XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter Fourteen: Long Live the King
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Seven-thirty p.m. At the Grand Dining Hall. The wedding reception…
The sounds of silverware on glasses rang throughout the room, followed by choruses of 'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!'
Kazuma blushed furiously as he felt Shigeru's arm snake around his waist, and the crowd cheered even more.
The brunet was just about to voice out his protest when he felt soft lips pressed against his. His supposed 'protest' seemed to have stuck to his throat as his tanned hand cupped Shigeru's cheek, pulling them closer. Kazuma felt Shigeru smile in the midst of their kiss, and he only just returned it when Shigeru slowly pulled away…
The kiss lasted for an approximate of 7 seconds but it felt much, much longer to Kazuma.
"You're blushing…" Shigeru commented as his amethyst orbs gazed lovingly at the brunet, blissfully unaware of the applause that they received from their guests.
"I'm just really not used to all this 'couple' stuff…" Kazuma replied as Shigeru's arm left his waist, only for his hand to grasp the brunet's and hold on to it tightly.
"Yes, well, I think we'd have the rest of our lives to get used to those things together…" Shigeru said as he gently squeezed the brunet's hand.
"Hmm…" Kazuma smiled serenely as his caramel orbs wandered to their audience… The place looked exactly like when it was during the opening ball for the baking competition held not too long ago… Small tables with four chairs around it were placed at equal distance from each other, each covered with a pristine white tablecloth laced with gold trimmings at the end. Surprisingly, more people had come than what the brunet has expected. Family friends of the Royal family, along with the high-class families from other Kingdoms came and, of course, many citizens of the Kingdom came as well… Kazuma was even downright shocked when Mio came and gave him a hug, apologizing for her doubts of him, which the brunet forgave without second thoughts.
Their wedding ceremony was much too grand for Kazuma's liking but Leol had explained that it was customary that the wedding ceremony would be all-grand if a Noble or a member of the Royal Family would be wed… But for one, Kazuma was thankful that he didn't have to wear a wedding gown or anything of that sort, and instead fitted men's wedding clothes. The wedding took place at around sunset at the Royal Garden, white roses were everywhere and it was just too beautiful to describe in words… Breathtaking would be quite sufficient, as Shigeru had said earlier…
"Sire, I believe that it is now time for our new couple's first dance?" Leol whispered to Kazuma.
Kazuma looked with surprise at the lilac-haired Advisor on his right, was there really such a thing? He never really knew…
"Shigeru? What's this about a first dance thing?" Kazuma asked, turning to face the new King this time.
"Oh, it's that time already?" Shigeru asked in mild surprise.
"Yes, Sire, I believe it is just about time…" Sylvian pointed out as he looked at his watch from his seat at Shigeru's left side…
Kuroyanagi then stood from Sylvian's other side, saying to the whole room in general, "Ladies and gentlemen, let us give a warm round of applause for the new couple as they have their first dance…"
Loud cheering and applauding followed suit as Shigeru stood up and offered his hand to Kazuma. The brunet then took Shigeru's hand and stood up, and from that the new couple then made their way to the dance floor before them, standing at the middle of the wide area, waiting for the band to start playing…
"You know Shigeru, this feels very much like the first time we've danced…" Kazuma mused as he placed both hands around Shigeru's neck. "… back in the opening night of the baking competition…"
"I agree…" Shigeru replied as he wrapped both arms around Kazuma's waist, holding the brunet ever closer to him. "And many things have happened since then…"
"Hmm… But I know one thing that hasn't changed…" The band then started playing…
"Yeah?" It was a slow song… very easy to listen to with a soft tune…
"Mm-hm…" Kazuma laid his head on Shigeru's shoulder, tightening his hold on the teen.
"What's that?" Shigeru gently directed their dance steps.
"I still don't know how to dance…" Kazuma admitted meekly.
Shigeru chuckled. "Well, it doesn't matter… I'm here for you… I'll guide your steps even if we have to dance the night away…"
Kazuma just smiled, taking in Shigeru's scent as his feet continued to follow Shigeru's steps on their own…
Soon enough many other couples joined them in dancing, but neither teens minded. Both wrapped in each other's arms, holding each other close and without a care in the world…
Shigeru sighed, which instantly caught Kazuma's attention.
