Chapter 2: Snow and Courage

*CLANK*

A sudden noise snapped me out of my half awaken state. I stared at the source, a metal tray that had been tossed to the floor of my cell, a sight that I was depressingly getting used to. On it were the rations provided for me. Let's see… bread again huh? Since I had been locked up in here, the only interactions I had with any other individuals was when someone came to feed me, so… aside from staring at them as they walked away, none. Chalk that up with the lack of any natural lighting in my cell and I had no idea how long I had been stuck down here. The only real information I had was the amount of times someone had come down to deliver my meal, and adding this time brought the total up to six. That meant I had probably been down here from anywhere between two to six days, with no signs of leaving soon.

As for the condition of my imprisonment… well, I suppose it could be worse. As for the good news, I haven't been killed or tortured, yet. For how livid that man was, I was a bit surprised that aside from the imprisonment, I was otherwise left to my own devices. Not that there was much to do in here anyways. Yay. As for the bad news… well, there was plenty. For one, I had absolutely no clue what had happened to Yukinoshita and the others. I had found myself locked up in here ever since I had passed out again. As far as I could tell, they weren't in here as well, so that was good I suppose. Regardless, I had no actual idea where they actually were either, which had me worried. Speaking of Yukinoshita, there was that other girl back then that looked just like her. I had racked by brain trying to figure out what her appearance had meant; in fact, there was plenty of things that had occupied my thoughts ever since we got here, which brings to my second problem.

I'm not able to think at all! I know Yukinoshita often calls my brain rotten, as well as my eyes, and pretty much every part of my body, but ever since we got here, I've had a serious headache that's hampered any attempt at forming any cognitive thought. I say headache because, well, it's a pain that's affecting my head, but I'm not sure that a headache is the correct term to describe it. Whereas a normal headache would be characterized by a sharp, stinging pain or perhaps a constant pressure, this was more… dull? It's hard to describe, no doubt thanks to the pain itself, but it was seriously affecting my ability to think. I've tried to sleep it off, but that only brings me to my third problem; I can't sleep at all.

Aside from a small bucket in the corner for I had assumed was for certain business purposes, the cell I was in was devoid of any sort of furniture. Just the cold stone floor, the cold stone walls, and I presume, the cold stone ceiling. The lack of any lighting didn't help, only adding to the cold atmosphere of the place. Despite that insulting nickname Yuigahama tacked onto me, I did NOT stay inside all day. Even a loner like me enjoyed a stroll through the park! As long as I was alone, of course. Anyways, not only was the cell cold, it was wet. Like seriously wet. As in, there was at least a good couple of centimeters of water on the floor in some parts. Thankfully, there was a small dry, or at the very least, unflooded spot in my cell that I could rest on, but the moisture in the air was heavy enough that my clothing was soaked through anyways. Thankfully, my clothing wasn't taken from me when I was tossed in here, but with how wet it was, it didn't really do much to keep me warm anyways. Either way, with the temperature and the moisture, it was impossible to catch any real sleep in here. The best I could really do was to sit in once place and to try and conserve my energy. Throwing the last of the small meal into my mouth, I closed my eyes again in a futile effort to escape this place, if only mentally.

*Creak*

Hmmm? Rousing me from my idle state was not the usual clatter of metal I had grown accustomed to. Lifting my head up, I could see the door of my cell being pushed open. However, before I could even understand what was happening, the guards from before had surrounded me. While the rest stayed in position surrounding me, one stepped forwards towards me.

"Get up," he commanded, forcefully pulling me to my feet, giving me no time to actually move by myself. A wave of vertigo crashed over me, likely a result of sitting for long, but again, I was shoved towards the doorway before I could retake my senses.

"Follow along now. Make sure you keep up."

"W—" I tried speaking, but the disuse of my vocal cords as well as the general fatigue that afflicted my body ensured that I could only produce a hoarse whisper. Swallowing, I tried speaking again. Though my voice was low, I recognized that I was at least able to produce actual words this time.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Be quiet. You are in no position to be asking questions right now." The man that had led me out of the cell forcefully shot me down. So much for that. I closed my mouth and we continued to walk in silence. I was still surrounded and had spent at least a couple of days stuck in a cell, not to mention I wasn't exactly a fighter in the first place. I had little choice but to peacefully go along with them. To my surprise though, the man spoke up again.

"We are currently taking you to the throne room." That surprised me. "You will be in the presence of his Majesty, himself. I suggest you do your best to keep your mouth shut and to avoid angering him. It would be a shame for you to have gone through all of this only to be executed after all."

His Majesty? I've had pretty much no contact with anyone ever since we ended up here, but one person clearly came to mind. Even in my addled state, thinking about that man was starting to irk me. Now I had to meet him AND avoid pissing him off? Haah… it'd be easier to just stay in my cell.

