I opened the door to the same guest bed room I had used last time I was here. Except that time I had shared it along with Tetsu. So much had happened since then... Those days seemed peaceful in comparison to what we were now experiencing.
"Serra! Wait for us!" Rosa yelled.
I turned around and saw Setsuko, Ximena, and her make their way over to me.
"What's wrong?" I asked, alarmed.
"You should be the one to tell us that," Setty said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Actually, perhaps not," Ximena said, shifting around uncomfortably. "Forcing him to open up won't help."
The princess sighed. "I know what you mean, but Serra is someone who needs a bit of cracking to get him to open up."
Rosa turned around. "Hmmm, actually, I think that it'll be best to get Tetsu to help us out." She rushed off in the direction she had come from.
Ximena nodded. "Yeah, he is the one who can get him to open up the most."
Setsuko sighed. "We can't rely on Tetsuya all the time."
I scratched my head. "Uh, I'm not sure what's going on. Did I say something wrong earlier?"
She put a hand in front of me, pinning me between the wall and herself. "I wish that you would be more honest with your feelings. That's all."
I sighed. "Well, I can say the same thing about you. You're always playing the role of a tough girl. You're always trying to do things by yourself. I don't see why I can't do the same. Listen, I just need some alone time. Is that too much to ask of you?"
Setsuko stepped back. "This is different. I simply can't allow you to wallow in your sadness."
I smiled. "I appreciate how much you care for others, but you can't help those who don't wish to. I think that's your biggest flaw."
The princess gasped. "I..."
"Serrano is right. One can't push ones will against others, even if one might think that they have the best intentions in mind. There have been plenty of people throughout history who have done just that and hurt others in the process. My country was destroyed by people who thought they knew what was best for everyone," Ximena said. "In the end it turned out that they were simply looking out for themselves."
"I'm not like them!" Setsuko countered.
Ximena sighed. "I can see the family resemblance."
Setsuko curled her hands into fists. "What family resemblance?"
"You're not all that different from that father of yours who seeks to destroy my best friend. You both believe yourselves right, unwilling to listen to others. While King Orlin might've hurt my people, at least he knew how to listen to others."
The princess turned away and walked away.
"Hey, where are you going?" I called out, taking a step forward.
"I'm leaving," she said, a hint of anger in her voice. "Perhaps, you do need some time on your own after all." She came to a stop. "I know that I can be pushy at times. Maybe if I wasn't then..." She stopped herself mid-sentence and ran off.
"Setty..."
Ximena sighed. "Sorry, I just couldn't watch her talk to you like that."
I shook my head. "No. Don't apologize. I am thankful. I probably should've told Setty what you just did a long time ago. She does have an issue with enforcing her will on others. While most of the time the results haven't been bad, there might come a time when they are."
I looked down.
I guess... I'm like my mom... Letting her push me around the way my father did to her. No, she doesn't deserve to be compared to him. My father is much, much worse. Even King Osamu doesn't compare to him.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Ximena smiling at me. "I know she means well. She has the heart to be a good ruler, the only thing she's missing is wisdom. Wisdom to pick her battles. To know when it's best to act and when it's best to be quiet and let things progress on their own."
I smiled. "If you were a queen, you would be a great one yourself."
Ximena's face reddened. She slowly stepped back. "Y-you think so? W-well, I rather not be. Power, it corrupts. That girl will need someone who is both righteous and wise to help her out."
Wisdom, that's one thing I need to work on myself. I've made a lot of stupid blunders, both in the past and now...
"You corrupt? I can't imagine that," I said, chuckling. "You're the most honest and kind hearted person I know."
Ximena brushed her hair back and smiled. "It means a lot that you think that about me, but I'm not without my own faults. I struggle with giving up when I know I should."
I felt my heart sink to my stomach. She was talking about us, wasn't she? My indecisiveness was hurting her.
"Well, so does Tetsu," I said, laughing.
She smiled. "Yeah. He might actually have it worse than me. Though I think its all thanks to you?"
"Huh? What do I have to do with it?"
She shook her head. "Unbelievable. You're seriously asking that? Tetsu seemed defeated when he lacked you by his side." She put a hand on her hip. "As did you when he wasn't around. You two fall apart without one another."
I grumbled. "You're making us sound as if we're lovers or something," I muttered.