"What's wrong, Shigeru?" the worried teen asked, murmuring his words against the fabric of the Royalty's clothes.
"It's nothing… Just that I really wanted my father to be here…" Shigeru said quietly as his left hand shifted on Kazuma's back, taking hold of the brunet's left shoulder and holding the tanned teen ever so close.
"Don't worry… we could visit him later, if you want…" Kazuma told him. "Or right now, even…" the brunet added as he gently pulled away from Shigeru, his hands dropping to his side.
"Do you think Sylvian and the others would mind?"
Kazuma just shrugged, "But he's your father, they can't keep you away from him even if they tried…"
Shigeru nodded, entwining his hand with Kazuma's.
Just as the two were about to depart the dance floor, a soldier burst into the room, his face was pale and sweat was running down the contours of his face.
The music stopped and everyone froze in his or her actions at the man's entrance.
"Y-Your Royal Highness, s-sir… I-I'm deeply s-sorry f-for this interruption…" the soldier panted as he tried to regain his composure, "b-but y-your father, Sire… h-he's…"
Shigeru didn't even wait for the man to finish his report as he quickly ran out of the room, even leaving Kazuma behind. The brunet just stared, disbelief ringing in his ears… The old man couldn't have… He was just so strong earlier… This must be a lie… Kazuma's hand balled into a fist… This couldn't be happening…
Two people soon ran past the frozen brunet, Sylvian and Kuroyanagi quickly interrogated the soldier before nodding at each other and quickly running out of the room, the soldier following them from behind.
Leol then stood up, and called out, gathering the attention of everyone in the room, "Everyone, please listen… What had happened is highly unpredicted by anyone of us, therefore we beg for everyone's utmost understanding of the situation…"
But Kazuma couldn't just stay there and listen when he knew that Shigeru might be facing… well, he didn't want to think about that… Turning on his heels, Kazuma then made his way out… Truth be told, Kazuma didn't even have the slightest idea where Shigeru and his Advisers had went off to…
Oh, what was he doing? He didn't even know if he could help Shigeru in his situation right now…
A hand then enclosed his shoulder, Kazuma turned to find Leol standing just behind him.
"Kazuma-kun…" the Advisor said with a sad smile upon his features.
"Leol, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you with the guests…" Kazuma apologized.
"Well, there's that…" Leol mused, "But, I believe that it'd be better if we get to His Royal Highness right now…"
"I'm sorry Leol, but I think that I'd better take care of our guests… I'd be a bad host if I just leave them like that…" Kazuma told him. "And I'd want Shigeru to spend much time alone with his father…"
"As you wish, Sire…" Leol replied as he followed Kazuma back into the Grand Ball Room. A smile hidden beneath the serious expression on his face; inwardly, the Advisor was glad that Kazuma knew well how to handle things…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Sylvian, Kuroyanagi… What happened?" Leol inquired the moment that he and Kazuma had set foot on the third level of the castle, right after they had dismissed all of their guests properly.
Both Advisors were standing still outside a deep mahogany door. It seemed that both couldn't even manage to say a word as Sylvian just shook his head sadly.
"Where's Shigeru?" Kazuma asked fear was concentrated in his voice; he couldn't even control the shaking of his hands.
Kuroyanagi just stared at the door, and so did Sylvian… and Kazuma was utterly perplexed, what could those two mean? What was really happening here?!
The door then opened, and all four of them jumped in surprise. Out came a silver-haired man in his late twenties, followed by a raven-haired girl of around twenty-five, bringing with her a rather large metallic suitcase.
"Doctor, will he make it?" came Kuroyanagi's question the moment the doctor had closed the door behind him, urgency was clear in the Advisor's tone.
The silver-haired man just shook his head as he pocketed his hands, "I'm sorry Kuroyanagi, but I did the best that I can…"
"How long, Doctor?" Sylvian queried, his hands tightening into fists without his very knowledge.
"Not too long, now… Doubt he'd last until morning…" came the doctors sullen tone.