I was lead up a rather long flight of stairs, out of what I assume was a dungeon, and entered a stone hallway. Even the dim lighting of the torches hanging off the wall felt painful for my eyes which had grown so accustomed to the darkness of my cell. Walking along, we entered a much larger hallway, this one lined with windows which let in the morning sun. Again, my eyes needed to readjust, but after taking a glance at the things we had passed, I had guessed we were in a castle or a fort.

Something was off though. It was the architectural design of the place. With masonry walls, large arching hallways, and the tall, arched windows, it was no doubt a medieval European-styled castle. Despite the fact that this was my first time seeing it in person, I would have believed it if someone had told me I was in Europe right now. Except there was one huge inconsistency. The people here were speaking Japanese. Well, not perfect Japanese. Rather, it seemed more like a dialect. Either way, the language had to have some connection to Japanese. In fact, many of them looked Japanese as well, though they lacked the distinctive hairstyles of many of the past Japanese eras, instead having much simpler, short styles that wouldn't feel out of place in modern society. I was reminded of how exactly I had ended up here in the first place and how bizarre this entire scenario was.

Lost in my thoughts, I bumped into the guard in front of me when we came to a sudden halt. He gave me an annoyed glared, but thankfully did nothing else. Grateful I had gotten off the hook, I looked forward to see why we had stopped in the first place. In front of us stood the largest set of double doors I had ever seen. It's not every day that you see ten-meter-tall, carved, wooden doors in Japan so you'll have to excuse me for being just a bit awestruck. Even in my miserable state, I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship that went into carving the intricate details on the door. I did have a bit of interest in this kind of thing myself after all, though it was mainly limited to things like building G*ndam.

Two soldiers pushed open the doors, and I was led in. Behind the large set of doors was fittingly the largest room I had been in so far. The room stretched far back, with pillars that stretched up to the ceiling lining the room on both sides. Banners hung from the ceiling, bearing the same symbol I had noticed on the clothing of the guards. Decorative tiles adorned the floor, drawing attention towards the center of the room where a large chair sat strikingly in the center of the room. The sunlight streaming in through the tinted windows provided a soft glow that lit up the room, Honesty, I would have been overwhelmed by the beauty of the room if it weren't for a simple understanding. This was the throne room.

"Hikigaya-kun!"

"Hikki!"

Breaking me out of my misery were two familiar voices I was very relieved to hear. The guards that had escorted me here dispersed, moving to the sides of the room to stand in rank with the other guards already present, and a very concerned looking Yukinoshita and Yuigahama ran up to me. I had somehow missed them before, but upon closer inspection, Hayama and Miura were here too, standing a ways away from the throne.

"Hikigaya-kun. What did they do to you? You look terrible," Yukinoshita gasped, eyeing me with concern.

"Don't I always?" I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Yukinoshita did not go along with my usual self-deprecating humor.

"Hikigaya, this isn't a joke! I—… we were really concerned about you," she bit back angrily, causing me to flinch. Meanwhile, Yuigahama looked like a child witnessing a fight between her parents, unsure of whether to help. I could tell she was worried as well, but Yukinoshita had probably taken the words out of her mouth. Thankfully, I was interrupted from having to apologize to the both of them as well as do the awkward task of describing my last couple of days in prison by one of the guards.

"ATTENTION. YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS MAJESTY, THE KING HIMSELF."

The warm atmosphere of the room tensed as every soldier stood at attention. Silence filled the room, causing the three of us to move closer towards Hayama and Miura. While Yukinoshita looked like she still had more she wanted to say, she stayed silent, choosing facing forwards instead. Following her lead, I nervously waited for the arrival of the king.

A rhythmic tapping broke the silence. As it grew louder, I identified it as a set of footsteps. The sound of the footsteps reverberated through the room, increasing its volume and capturing my attention. Just as the volume of the footsteps peaked, he strode out from one of the hallways in the back of the room. With every step he made towards the throne, my blood grew hotter and hotter as I matched the details of this man's face to the one from several days ago. As he took his seat on the throne, any doubt was removed from my mind. His Majesty was the royal prick that tossed me into the dungeon upon our arrival.

Honesty, I was this close to losing my cool and saying something that would probably have landed me in some very hot water. Yet, I decided against it. Especially when I saw the faces Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were making. Yuigahama, who had always tried to make the best of any situation, had an absolutely furious expression on her face and Yukinoshita, well… she managed to keep her expression mostly unreadable, but the thick aura of repugnance that radiated off of her was so intense, I probably would have curled up in a ball and starting crying in fright if it was ever directed at me. I was slightly impressed, despite my strong dislike of the man, that his Royal Highness remained unflinching, seemingly ignorant of their rage. Regardless, seeing these two so angry made me feel slightly better and took the edge off my anger, at least, enough so that I wouldn't do anything rash.