Ximena giggled. "Honestly, I do get jealous of him. He might be a bigger rival than the princess."
I sighed. "Don't say such things. Especially around the princesses."
She turned around and chuckled. "Your affection for one another goes beyond that of romantic love. It truly is a beautiful thing to see."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Is that why you had us share the same bed in Xeleria."
"Yeah, I wanted you two to be forced to face the awkwardness of your situation. It seems that it worked too! You realized while talking to him how much you needed him, didn't you?"
I scratched my head. "Yeah, I sorta did," I said, blushing slightly. It was embarrassing to admit it to someone else. I didn't like how dependant on him I was. Even after all these years, it felt as if I had barely matured beyond that wimpering kid who used to look up to his cousin and depend on him to fight his battles.
Though in my defense, I did help Tetsu with some of his too. During middle school we had to commute to the nearby city. Most would look down on us due to the way we dressed or talked. Taku and Tere had it worse as they had thicker accents than Tetsu and me. Though Tere fought her own battles, Taku would often let it go.
In fact, one time Tetsu while still an elementary kid snuck into the school and faced down his brother's bullies after school. Well, alright, I sorta went too, but that was to dissuade him from his plan. Sadly I failed. Whenever that guy was set on something, it was hard to get him to snap out of it.
I quickly realized by the size of the crowd that I had to step in to protect Tetsu. Tetsu did manage to fend them off on his own, until they drew their angel tools. I had to step in to protect the kid or else they would've maimed him. Though as soon as they saw my Aventine most fled. Only a few brave, or perhaps stupid kids stayed back to fight me.
I think it was that moment which drove Tetsu to desire an angel tool more than before. The fact that nearly everyone in our elementary school had one didn't help either. He was even made fun of throughout elementary and middle school for lacking one. That didn't stop him from picking fights, though. I'm not sure what happened during high school as I had gone off to Kaguya to attend one of the most prestigious schools. Part of me wondered if he would be alright... I couldn't help but worry about my reckless cousin.
I shouldn't have abandoned him. Nor should I have abandoned my little brother... Just like Hideo, I was unable to save him...
I curled my hands into fists. If only I had managed to save him! He was too young, too innocent!
"Serra, when you're ready to talk, find me," Ximena said before hugging me.
I embraced her tightly as tears streamed down my face. "Thank you, Xime!" I cried.
She chuckled as she patted my back. "No need to. I'm always here for you, Serra. You know that."
*Etsuo*
Roa grumbled as he stared down at the Makkuroyama mansion. "Does that girl think of returning?" he asked as he tapped his arm in an impatient manner.
"Come on, let her spend time with her family. They deserve it after all they've been through," I said, smiling.
Reno who was seated at the edge of a cliff nodded. "Yeah, they sure do. After everything we've done to them."
Suzuki lowered her gaze.
Mei sighed. "Cheer up. I know, how about you visit your mom?"
"Right, I overheard her asking Dine about how you were doing after they finished burying the casket," I said, rubbing my ear.
"You did?" Reno asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
I chuckled. "Yeah, you see, my special ability revolves around hearing. Its useful for eavesdropping, hence why I was one of the three sent to this world to spy on you angels. Satoru, meanwhile, had vision. He could move his field of vision around as if he were an astral projection, allowing him to see things he otherwise wouldn't have been able to see."
Suzuki stepped back. "That's... disturbing."
I tilted my head. "Yeah, but it has a limit of a hundred feet."
"If he can go through walls then that's still disturbing," she cried out.
Reno pushed himself up. "I see. Sis, let's go see our parents. We shouldn't worry them more than we already have."
"You got that right," a voice called out. Flying toward us using a pair of leaf green wings was Lorenzo. "You two are in big trouble!"
"Wait, we..."
"I don't want to hear excuses, Reno. Besides, I'll admit, it's not like I'm entirely against what you've done."
"Huh?"
He ran a hand through his long verdant hair. "Honestly, I would've preferred that your mother hadn't give up so easily. Now that I know that Hideaki shares a connection to the royal family, I am more cautious about trusting him."
"What connection?" Roa asked, tilting his head at him.
"Yeah, what is it?" Reno asked, anxious.
"It appears that Hideaki's wife is related to the royal family. She told the heir of Aventine that he resembled her cousin, Azami."
Reno gasped. "Azami?"
