in anything less than formal clothing).
So here they were, in Akihabara.
To the taller girl’s relief, the streets weren’t as crowded as it usually was this early in the morning. She could not risk losing the girl now at the speed she was going. Mayu had deemed this place her wonderland and she was the white rabbit.
After buying some crepes from a nearby stand, a food Mayu knew of and had a taste for, the young girl was mesmerized once more.
“Sae, Sae! Come, what is that building?” Mayu pointed to something in the distance.
“Hm?” Sae followed with her eyes, “Oh, that’s Animate. It’s like a big market store. Everything you see here can be found in there.”
“In that single building?”
“Yeah,” Sae glanced at Mayu, noting how cute the girl looked, somehow reverting back to being a noble with reservations in how she should act. The princess seemed hesitant at the building’s size, but there was a glint in those raven eyes. “Do you…want to visit it?”
“Can we!?” Back was the young girl that couldn’t get enough of this new world.
Sae laughed, “Of course we can, princess.”
Mayu ran ahead in excitement but turned around to her stunned escort, “Sae!” she beckoned for her to follow.
An image of a girl just like Mayu, though in casual clothing, clouded Sae’s mind for a few seconds.
“
…Sae…”
The girl’s voice echoed and the blurred face smiled back at her, beckoning at her in the same way.
“Sae? Hurry!”
Sae blinked.
Now wasn’t the time to be having deja vu.
“Yes, yes, right after you, princess.” She ushered.
No…they’re different…don’t compare them. Sae repeated to herself as she followed the young girl into the massive retail store.
*****
After floors and floors of wandering and amusement with the most random things they could find, the duo had found themselves on a floor that catered nothing but manga.
“They’re like picture books; only more pictures and less words.” Sae explained.
Mayu nodded her head in understanding. “These picture books…are they not what you have been doing? If I recall, you did mention you were an artist. When I was cleaning your desk, I did not know what kind of art you were making; I merely thought you did sketches or something of the sort.”
“Ah, yeah…I’m a manga artist,” Sae scratched her head sheepishly, “Did I forget to mention that detail?”
No, she didn’t forget. She had not wanted to mention it.
While Sae had excused herself to find a restroom, Mayu had roamed up and down every aisle, admiring these picture books. She never knew there could be so many, each and every one with a distinctly different story.
“A person’s mind is a wondrous place…” she mumbled in awe.
She stopped at a book that had caught her eye with its illustration on the cover.
It looked all too familiar.
*****
Sae had finished using the restroom (she had needed to divert the topic and calm herself) and weaved through the aisles looking for the princess. She spotted the girl crouching with an open book in hand, skimming the pages.
She was about to approach the girl when she registered which book in particular the girl was reading.
Mayu turned her head hearing footsteps near her.
“Sae…this…” the princess trailed off as if she couldn’t believe it.
That confrontation Sae had delayed, had an expiration date.
*****
“I cannot believe you did not care to inform me of this!”
“Mayu, slow down! Wait, I said!”
Sae chased after the princess through the streets of Akihabara. The young girl was fuming and continued to stomp away from Sae’s reach.
Eventually, the inevitable happened and Sae had lost sight of her.
“Damn it,” Sae looked around desperately. It had gotten more crowded.
*****
“I’m not real, she says! How can that be true? I
am real!” Mayu argued with herself as she paced back and forth in front of a fountain in a small park not far from the Akihabara district.
She sat herself down on the fountain’s rim and huffed before finding that she was alone and didn’t know how to find her way back. The sun was setting and she didn’t trust the darkness in this new area.
Even if she wanted to go back home to where she came from, she didn’t know how without Yuko’s help, and the water spirit had decided to take a vacation of her own the past few days. She hasn’t seen her since the mug incident.
The princess sighed, her emotions wearing her down. “I wonder…if she’ll come for me…” she whispered. She was no longer thinking about Yuko.
“Princess Mayu!”
Mayu looked ahead at the voice, the corners of her lips tugging upwards. She had done it a little too fast for she was not expecting Sae to find her right when she thought of her.
But, this wasn’t Sae.
*****
Tap, tap, tap… Sae ran as fast as she could, her head darting around everywhere. It had been an hour and there was still no sign of the girl. A gnawing feeling in her stomach drove her to pick up her pace. Something was wrong.
She slowed to catch her breath when she reached an intersection that lead away from Akihabara and into a couple different wards.
“Come on, it’s only for a little while. I’ll be sure to treat you to something nice.”
Sae heard a greasy voice. A man.
“I told you, unhand me!”
Another voice; a girl. It was much higher.
“Princess…!”
*****
“Aw, don’t be like that. I just want to take you to my friends. They’re big fans.”
“I told you before, I am a real princess! Not a character in a book!”
“Yeah, yeah, you do look like the real deal. Best cosplay I’ve seen to date; no one’s been able to pull off Princess Mayu from Genking’s Synchro Tokimeki. My website’s gonna get so many hits with pictures of you. The guys are sure to get a kick outta this.”
The man grasped Mayu’s arm against her will and tried to tug her away to who-knows-where. He was rather large in width to make up for his short stature; if there had been normal citizens passing, he looked nothing more than one of those stereotypical otaku, heavy backpack and expensive DSLR camera attached to his body.
The man rubbed at the sweat forming on his brow and swept at his unkempt hair falling in front of his glasses. His grip tightened; he was getting rather annoyed now at Mayu’s reluctance to accompany him.