The raven-haired nurse barely stifled her cry but not one of them was surprised, for truly, everyone in this Kingdom had loved Takashi, and it was took much pain and sorrow for all of them to accept the fact…
The doctor patted his nurse on the back, nodding at the Advisors and Kazuma before he led the girl away… possibly to get her a drink of water at the kitchens to calm her nerves.
The air had gone thick with suspense and tension… not to mention that morose feeling that had fallen amongst the four men upon hearing the doctor's news…
"I can't just stand here…" Kazuma finally let out after about a minute of staying in complete silence. He had just about enough of all the sorrow traveling like poison throughout his body…
"Kazuma, you can't!" Leol said in an attempt to appease the teen.
"But, Leol, I can't just leave Shigeru in there on his own…" Kazuma told the Advisor, "Not when he needs someone to be with him the most…"
"But-"
"I may not have the slightest idea of how he related with his father in the past but I've lost both my parents, Leol… Both of them…" Kazuma retorted, trying not to release much anger in his voice. "I know how it feels to have a loved one die… right before my very eyes…" tears were now threatening to fall from his eyes.
The lilac-haired Advisor was taken aback… he had never known such things about the brunet… Looking at his co-Advisors, Leol mutely asked for any back up of sorts…
Sylvian closed his eyes for a few moments, and when he opened them, he looked at the raven-haired Advisor beside him… He knew that Kuroyanagi was always the last one to decide on things like this…
Kuroyanagi could feel the others' eyes upon him, his eyes met with confident look in Kazuma's caramel orbs, as well as with Leol and Sylvian's gaze, asking for his judgment. The man momentarily closed his eyes and sighed, he knew Kazuma wouldn't just back down… not when he knew that Shigeru was in such a condition… Moreover, even though he didn't like to admit it, Kuroyanagi knew that Kazuma was the best person to see Shigeru right now…
The raven-haired Advisor met with Kazuma's eyes once more, staring sternly into caramel orbs, Kuroyanagi then nodded his approval.
Kazuma couldn't believe his eyes when the raven-haired man approved his proposal, but he couldn't have asked for anything better… Giving the man a quick nod for 'thanks', Kazuma walked forward and took hold of the doorknob, turning it clockwise and slowly pushing the door open. Upon entering the room and closing the door behind him, the brunet could already feel the tensed atmosphere seeping into his skin… Before him was a large king-sized bed wherein a wizened old man laid, and beside the bed was a straight-backed chair, which he knew was meant for any visitors… However, the sole 'visitor' of the room was seated in a heap upon the floor next to the bed, his upper extremities as well as his head laid in a disheveled manner upon the bed's edge…
Kazuma tried his earnest not to make any noise as he approached the bed, he didn't want to startle neither party, after all. Upon reaching the side of the bed, the brunet slowly shifted into a kneeling position beside Shigeru.
The aforementioned Royalty quickly glanced up from within the confines of his arms when he felt a presence beside him. Ever since he came up here, he'd been holding on to his father's hand like there was no tomorrow… And it didn't help either when the castle's resident doctor told him the cold hard truth… Everything was just so hard to believe that he couldn't help the tears that had began to fall from his eyes long before he even realized that they were there… This just couldn't be happening…
However, a wave of consolation seemed to sweep through the young King's body when his tear-filled amethyst orbs saw who it was that came to him. A sad smile graced the brunet's lips, and Shigeru could see the tears that threatened to fall from Kazuma's eyes…
No words were needed between the two; both knew exactly how the other felt… And for the first time ever since he came there, Shigeru released his hold on his father's hand as Kazuma pulled him into an embrace…
Kazuma could feel his clothes get soaked from Shigeru's tears but he couldn't care less about clothing at that moment. Feeling Shigeru's tears had caused his own tears to flow as well… He had never thought that such a day would come… The day when Shigeru would lose the only family that he had left… He knew how hard it was to lose a beloved family member from having experienced it twice already… And he never ever wanted Shigeru to go through what he had… When his mother died, only his father was there for him; and when it had been his father who died, the brunet had no one else to turn to… He felt utterly alone and neglected in this world, he felt his whole world crash down upon his very shoulders… That had been so painful for the brunet and he didn't want Shigeru to feel like that… No. He simply wouldn't allow it…
"Hush, Shigeru… Don't worry, I'm here… I'd always be here… I'll never leave you, you know that right?" Kazuma quietly murmured against Shigeru's pink locks, adjusting his hold around Shigeru's shoulders to make it so the young King would be more comfortable…
"K-Kazuma… T-Thank you…" Shigeru managed to choke out in between his sobs, his hands holding onto the brunet as though he was a lifesaver…
"S-Shigeru…" a deep hoarse voice broke through the silence of the room.