"Isn't that the guy whose music you listen to?" Roa asked, looking over at him.
Lorenzo shot Reno a dirty look. "So you still listen to that trash?"
"It's not trash... it's actually rather great," Reno muttered as he avoided looking straight at his father's eyes.
Lorenzo sighed.
"I overhead that conversation, but what connection does Azami have with the royal family?" I asked.
"He's the twin brother of King Osamu, the elder of the two. If he hadn't given up his birthright, he would've been king."
"I see, so Setsuko and Rosa wouldn't have been the next two in line if not for their uncle giving up his claim to the throne," Roa said, chuckling.
I lowered my head and rubbed my chin. Though is there a connection between Serrano and Azami? My cousin seemed to know him based on his reaction. Wait, my mom did say that aunt Selena married a man from the nobility...
"How much do you know about this Azami?" I asked, looking up.
"I only know that he married a country girl and that he was a famous singer at one point. His career and life went downhill after a drug scandal," Lorenzo responded. He gave me a curious look. "Say, why are you interested in him? Do you know something?"
"I'm not sure, but I think that Serrano might be his son," I responded.
Lorenzo chuckled. "If he were than that young man is cursed. To be the nephew of two of the men who destroyed Makkuroyama. If so then your mother was right to have set her sights on him for her revenge."
Reno scratched his head, uneasily. "I actually almost killed the crown princess and him."
His father chuckled. "You did? Well, why did you stop?"
"Well, Serrano proved stronger than I had thought. He survived Alabaster's strangle. And during our battle in abyss, when Roa, Man-kin, and Satoru nearly killed him off, he transformed into a form I'd never seen before; a tiger with two pairs of equally-sized wings and a silver aura cracking all around him."
Lorenzo gasped. "I wasn't aware that he had such a form at his disposal. The wings and aura sound to me as if he went into his third heaven form, but the tiger form..."
"Serrano is an abyssmal," I said. "That tiger form can be considered his true form. All of us abyssmals have an animal form. His cousin Tetsuya seems to be capable of turning into a dragon, while Etsuo here is a pegasus and I'm..."
"You're what?" Reno asked.
I lowered my gaze. "A..."
"Wait!" Roa said, interrupting me. "If Serrano is the king's nephew then that means that he is the cousin of Setsuko and Rosa." He scratched his head. "And the two princesses in turn are cousins with Hyosetsu and Kohri."
"Hmm, it appears that the various members of the Seven-Hill Knights and the Knights of Prophecy are connected to one another by blood. It was to be expected that the monarchy wouldn't allow a low born to gain the title of knight so easily," Lorenzo said, shaking his head.
Suzuki gasped lightly. "Wait, during the meeting in the throne room, Osamu didn't seem too fond of his nephew. In fact, he teased that Hyosetsu would be a better companion for the crown princess. Hmm, yet he continues with their engagement."
"The princess and Serrano are more of a political arrangement than we thought," Roa said as his ears twitched.
I sighed. "You sure love gossip, don't you?"
"Gossip, eh? I'll like to hear what it is," a voice called out. I looked over at the horizon and saw Kiara flying toward us. Or perhaps it was Dine...
Roa put a hand on his hip and narrowed his eyes at her. "Finally, you're back. I thought that you were going to ditch us."
"I wouldn't ditch you," she said, smiling. She swung her hands behind her back as she landed next to Roa. "We've been far apart long enough already."
My cousin's face reddened. "So it's you, Blobby," he mumbled.
She grinned as she leaned in closer. "Of course it's me. Now, why are you blushing?"
"Dine, don't flirt with Roa while you're using Kiara's body, she wouldn't like it," I said.
"Etsuo is right! Don't use my cousin's body to flirt with my Master!" Reno shouted.
She chuckled and ran over to me. "What, are you perhaps jealous?" she asked as she was a few inches from me. She smelled nice, like jasmine...
I tugged on the collar of my button up t-shirt. "I-I..."
She leaned in. "You know, Kiara is rather fond of you. So while she might have issues with me flirting with Roa, I'm sure she won't mind me doing so with you," she whispered.
"D-Dine!" I said, stepping back.
"Etsuo!" Roa yelled as I went over the edge.
Dine grabbed a hold of my hand but she only ended up getting pulled alongside me. Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the two of us.