"I'll make this quick. You heroes," he spoke while scanning over us, his face contorting with dissatisfaction as his gaze passed onto me, "have been summoned for the sole purpose of combatting the forces of the demons. You shall lead Akari, the kingdom of light against their forces, defeating the demon king, and restoring peace to these lands. You will be justly compensated for your work, so I expect, you, in return, to complete the tasks that will be assigned upon you. I'm expecting great things from you," he finished, his tone so callous, that I had doubts concerning his true feelings.

Dismissing us, the man stood and left through the entrance from whence he originally came. Taking all the tension out with him, we were left in an eerily silent room, despite the amount of people in here. I stood dumbfounded, shocked that we had all been called together here, on what seemed to be a relatively important matter, only to be given a few sentences before he left. Rather, the contents of what he had discussed was important; he just hadn't elaborated on it at all. Summoned? Demons? What exactly was he going on about? He didn't seriously expect us, a bunch of high schoolers, to go fighting some war for him, did he? Hmph. I was definitely going to put this guy on my kill list when I got home. Wait… how exactly do we get home in the first place?

Around us, the soldiers had started moving, leaving to do whatever it is that they did. A couple stayed behind to watch over us, I assume, as well as to stand guard by the large doors, but otherwise the room was quite empty, at least, compared to a just a few minutes ago. However, the five of us had yet to move, most likely still mulling over what exactly we had been told. Yuigahama, thankfully, took it upon herself to break us from our trance.

"Geez," she pouted, "that guy was seriously rude, wasn't he? More importantly though, Hikki, are you alright?"

"Yuigahama's right. How are you feeling Hikigaya? You certainly don't look to well. Your skins clammy," she said, gently taking my hand, "and you've got bags under your eyes," she voiced with concern, "not to mention you look like you're barely standing."

"It's nothing," I replied, pulling my hand back. A dejected look passed over Yukinoshita's face. I let out a sigh. "Sorry. It's just, I didn't want you two to worry about me." She nodded in understanding, brushing off her gloom.

"Idiot," she whispered, turning her face, "of course we would worry."

"Yeah, Hikki," Yuigahama added, "it's been three days since we've been here, and we haven't seen you at all since those guys took you away. Are you sure you're alright?"

Hmm. Despite my poor calculation skills, looks like I was somewhat on the mark when it came to guessing how long I had been stuck in there. I attempted to reassure the two of them once more, but my body suddenly stopped. The fatigue that had accumulated over the past three days had suddenly intensified and rammed into my body trifold. My body staggered and my eyes flickered as I tried to fight off the sudden weight that dragged me down. The last thing I remembered was the cries of concern from Yukinoshita and Yuigahama as I muttered out one last, "I'm fine…" before collapsing on my back and passing out.

…

"It's Hikifroggy-kun."

"Uwah! He looked this way. He's so creepy"

"Ahaha, Hikifroggy-kun is so gross. Make sure you don't touch him."

…

"Augh! You touched him. Now you have the Hikigerma virus!"

"Don't you know barriers are ineffective against the Hikigerma virus?"

"Hey, I heard that you can get the Hikigerma virus just by talking to him."

Please…

"Who's that again?"

"Hey, who invited Hikifroggy here?"

"Doesn't he know not to show up? What a loser."

Please, stop it…

"Oh my god, were in the same class as him again."

"So creepy. I don't even know him and he asked for my number, so I just gave him something random."

"Ha-ha, seriously? That sucks. Do you even think this idiot will get the message?"

Stop it.

"That Hikigaya actually thought I liked him or something. Ugh. Maybe if he didn't say stuff like that, he'd actually have friends."

"Did you hear about Otagaya-kun. Apparently he made whole cd of anime songs for Yamashita-san. LOL."

"Can't we just like, stay friends?"

STOP.

…

…

…

"Hikigaya-kun."

…

"I'm here with you."

…

"I… I believe in you…"

…

*Swish*

A gentle feeling brushing against my forehead woke me from my slumber. Just when exactly had I gone to sleep? Either way, I still felt sluggish and decided to try and get some more sleep. Nuzzling down deeper into the mattress, I emptied my mind to return to dream land. And yet…

*Swish*

The brushing continued, tickling my forehead and preventing me from dozing off. I pried my eyes open just a sliver, only to close them again from the light. Waiting for them to readjust, I once more opened them up, looking for the source of disturbance.

*Swish*

Errrr… Looking to the side of my bed, my eyes met with Yuigahama's who, for some reason, had her hand outstretched towards my face. We stared at each other for a couple of seconds, me, in confusion, and Yuigahama looking like a deer caught in headlights. Thankfully, she quickly recollected herself and reeled her hand back behind her back.

"Yuigahama-san? Can you please explain to me what you were doing to me just now?"

"H-Hikki! I was just, um, there was something in your hair just now! Yeah, that's it! Wait, where did the -san come from?!"

"Never mind that, Yuigahama-san. I'd like to know the real reason you were messing with my hair while I was unconscious. On that note, where are we and how did I get here?"