Both teens were suddenly alert upon hearing the voice; Shigeru's amethyst orbs were wide with surprise as he pulled away from Kazuma. Kazuma couldn't believe it either but nonetheless accompanied Shigeru as the Royalty went back to the bed's edge, and once again took hold of his father's hand.
"I-I'm here father…" Shigeru said in the bravest voice that he could muster though he didn't quite pull it off as effectively as he'd thought…
"Don't cry, my son…" Takashi said quietly, having detected the soft sobs in the midst of Shigeru's words.
"I'm sorry father… b-but…" Shigeru wasn't able to hold back his tears any longer as a fresh batch flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Kazuma hated to see Shigeru in such a broken state, crying like a helpless child on to his dying father's hand… Slowly, the tanned teen shifted so that he was behind Shigeru. And in a decided careful motion, Kazuma wrapped his arms around Shigeru's waist, allowing his head rest on Shigeru's shoulder; letting the young King know that he was there…
"Your father's right, Shigeru… You shouldn't cry… because, you know, he'd be moving on to a better place now…" Kazuma told the remorseful teen gently.
"Ah, so you're here too, Kazuma…" the old king said with all the voice that his body could muster.
"Yes, Sire… I'm here…" Kazuma affirmed, as he placed his hand on top of Shigeru's, feeling the old man's slightly cold hand underneath their warm ones.
"Good, good…" Takashi could feel the sudden weightlessness of his body… He knew that his time was nearing its end…
"Goodbye, Shigeru… Be strong…" were the man's last words before the slow rise and fall of his chest turned into a halt…
Shigeru's throat seemed to have dried completely as his brain slowly processed the events… His once round amethyst orbs seemed to have diluted greatly as they witnessed the old man's death right in front of him… So much has happened in just a small amount of time… His father bade him goodbye… His father's breathing evened out and eventually stopped… He felt his father's hand go from lukewarm to deathly cold… All in the span of a measly five minutes…
Kazuma felt it too, and he knew he shouldn't just sit there and watch whilst Shigeru's own world would come crashing down…
Shigeru felt his body being moved, and though it was quite sudden, he found that he didn't have much energy at all to fight back against it… A warm hand took his hand away from his father's and even though he wanted to protest, there was such a soothing aura around the one who was moving him, that he couldn't bring it to himself to make it go away… Gently, he had been made to sit down on the carpeted floor, his back leaning against the edge of the bed. His eyes were both downcast, shielded from everything else by his pink bangs… He felt as though his very heart itself has stopped beating… He couldn't even move his own legs, not even his arms that simply lay limp on either side of him… He knew that his father's time was just about up but he'd never even thought of witnessing his father's death like that… It was just so… so…
"Shigeru?"
Kazuma's gentle tone broke through Shigeru's thoughts; the aforementioned Royalty struggled for a moment to find his voice…
"Yes, Kazuma?" came a croaky voice from beneath pink bangs.
He hated this voice… Why did it have to be this? It sounded so… weak… torn… and quite frankly, beaten up… He wasn't used to hearing his voice sound like that… He didn't like it… It made him feel helpless…
"I'm so sorry, Shigeru…" the brunet said quietly, placing a hand on Shigeru's left knee. "I haven't spent much time with your father, but… during the short time that I've spent with him I've come to realize that he had been a really great father to you… He must've been so proud of you, seeing your ascent to the throne… Trust me Shigeru; I know he's in a much better place right now…"
"I know that, Kazuma…" came Shigeru's weak reply, "but it still hurts to see him die… You know, when my older brother, Tsutsumi, was confirmed as dead, I locked myself up in my room for a week… just crying my eyes out… I know many have been disappointed at that action of mine but during that time I realized that no matter what we do, we really can't change the past… nor do we control the time when our lives would end… We don't have much control around everything, Kazuma; we'd never know when our time would come… All we can do is to live on, live each day to its fullest… We can never be certain if it is already our last…"
Slowly, Shigeru managed to lift up his head, his cheeks were covered in dried tear tracks and the corners of his eyes were albeit pinkish due to his crying. He then lifted his left hand and placing it upon Kazuma's hand on his left knee; eventually he lifted both their hands and entwined them, at the same time pulling the brunet closer to him.