“Ow…! Let me go!” Mayu struggled.
“Yeah, let her go!!”
All distress faded away at the sound of Sae’s voice.
The man loosened his grip but didn’t release it entirely. “Who are you?”
“Eh?” Sae blinked. She hadn’t necesarily thought at what to say; she just came charging. “Uh…w-well, who the heck are
you?”
“I asked you first.”
“I asked you second.”
“But I asked you first.”
“Still, I asked you second.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!”
Mayu couldn’t believe they were really arguing about this.
“Just let her go, okay!?” Sae cracked her knuckles. “I’m not afraid to kick your butt and call the cops on you for attempted kidnapping.”
“What? I’m doing no such thing!” The man bellowed, incredulous at her accusation. He only wanted to have the girl model for him and his friends…maybe more…
“Really? Taking someone against their will doesn’t classify as that?”
The man gritted his teeth, “Argh, fine!” Not wanting this to escalate into something unnecessary, he relented his hold and backed off without another word, leaving the two alone.
Mayu slumped to the ground, feeling weak in her knees. Who knows what could have happened if Sae hadn’t come in the nick of time.
“Mayu…are you okay?” Sae held out her hand.
The princess looked up at her savior. Did she just…? “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name instead of my title…” Her heart raced.
Sae answered with a smile as Mayu took her hand, lifting the girl back on her feet. “I…didn’t want to compare you. I’m glad you’re safe…I really am…” Sae’s head began to spin.
I must’ve pushed myself too hard this time with my work…and all that running… She couldn’t help but black out in Mayu’s arms the next second.
“Sae…!?”
*****
A silhouette watched from the fountain’s streaming waters as a princess laid her prince’s head upon her lap.
“
You’ve almost found it, kid…just a little more.”
*****
“A prince?”
“Yep, that’s what I just said I was! I just saved you, didn’t I? It’s a prince’s duty to save princesses in trouble.”
Children…? Sae stirred from her sleep.
“You’re strange…but cool. Thank you for helping me.”
That voice…
The tomboy willed her eyes open and found herself in an elementary schoolyard from her past. “Is this a dream…?”
“The pleasure is mine, princess. I’ll always be there to save you!”
Sae followed the voices to sandbox where two young girls were building a sand castle. They were complete opposites. A princess and her prince. Make believe.
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
“This is right after I got into a fight with those boys that were bullying her…” Sae recalled, watching her younger self sport a fresh bruise on her cheek. The other girl next to her gently dabbing at the wound with a frilly pink handkerchief she had taken out of her dress pocket.
Sae smiled at the memory, willing herself not to cry.
“Sae! I heard some kids in the hallway telling the teacher about you. You shouldn’t get into fights. Dad will get mad.”
“Onii-chan…”
Sae watched her younger self converse with the younger self of one of her older brothers. She suddenly felt angry. She watched as her younger self introduced her childhood crush to her older brother after he had saw her.*****
Mayu observed Sae’s sleeping face. The girl seemed like she was in pain. Was she having a nightmare? She didn’t like seeing Sae’s face without a smile.
“Sae…wake up…” she leaned her head down to whisper.
The tomboy stirred before fluttering her eyes open. “Ma…Mayu…?”
The princess smiled softly, “You were having a dream…but it didn’t look like it was going well so I felt I should wake you up.”
Sae remained silent before willing herself to tell the girl the truth. “…She ended up marrying one of my older brothers.”
“Eh?”
“The girl I loved. I grew up with her…and I deemed her my princess….I was foolish enough to love her enough that I did everything I could to get into the same college as her. She wanted to draw manga, you see. But one day…I found out she had been secretly seeing my brother. ‘
You’ll always be my prince, Sae-chan’ was the last thing she said to me before the wedding.”
Mayu listened intently, absorbing everything, piecing things together.
“A week into their honeymoon…they went on a cruise. It was an accident. My brother didn’t know she couldn’t swim and couldn’t find another life vest before jumping. The news reported the names of all survivors that day…she…wasn’t on it. My brother though…he came home the next day and apologized to me instantly, knowing how I felt about her, but all I saw was red. After I punched him, I packed up and left to live on my own. I didn’t want to be in the same house as a coward who couldn’t even save his own wife.” Sae reached for Mayu’s face, ”You look just like her…”
“Why is that, Sae…?”
“Because, I based you off of her. The way you look, the way you move, everything…my princess…”
“Sae…I think you’re wrong about creating me.”
“What do you mean? I did create you. I created your whole family, the town you live in, your entire story.”
“Yes, but whether or not I am a work of art or not, no one but themselves can control matters of one’s heart. And from what you’ve told me, her heart didn’t answer yours…like mine is aching to do. Please, don’t look at me as a figment of your imagination, but look at me as a reality, for what I feel right now and am about to say is nothing but real…”
“Mayu…”
“My father gave me a choice to find love…happiness…and my choice is you.”
*****
It was the day of Sae’s deadline. Sayaka was set to pick it up in a couple hours.
But by then she’d be gone.
She left a note and a key so the woman didn’t have to break her door down.
“Ready to go?”
She set her finished manuscript on the table and took her princess’s hand, smiling.
They stood in front of her bathtub.
“Yuko…” Sae called. She knew for she created this water spirit as well. It was all part of her story.
The water glowed and they jumped.
This ending was no longer a figment of their imaginations.