"Ah! We're in the… hmm, what did Yukinon call it again?... That's right! We're in the medical wing of the castle right now," she answered with a breath of relief. I had noticed that she had completely sidestepped my first question but I decided to let it go for now. "Don't you remember passing out earlier? We we're like, super worried but that other girl, you know, the one that looks just like Yukinon? She had you taken here. They had a doctor look at you. They were really surprised about your condition, which caused Yukinon to freak out, but apparently, you were better than they had expected. Oh, this is the weirdest part! The doctor cast some kind of magic on you or something and you looked better all of a sudden. She said all you needed left was some rest as well as a meal later, which is why we've just been letting you sleep in here."

Magic? I was tempted to ask Yuigahama if she was afflicted with a certain mental illness, but after the strange event that had landed us here, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided someone else could explain it later. As far as I could tell, I was seriously out of the loop concerning pretty much everything and as much as I enjoyed sleeping, it probably wasn't going to help with that.

"How long have I been out?" I asked while propping myself up into a sitting position.

"Ah… you fainted sometime this morning, and right now, it's pretty late in the afternoon, so… about half a day?"

Hmm. Apparently I'd been out for a much shorter time that I had expected. If I added up the three days I'd been stuck in a cell as well when we first arrived as well as today, that would add up to… about four or five days. In other words, close to a week had passed since we had arrived here. I pushed aside my thoughts since Yuigahama was still sitting in front of me.

"So." I paused, taking a deep breath. "How… how have you and the others been, especially these past couple of days."

"Don't worry!" she replied with a cheery smile. "We've been doing just fine. We've all been kinda nervous about this whole situation, especially Yumiko since they wouldn't tell us anything. We just sat in our room for three days. We weren't allowed to wander around, but they didn't do anything to us. Especially anything like what they did to you…" As she mentioned on the last part, her happy façade faded to reveal her true feelings. Her downcast look made me want to do something, but I wasn't sure what, especially considering I was the reason for her sadness and I wasn't even at fault, like usual. Luckily, there was no need to me to try and cheer her up with my poor social skills as Yuigahama quickly perked up herself.

"I know!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "I'll go get Yukinon. She's not here now, but she was so worried, she pretty much spent the whole day watching you. I had to send her away so she could grab a break and catch a bite."

"Yuigahama, I believe the saying is 'catch a break' and 'grab a bite'."

"Augh! Geez, stupid Hikki, you know what I meant." I shared a laugh with her, glad that even in this mess, our club's resident airhead was as reliable as usual.

"Anyways," she continued with a chuckle, "I'll get Yukinon right away." As I watched her slip out the doorway, I noticed something. Though Yuigahama might have tried to hide her feelings, she was an emotional person at heart. As she turned into the hallway, I could see just the smallest amount of anguish that tinged the corners of her smile. The rhythmic clapping of her shoes as she skipped grew dimmer and dimmer, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

A week huh? I had done a lot of thinking while I was locked up, seeing as I had nothing better to do, and had concluded while that it would definitely be a problem we were missing, there wasn't much I could currently do. I had no idea where we currently were, much less how to get home in the first place. Based off of how we'd landed here, we might need another one of those magic circles just to return. However, as far as I was aware, humans aren't capable of magic, at least, not from where we come from. Source: Me… Anyways, embarrassing pasts aside, I really hope that Komachi isn't worrying too much about me. Ah, but please, try and worry just a little. It would really hurt your Onii-chan's feelings if you didn't notice I was missing.

*Ehem*

I glanced up, my eyes searching for the sound that had broken me from my thoughts. Standing in the doorway was none other than the raven-haired beauty I had grown so familiar with over the past year. She had changed out of her school uniform into something that I assume was provided to her, but I had to admit, the style of clothing here suited her well. She wore a simple white dress that accentuated her natural elegance and a small shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, further adding to her image of modesty and grace. It was rare for me to see her in something aside from our school's uniform, so there was no way I could guard against this. Turning the other way, I tried my best to hide my flushed face, lest I face a barrage of insults later about the nature of my gaze. Calm down, Hachiman, calm down. You're around pretty girls pretty much every day for some reason anyways. No need to get flustered over another one… wait! This was one of those girls! Augh! Either way, just calm down. Fwooh. Alright, calming down, success. Hmm? For some reason, despite the needlessly long train of thoughts that had just barreled through my brain, Yukinoshita had yet to move from her spot in the doorway.

"What's up? You can come in you know?"

"Ah." She let out a small gasp before nodding her head in acknowledgement and moving in. She made her way over to the side of my bed, but then she continued to stand, ignoring the stool that Yuigahama had sat on earlier. Confused, I looked at her face, expecting her to say something. Instead, I saw that she was avoiding my gaze, choosing to stare at the floor instead. She fiddled with her fingers, and her face was filled with guilt. I could tell she wanted to say something from the occasional twitch of her lips, but she made no sounds.

"Yukinoshita, what's wrong?" I asked, now concerned.