Kazuma could only just obey as Shigeru drew him nearer and nearer until he was seated just in between Shigeru's legs and his head now rested on the Royalty's chest. Their entwined hands holding on to each other ever so tightly.
"Kazuma…" Shigeru began, his voice returning to normal, "I promise… I'd never leave you alone… All we have now is each other…"
"Agreed…" Kazuma replied, shifting a bit in his position as to make it more comfortable between the two of them.
"I guess not all fairytales end with happy endings…" Shigeru mused, as he used one hand to gently stroke Kazuma's brown locks, finding it as the best way to soothe his nerves.
"True…" Kazuma agreed. "So true…"
Just then, both teens were startled as a cold wind blew past them; they instinctively stood up, holding each other close as they searched for the wind's source. Shigeru's eyes landed on the windows, all of them were closed, locked even, so where could've that wind come from?
"Shigeru… over there…" came Kazuma's voice, one of his fingers pointing at the bed.
The young King followed Kazuma's point and saw, right on top of his father's hand, the blue-hued butterfly that he had encountered so many times before. Shigeru could feel Kazuma tremble in his arms, the Royalty was scared as well but he took courage and decided to move closer towards the insect. He lifted his right hand towards it, and surprisingly, the butterfly shifted onto his hand, flapping its wings gently. Shigeru then raised the butterfly, examining it with his amethyst eyes, when all of a sudden a bright blue light was emitted from the insect. The young King took a step back, his right arm outstretched as the rays from the insect grew brighter and brighter. He felt Kazuma cling to his other arm, holding on to him tightly. When he knew his eyes couldn't take anymore light, Shigeru closed them, at the same time pulling Kazuma into a one-armed hug.
Meanwhile, the three Advisors were alarmed when bright light began to pour out from behind the door in front of them. The three looked at one another, nodding, all knowing what was to be done. Taking hold of the doorknob, Kuroyanagi then pushed open the door, bathing them all in the bright light. The light didn't last long, though, as it began to fade the moment Leol had closed the door behind him.
Quite an unbelievable sight awaited the Advisors when the light faded away completely; Takashi lay lifeless upon his bad, as Shigeru and Kazuma were standing before the deceased King's bed, holding each other close and seemingly unaware of their other companions in the room… And speaking of other companions, it wasn't hard for the Advisors to recognize another figure amongst them… A figure that none of them had seen for almost two years now…
Upon noticing that the blinding light was no more, Shigeru slowly pulled away from Kazuma, looking around for anything unusual that might've resulted from the flash of light… He immediately saw his Advisors, standing before the doorway… 'Nothing unusual about that…' the Royalty thought to himself… that was until he realized that the three were looking at something other than him. Following the three men's gaze, Shigeru's throat suddenly ran dry as his eyes met with familiar pale green ones…
Kind pale green eyes gazed at the whole room, his hazel hair swaying gently in a non-existent breeze; he still wore the clothes that he had, the last time that he left his homeland. A white long sleeved shirt, paired with a blue blazer and black slacks. A light smile was set upon his lips as his gaze met with his younger brother's.
"Tsutsumi…?" disbelief reigned in the new King's tone as he and Kazuma faced their new companion…
"It's been a long time, Shigeru…" Tsutsumi's voice was kind, but it was accompanied with a sort of ethereal echoing. "Kuroyanagi, Sylvian, Leol…" the Royalty added as his gaze flickered at the Advisors for a moment.
"Your Highness…" the aforementioned men said simultaneously as the fell on one knee, bowing their heads to show respect to the teen.
"Tsutsumi… I… You… A-Are you really…" Shigeru couldn't even finish his question… An invisible hand seemed to have a firm grip on his throat, preventing him from making any sensible sentences.