"Got you!" Reno said, grinning.
"Nice save, Reno!" Suzuki said, patting him on the back.
Their father turned his attention eastward. "I sense someone coming this way. I think that your ruckus has attracted whoever it is toward us."
"Is it the Seven Hills?" Reno asked.
"Or the Five Knights of Prophecy?" Roa asked. "Or maybe it's the triplets returning."
"No, it's not them," I said as Alabaster set us down. "It's him, the guy who Eita warned us about, Naoru. It's best that we get far away from here right now."
Roa scoffed. "Please, why are you so scared? I mean, that guy wasn't anything special when I faced him outside of the palace. In fact, I sliced off his hand easily."
Reno chuckled. "Wow, really? You really are a tough guy, Master."
"I think that Etsuo is right," Kiara said, hiding behind me.
I smiled. "Welcome back."
Her face flushed. "I don't think that I'll be letting Dine out for awhile after this..." she whispered.
I chuckled. "Though I do wonder if she was right about you being fond of me." I pulled her into my arms.
"W-what are you doing?" Kiara cried out.
"Getting us out of here," I said, jumping down the mountain.
"Hey! Wait up!" Roa yelled, chasing after me. "Why do you have to carry that girl bridal style!"
"Yeah!" Kiara said, squirming around. She pressed her face against my chest but quickly regretted it as she pulled away. "Can... can you put me down?"
I gulped as my face warmed up. I stopped at the base of the mountain and gently put her down. "Sorry... about that."
"That jerk Satoru was right about one thing," Reno said as he and the others flew down to the base of the mountain to join us. "You are a coward."
I stuttered as I tried to say something but it was as if my voice had been taken.
"Don't call him that," Roa said. He patted me on the shoulder and smiled. "Etsuo here gave you a challenge during your sparring sessions in the palace, didn't he?"
Reno nodded. "Yes, he did. Do note that I didn't call him weak." He turned his eyes back at me. "That's why it's disheartening to see you like this." He started to walk away. "You need to have more confidence in yourself. Or else how do you expect to stand next to Master Roa? You should at least be his equal. Or did you lie when you told me that you wanted to become stronger to protect him and the rest of your friends?"
I clenched my hands into fists. He was right. I only kept running away. If I hadn't tried to ran away from Hideaki, if I had only put up a fight, then things might now be different. Dan might not have died.
"I finally found you, Kasai no Ki filth," a voice called out from on top a cliff. Staring us down was the same young man who looked at me with hate filled eyes back when I had been imprisoned.
"Naoru," I said, gulping.
"Reno, Lorenzo, please take Di, uh, Kiara away," Roa said as he covered his hands in electricity. "I'll take care of him."
The guy faded from view. I spun around toward Kiara. I chuckled. Roa had blocked his attack by grabbing him by the wrist.
"Tsk. Did you forget how our last battle went?" Roa asked, grinning as electricity began to crackled up the young man's arm. "Now, leave or I'll kill you. If you don't believe I can, then know that I've already bloodied my hands with your kind's blood."
"Is this all you got? If so, I'll like to see you try to accomplish your threat," the young man said as he grunted. Roa was only channeling enough electricity as to incapacitate him, yet he could still move. As far as I could tell, this guy wasn't a member of either of Eita's houses. So for him to have such a high resistance... Wait, Eita! Is this guy's resistance the result of training with him?
Roa scoffed and swung him into the mountain. Dust covered us. I turned to check up on Kiara and the others but they were gone. I smiled. At least they won't get any more involved in this.
"Hmph, that guy actually thought he had a chance against me. A few days of training isn't enough to make a difference, especially since I've also been working hard on improving," Roa said as he stared at the cloud of dust.
"Roa, don't drop your guard. Remember what happened with Satoru. He got careless in his battles against Tetsuya and Rosa. That ended up costing him dearly," I said, tapping his shoulder.
"Ha. Come on you wo-" He gasped as soon as he turned around. "Etsuo..."
I stared at my chest. There was a blade poking out of it. I looked over my shoulder and saw the same hate-filled eyes of the one who had almost taken my life before.
"Should've listened to your own advise," Naoru said, grinning as he raised his blade, drawing it closer to my core.
**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :3. Took me awhile to write, even now I'm not so sure about how it turned out. So, what are your thoughts? Predictions for what's to come?**