Her hands stopped and the guilt on her face was replaced with a look that so closely resembled the confusion I felt before. I continued to stare at her, hoping she would choose to trust me and tell me what was on her mind, or at the very least, I had hoped that I could figure it out myself, but to my relief, her expression changed once more, lighting up this time.

"Oh! I'm sorry, but you're mistaken," she replied.

"Hmm? About what?"

"Let me introduce myself. The truth is, I am—"

"Hikigaya-kun!"

Hm? Someone had shouted my name, interrupting Yukinoshita from whatever it was she was about to say. I could hear the clacking of shoes against the stone flooring of the hallways. Yukinoshita had stopped talking, turning towards the doorway, waiting for the owner of the voice to appear. I followed suit, assuming Yukinoshita would continue once the person passed. I could tell the person was running, based off of the intervals of the clacks. Either way, they were rapidly approaching and would likely show in the doorway right about… now. On my mark, a raven-haired girl appeared and stopped in the doorway, bent over with her hands on her knees, out of breath from the evident dash she had made over here. However, … I glanced back and forth between the girl hunched over in the doorway and the one that stood by my bed, noting the similarities between the two. Yup, no doubt about it. There were two Yukinoshitas.

…Huh?

"Hikigaya-kun, *huff* are you *puff* alright?" the Yukinoshita in the doorway panted, having yet to catch her breath. Looking up, her eyes locked onto the Yukinoshita standing beside me. In the blink of an eye, the Yukinoshita that had just entered, despite her seeming lack of breath, instantly jumped over to me, inserting herself between the other Yukinoshita and I. Having suddenly recovered, she stood with her arms out to her sides, as if guarding me, and proceeded to send the other Yukinoshita the chilling glare I had grown so well acquainted with. Despite the petrify-attribute of the glare, the other Yukinoshita stood there completely unfazed. In fact, if anything, she looked a bit relieved.

"Ah, I see you're here," she said. "That will make this easier to explain. Let's see… Hikigaya-san, was it? Again, allow me to introduce myself. I am the second princess of the Akaru Kingdom, the kingdom of light, Princess Akaru, Yuuki. It's a pleasure to meet you," she finished with a small curtsy.

A thousand questions rushed through my mind, but the basic manners drilled into me by my mother and Komachi instinctively took over.

"Ah, I'm Hikigaya, Hachiman. Nice to meet you," I lamely replied, trying my best to bow myself. Though I was nervous, I luckily managed to avoid stuttering and making myself look anymore the fool. At my introduction, Yukinoshita, sent me a harsh glare before sighing. Hey, what did I do wrong now?!

"We've already met before, but I'll reintroduce myself. I'm Yukinoshita, Yukino," Yukinoshita added, though clearly unenthusiastic about doing so. Akaru-san or, I guess Akaru-hime didn't seem to notice, nodding at our greetings.

Now that I looked closer, there were some differences between the two. The most obvious had to be their clothing. The one who I had previously thought was Yukinoshita was actually Akaru-san. In other words, she was the one in the dress that had so easily charmed me earlier. Did I say charmed? I don't remember that happening. Anyways, Yukinoshita wore a white, button up shirt with a ribbon bow tie under a light brown cardigan and a knee length, plaid skirt. Basically, it was the school uniform, minus the blazer. Additionally, Yukinoshita wore small ribbons in her hair on either side of her head, generally letting her hair hang loose. Akaru-san, if I'm not mistaken, who had previously had her hair up, had now let it down as well. However, Akaru-san had pulled a bit of hair from each side of her head, braiding them together and tying it into a small ponytail that sat nicely upon her long, flowing hair. All the differences I had noted though were just their attire. If these two were to wear the same thing and style their hair the same as well, I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference, aside from the two of them themselves.

"Yukinooon, wait for meee," a tired voice cried out from the hallway. There was no need to guess. It was obvious who that was. Following the sound of the voice, the three of us stared at the doorway. Slowly dragging herself in, the unmistakable form of Yuigahama presented herself to us. Strangely, she appeared even more tired out than Yukinoshita was.

"Geez, Yukinon, there's no need to rush so fast. Hikki isn't— Ah! I'm… I'm not interrupting anything, am I…?" Noticing the additional person in the room, the normally loud Yuigahama had grown strangely nervous.

"No, not at all," Akaru-san politely answered. "Please, come in."

"Yes, come in Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita added. "In fact," she continued, turning her gaze towards her double, "I believe this is a good chance for us to finally get some answers. I think you would be interested in hearing them as well."

Yuigahama apprehensively entered the room, now aware of the tension, and stood next to Yukinoshita. Meanwhile, Yukinoshita kept her stern gaze on the girl standing before her.

"We've been kept in the dark for far too long. Your people might have been instructed not to tell us anything, but even a child would be smart enough to realize that you're planning on using us in some manner. It would be in your best interests to make yourself as agreeable as possible if you actually want our cooperation in anything." Yukinoshita made her demands with a demanding tone, something I didn't usually see all while harshly rebuking Akaru as well. It was pretty awkward sitting here, watching Yukinoshita yelling. I almost felt bad enough to intervene. Almost. I was prevented by the reminded that the person Yukinoshita was yelling at was, in a sense, herself, and that that person more likely than not, did indeed have the answers we were seeking.