"No…" Tsutsumi replied, his tone still light. "I'm already dead, Shigeru…"
"T-Then…" Shigeru fought hard to prevent himself from shaking in fear. His brother's ghost was right in front of him, what was he supposed to do?!
As Shigeru tried to find the answer to his inner question, Tsutsumi turned his attention to the brunet beside his brother. "Azuma-kun… We've met quite a few times before, and it would be bad manners for me not to introduce myself properly to you…" the hazel-haired teen spoke as he went nearer towards Kazuma.
"I-I'm sorry, sir… but I'm a-afraid I don't recognize you…" Kazuma replied; despite the fact that he had never really seen the guy before, Kazuma really felt the he knew him somehow… He unknowingly let go of Shigeru's arm and took a step nearer to the approaching teen, he couldn't even find it in himself to be afraid of the guy…
Tsutsumi chuckled at the tanned teen's reply, stopping about five feet away from the brunet. "Well this might refresh your memory…" he said as he lifted his closed fist towards Kazuma's face, making it so that his right hand was just below the brunet's eye level… Making sure that Kazuma was looking at his fist, Tsutsumi slowly opened it to reveal a blue butterfly placidly resting on top of his palm.
Kazuma's caramel orbs widened when he saw the insect… It didn't take him more than two seconds to realize what the older teen meant. "You mean you're…"
"Right indeed…" Tsutsumi replied as the butterfly lifted off his palm and disappeared into thin air. "I'm Tsutsumi, Shigeru's older brother…"
Kazuma immediately looked at Shigeru for confirmation.
Shigeru met the brunet's gaze and nodded as a reply. "He was the one I told you about before…" the Royalty explained before he turned to his brother once again. "But Tsutsumi… if you're already dead… Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be in Heaven or Paradise or some place like that… Not that I mind you presence but…"
"I still had some unfinished business, you see…" Tsutsumi expounded. "When I left on the sea fare with my wife, I left the Kingdom without properly ascending to the throne. And I couldn't just leave my homeland without a proper ruler, now can I?"
A confused look came over Shigeru's features…
"So after dying in that tragic accident at sea, my spirit returned here, watching over you as you are the next in line for King… I wanted you to become the best King that our homeland will ever have, and I didn't want anything to get in your way… So when you met Azuma-kun back in the town… I was against everything that has built between the two of you… I thought that it was going to be a distraction for you…"
Kazuma instinctively held Shigeru's hand as fear began to creep up his spine…
"But I guess I had been wrong… There was a reason that of all the people in this town, it would be the two of you that would meet… I should've known that before… Remember what I told you before, Shigeru? Back inside the maze when we were young? I promised that I'd never ever let you get lost in there, so as to repent for my previous action, I made the two of you meet in there… And in doing that, I realized that you've already found the one for you…"
The newly wed couple looked at each other, warm smiles making its way to their lips…
"And now that you're already the established King of the Kingdom and you've found the one who'd be by your side through good times and bad… My unfinished business had been fulfilled, I must say that it is now my time to go… I'm only waiting for a dear companion…"
"Tsutsumi what do you mean?" Shigeru asked, completely confused at his brother's words.
"Sire! Look there!" Leol's voice spoke out, his finger pointing towards the deceased King.
Shigeru turned to where his Advisor had directed him, the shock almost enough to make his heart stop beating. Beyond the bed's edges stood his father… but then, who was the dead man lying on the bed?
"Father… Shall we go?" Tsutsumi asked, completely ignoring the others' shocked state.
"Of course, dear son…" the old King replied as he made his way towards his ghost of a son.
"F-Father!"
"Your Majesty!"
Shigeru and his three Advisors' words were coevally said. By then, all three Advisors had stood up from the carpeted floor, their eyes all focused on the spirits of the two deceased Royalty before them…
Shigeru held back the tears that threatened to fall from the corners of his eyes, choosing to keep quiet and just watch as a bright light phased through the ceiling, enveloping the only two members of his family that he'd ever known…
"It's okay to cry Shigeru…" Kazuma's soft voice broke through Shigeru's silence, his caramel orbs filled with empathy as rested his head against the Royalty's chest.