"I expect—"

"I understand."

"you to… Huh?"

"I will explain everything," Akaru-san continued, talking past the surprised Yukinoshita, "but first, there is something that must be done. Hikigaya-san," she said, turning to face me. In turn, I gave her a questioning look, confused by the change in topic. She took a deep breath, before getting to her knees and bowing in the dogeza position, shocking the three of us.

"I am so deeply sorry for everything you've been put through the past couple of days. I know that this small apology will do little to ease the pain that you felt, but please, find it in your heart to forgive us."

"What are you apologizing for? As far as I'm concerned, you haven't done anything. Anyways, please stop that," I pleaded, desperate to get her off the floor. I might not have liked people, but even I wasn't cruel enough to enjoy the sight of a girl kneeling on the ground in front of me. Even Yukinoshita, who had berated her earlier, looked uncomfortable watching the girl in front of us.

"NO!" she countered, refusing to look up or move. "My apologies cannot even begin to make up for the injustices you suffered by my father, my country and myself. Not only did I summon you five to our world, Hikigaya-san was falsely accused of crimes he didn't commit and then my father even had you thrown into the Dead Dungeon. I'm sorry that I can only offer you apologies, but I have nothing else to give other than myself."

Eeh? So the king, the one who imprisoned me, was her father. I suppose that made sense. She did introduce herself as the second princess. Hmm… for some reason, that gave me a bad feeling, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Anyways… wait, did she say she would give herself to me? Isn't this a surprisingly good opportunity? If she's a princess, she should be rich, and she's fine with becoming mine as well? This is the perfect opportunity for me to become a house husband!

Or not. A chill ran though my spine. Danger! Danger! What is this outrageous bloodlust I'm feeling? Looking up, I noticed Yukinoshita and Yuigahama both silently staring at me. Yuigahama had a small smile and Yukinoshita had an unreadable expression on her face, but I could tell the immense hostility I had felt pouring off of them. If I don't do something now, both my dreams of becoming a house husband and my life will come to a disappointingly short end.

"Ah, no. Your apology is fine, so there's no need for that," I replied regretfully. "Either way, please get up. There's no need for a princess to be bowing."

"No. It's precisely because I'm the princess that I must atone for my people's wrongdoings," she said, shooting me down. The three of us were left in shock at her devotion. I looked at Yukinoshita, who had managed to calm down somewhat after seeing the princess' attempts at peacemaking. Between the two of them, I suppose there were more similarities aside from just their looks.

"It's fine," I argued back. "Either way I accepted your apology. Don't you think it's rude to go against the wishes of the person you're apologizing to? Besides, despite my looks, I'm not the kind of guy that enjoys watching girls do something like this."

"I see…" Akaru-san picked herself off the ground and dusted off her dress. "Then, thank you for your forgiveness," she said with a small bow. Unlike before, this time, she simply bowed her head, something I was much more comfortable with.

"It's not like I've forgiven your father or anything," I muttered. Catching my words, Akaru-san was left visibly disheartened. I sighed, knowing that she would misunderstand if I didn't continue. "Don't get me wrong. It's just, I hate fake relationships—things like pretending to be friends, so I just wanted to get that out there. I don't want to act friendly with those I don't like and I don't expect you to act that way with me either. However, I have acknowledged that you, at least, are regretful about what you've done, so I'll accept your apology. That way, we can at least push that aside and work together. I know nothing of this place, and I understand it'll be in my best interests to listen to what you have to say, so for now, I'm looking forward to working with you, Akaru-hime." Extending out my hand, I held it just far out enough for Akaru-san to reach.

Thankfully my words had their intended effects, and a determined expression replaced the previous gloom. Stepping forward, she took my hand into both of hers and brought it up, close to her chest.

"Yes," she smiled, "I'm looking forward to working with you as well Hikigaya-san."

Yuigahama had a stupid grin on her face for some reason and even Yukinoshita gave me a smirk. I looked away in embarrassment, knowing exactly what they were thinking about. They would probably pester me later about how much I had changed since I joined the Service Club. I was already regretting giving out that embarrassing speech.

"Of course," Akaru-san added on, "that applies for you two and your friends as well. I'm looking forward to working with you Yuigahama-san, Yukinoshita-san."

"Awww, of course, Yuuki-chan!" Yuigahama replied, while jumping onto Akaru.

"Y-Y-Yuuki-chan?!" Akaru exclaimed, embarrassed by the sudden familiarity shown by Yuigahama.

"Likewise," Yukinoshita chuckled, enjoying seeing someone else suffer to Yuigahama's affections for once. "Anyways, I believe you said you would answer our questions, yes?"

"Ah, right. However, …" Akaru turned her head, glancing to the large windows on the wall. Following her gaze, I just now noticed the pale orange light that dyed much of the room. The sun was already starting to sink below the horizon and would probably only provide an hour of light at the most. "As you can see, there isn't much light left in the day. I expect dinner will be served soon and you wish to take baths as well, I expect. Given our time constraints and the amount of questions you probably have, it will be long into the night before we finish. I've promised to answer your questions, and I shall not go back on my word, so why don't I answer all your questions tomorrow morning instead? That way, your other friends will be there as well and I'll be able to teach you what you need to know as well. How about it?"

"I see… Very well then. Will we have the entire day tomorrow?"

"I will guarantee you as much time as you need, even a week if you must."

"That's fine then," Yukinoshita finished, satisfied.

"Then, shall we ready ourselves for dinner?"

To my surprise, that night ended up being one of the most enjoyable I've had in a long time. I didn't realize that a proper dinner and a bath could be so uplifting for my spirits, especially after spending three days in a dungeon. Sharing a table with Yuigahama and Yukinoshita had definitely been unusual, but not an unwelcome experience. Not even being forced to see Hayama during dinner or having to share a bath with him could ruin my mood. I decided to retire to the room provided to me earlier as I was still somewhat tired, but as I laid sprawled out on the comfortable mattress that occupied a large portion of the room, I couldn't help but feel that things would be fine.

The next morning, the five of us met up in a small study room. A chalkboard was placed on the wall and a large desk was placed in the middle of the room with enough room to accommodate the five of us and still provide space for comfort. Bookshelves were lined up in rows near the back of the room, and were filled with books covering a variety of subjects. To my surprise, I was able to read some of them, though, the contents themselves made little sense to me. Large windows like the ones found throughout the castle let in the early morning light, adding to the peaceful atmosphere of the room. We had all arrived a bit earlier than the agreed upon time, and as such, were just waiting for Akaru to arrive. Yuigahama and Miura were sitting, chatting about various things. Yukinoshita was going through one of the books I looked over earlier and somehow seemed to actually understand what it was going on about. Hayama stood over by the window, content with simply observing the scenery as we waiting. As it was so early, I decided to use the desk to try and get some more rest. Just as I was about to nod off, I was shocked awake by the most terrifying noise I've heard since arriving here.

"Yahallo!"

…

No way. It's absolutely impossible. I must still be tired. I'd better get back to sleep.

"Good morning, everyone."

Isn't this weird. In these types of stories, where the protagonist is sent to another world, they're usually stranded, right? That means that they are completely unfamiliar with anyone there and in return, no one knows who they are either, right? It's one of the only things I was looking forward to.

"I'm the first princess of Akari."

So then why? Why was the only person who I avoided like the plague, even more than Hayama, here?

"My name is…"

Why was Yukinoshita, Haruno, of all people, here?!

"…Akaru, Haruka! It's nice to meet you!"

Extra: The Melancholy of Yuigahama Yui

"I'll go get Yukinon right away, so just stay put, okay?"

After giving Hikki a warning to not try anything, I skipped my way down the hall, heading for Yukinon's room where I know she had been resting. Seeing how much better Hikki looked had really cheered me up, but I knew I wasn't the one who needed to see him the most right now. My skipping slowed to a walk as the brief surge energy I felt slipped from my body. It was Yukinon who watched over Hikki the whole day after all. She was the one who sat at his bedside the whole time, helping the doctor out. It's not like I didn't want to be there, but… I couldn't do anything. I would have just gotten in the way. Not only in the way of the doctor, but in the way of Hikki and…

*drip* *drip*

H-huh? What is this? Stretching out my hand, a small drop, then another, and then some more splashed onto my palms.

…

No… Stop thinking like that. Yukinon and Hikki—no matter what happens, we'll always be friends. That's why I absolutely can't act this way, because it would be unfair to the both of them. I promised myself already, didn't I? That no matter what, I wouldn't give up until the very end. Besides, without me, those two would get lost in their own little world, constantly. I have to be the one that pushes them forwards, right?

Rubbing my sleeves against my face, I wiped off the signs of my hesitation. Reconfirming my resolution, I proceeded though the castle to fetch Yukinon. The castle was, to no surprise, very large. It was, from what we were told, the centerpiece of the capitol and the building where most of the administrative work for the city was done, as well as the home of the royal family. As such, the castle was divided up into several sections, each portion of the building used for various purposes. While the medical wing and the residential section containing the guest rooms were close, it was still a few minutes' walk between the two. I let my mind wander about various things as I stared out the large windows that decorated much of the castle. What had finally pulled my thoughts together again was the sight of long, raven hair walking towards me. Even as a fellow girl, her hair had always captivated me. I've spent more hours after school in the club room than I'd like to admit playing with it, and as a result, had grown very familiar with it. I recognized it and its owner in an instant.