And with that Shigeru knew that he couldn't hold back his tears any longer… Wrapping his arms around Kazuma's shoulders, the young King pried his eyes away from the sight of his father and brother, burying his face upon Kazuma's brown locks as tears began to stream down his cheeks.
Kazuma felt Shigeru's tears reach the top of his head and he held the King ever closer.
"I entrust the Kingdom in your hands, Shigeru… Kuroyanagi, Sylvian and Leol… the Kingdom's fate is in your hands as well… Take care of it…" Takashi's worn out voice echoed in the room as he and his eldest son were lifted from the ground and consequently continued to rise into the light.
"And, Azuma-kun… play your role wisely as well…" Tsutsumi reminded the brunet.
Kazuma hadn't even realized that tears were falling from his own eyes until he felt his cheeks get wet but he made no move to wipe them away. The three Advisors were experiencing the same thing as they continued to look up at Takashi and Tsutsumi's ghosts, and like Kazuma, none of them seemed to bother to wipe away their tears until finally Takashi and Tsutsumi were completely consumed by the light, which then disappeared with the blink of an eye.
The remaining five men in the room all stayed in utmost silence, even after father and son were thoroughly gone… Each was contained in their own thoughts, pledging silently to themselves to carry out the last words the spirits left to them…
"Shigeru…?" Kazuma's voice broke the deathly silence that hung about the room; it was soft and quiet, much like a child that was too scared to speak…
Pulling away, Shigeru used a hand to wipe away the tears from his face. "I'm sorry, Kazuma… I swear I'll never let this happen to any of us ever again… I'll become stronger… for you…" the young King gently wiped away the tear tracks from Kazuma's tanned cheeks, "… for the family that I have left…" the Royalty then turned towards his Advisors who smiled back at him, "… and for the citizens of our Kingdom…"
"Long live the King!!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The End
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N: OOC? I know… Either way, it's the ending already… so, there! And I would just like to give one big THANK YOU to everyone who've stuck by this story! -hugs readers- Oh, and I just might post up a sequel… would anyone want that?
Here's a sneak preview of the said sequel…
-- Preview Start --
Everything had gone well in the castle ever since old King Takashi's burial… It had been three months since, and life in the castle had been going on smoothly… Everyone had gone back to their daily functions… That was, until one fine sunny morning…
The young King slowly descended the steps from his (as well as Kazuma's) new room at the third level of the castle… Who's idea was it that they move up to the topmost freaking floor of the castle, Shigeru didn't know… 'It's all according to tradition…' the young King had been repeatedly told. Moreover, in regards to 'traditions', well, he never really wanted to question them… Because, really, whoever made those must've been drunk when they made up those silly things… Imagine having to slap your loved one right on their left cheek just to propose to them… It gave him hell of a time back then but hey… He and Kazuma pulled through, didn't they? Then again, life in the castle all revolved around 'traditions'…
And right now, it was time for the usual tradition of 'Kuroyanagi tells Shigeru what to do'…
"You're late, Your Highness…" came the raven-haired man's voice once Shigeru had entered the Royal Library.
"Sorry, sorry, my bad…" Shigeru quickly apologized as he went to his usual seat.
"My, my… Why isn't Kazu-kun with you?" Leol inquired upon seeing that the brunet wasn't behind Shigeru as what the usual had been around there.
"Well, he said he was feeling nauseated, so I had him sleep in for the day…" Shigeru replied.
"Wasn't that his excuse, yesterday?" Sylvian pointed out.
Shigeru just shrugged, "I know… Maybe he's just sick or something… I'd have him checked up by the Royal Doctor sometime later today… So what's on the agenda this time, Kuroyanagi?"
"I'm glad you asked, Sire…" Kuroyanagi said, an unusual smile making it's was to his lips.
Shigeru could only raise an eyebrow at his Advisor. But pretty soon he greatly regretted asking the question at all…
"Today, Sire, we'd discuss to you the subject of the heir to your throne."
-- End Preview --
Is anybody interested in that? I need answers here people… Should I do the sequel or not? Please review and tell me what you think… Even anonymous reviews are accepted…
Note: The authoress of this fic would firstly like to point out that no butterflies were harmed in the making of this fic. Thank you and have a nice day!