"Yahallo, Yuki…non?" Or not. Now that she stood in front of me, I began to doubt my initial assumptions. Her face, her hair, and her demeanor were all spot on, but Yukinon was still wearing her school clothing earlier. We we're provided with changes of clothing but Yukinon had refused, preferring to wear her own clothing instead. I kinda knew how she felt. I was hesitant to try on the clothing they had given us as well. After all, our school uniforms are all we had from our own world. I guess… it's like, if we put change out our clothes, we would be throwing that away, you know? Once we put on the clothing they had provided to us, we'd be just like the people here. Besides, the Yukinon in front of me was wearing a white dress with a shall. It looked totally cute on her, but the clothes they had given us were, while not bad, nothing like that. In other words, this was probably…

"Ah! Akaru-san, I'm so sorry about that!" I apologized, hoping she would forgive my mistake as well as for acting overly familiar towards her.

"No, there is no problem, Yuigahama-san," she said while chuckling. "I understand your mistake. Even I find it difficult to find differences between us, appearance wise. It's almost as if I'm staring at a mirror when I look at her. Anyways, might I inquire about what has you so excited?"

"Oh!" I cried, remembering what I had been doing. "You see, Hikki—ah, I mean Hikigaya-kun, our other friend, finally woke up! I was going to find Yukinon since she's been so worried." I referred to Hikki by his real name, something I don't remember every actually doing. It sounded foreign on my tongue, but strangely charming as well. Hikigaya… Yui, huh? Ah, how nice… Wait! Focus, me!

Lightly clapping my hands against my cheeks, I did my best to erase my fantasies from my mind. Thankfully, it seemed Akaru-san didn't notice my embarrassing display. Rather, she stood there with a thoughtful expression on her face. Noticing my curious gaze, Akaru-san looked up and smiled.

"I see… how fortunate. Perhaps, I should pay him a visit and properly introduce myself. In the meantime, you had better go inform Yukinoshita-san then, yes?"

"Of course! See you later, Akaru-san."

"See you later, Yuigahama-san."

Waving each other goodbye, Akaru-san walked off in the direction I came from while I headed for our rooms. Feeling much better than before, I lightly skipped my way down the halls, humming all the way till I reached our rooms. Seeing no need to be reserved, I busted through the doors of her room and found Yukinon sitting by the window, sipping a cup of tea. Even in another world, somethings just didn't change.

"Yuigahama-san," Yukinon began disapprovingly, "I believe I taught you to knock when entering someone's room, did I not?"

"Sorry about that, Yukinon."

"So, what is it?" she asked, exchanging her stern frown for a light-hearted smile. We had long since gotten used to each other's contrasting personalities and it was one of the things I loved most about Yukinon.

"You see, Hikki's woken up. Isn't that great?"

"I see," she said, putting down her cup. "The doctor guessed that he'd be out the whole day. I suppose he has the tenacity of a cockroach as well." Despite her offhanded insult, I could tell that Yukinon was relieved. Getting up, she straightened out her skirt, brushing away the creases that had formed during her small break.

"Shall we go pay him a visit then?" she asked. Despite trying to keep her voice neutral, I could hear a jump in her voice from her trying to contain herself and her feet where jittery, shaking as she tried her best to keep them still. I couldn't help but smile at her childish display. For how tough Yukinon acted all the time, it was nice to see a bit of her true feelings leaking through.

"Oh. That reminds me. Akaru-san already went ahead to go see Hikki," I added, having remembered while we were on the topic of visiting. As soon as the words left my mouth, a wind rushed past me. Without me even realizing it, Yukinon had dashed out of the room at a speed even faster than she had ran during the first minute of the marathon. I rushed to the door, hoping she would slow down, but I only managed to catch a glimpse of her before she speedily turned a corner, confirming my fears.

"Wait! Yukinon! That's the wrong way!"

Ah, geez. I don't think she heard me. With no other choices, I chased after Yukinon, hoping I could catch up to her before we ended up on the other side of the castle.

Author's Note: First, I must say, I'm so sorry. I've had this chapter done for a couple of days now, but I didn't have it edited. I've been busy recently with moving into a new apartment and all the perks that come with moving, so you'll have to excuse me for that. Of course, I'd like to say that now that that's over with, I'll have more time to write, but... unfortunately that would be untrue. College will be starting up soon, and I'm taking quite a lot of classes this semester so I'll definitely be busy. However, I will definitely be writing this story, though it's unlikely to come out very frequently.

That aside, I'd like to thank you all. To all those who favorited, followed, reviewed, or read, thank you so much. You've definitely made writing this story worth it. I've always wanted to share something like this with people, but I've never actually gone through with it, only writing out half completed drafts and barely comprehensible outlines. I wasn't sure how well this story would be taken, especially since it's so vastly different from what the source material provides, but now I know there are people interested. Once more, thank you for reading my story. I'll do my best to update this whenever I have time and work towards the ending I've imagined, so please, look forward to my future updates.