Sweet Sad Music

Epilogue

Summary:

AU/Fantasy Mimi has been locked in a hidden castle ever since she was 5 yrs. old. She has no idea why but at least her captor isn't too evil. Now, 17 yrs. later, Prince Matt is told his missing fiancé is Mimi and has to save her. But what happens when they meet? And what is so special about Mimi and her past?

Standard disclaimers apply.

Note: Their languages will vary from old-fashioned to a bit contemporary.

-X-

"Do you believe in love, Matt-chan?" the little girl asked the young boy beside her sweetly, staring at the beguiling sunset portrayed in front of her, the gold and orange strands of color lighting the sky for the last time before twilight claimed the world. She turned to Matt and saw the pretty colors highlight his blonde hair and startling blue eyes.

Matt turned to face her, face scrunched up in confusion. "Love? I don't know. Maybe." He shrugged his little shoulders and went back into staring at the sunset. Dusk was the only time you could stare at the glorified sun without risking harming your eyes.

Mimi pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, I believe in love! My parents love me and I love them. And I love butterflies and sunsets and…and…music!" She smiled brilliantly, the brown of her eyes seemingly glowing golden under the light blaze of the red-orange setting sun.

The blonde little boy smirked, marring his obviously handsome features. It was obvious that when Matt would grow up, he'd be the terror of all the girls in the kingdom.

"Well, butterflies are silly. And sunsets are cool, I guess. But singing?" Matt made a face childishly. "Pretty lame."

Mimi frowned at the last thing he said.

"Singing isn't lame, Matt-chan. It's…it's…butiful…" Mimi rolled the word in her tongue, getting the pronunciation wrong. Her shoulder-length sunshine brown hair fluttered in the breeze. "My Mama and Papa say I have a special voice. They say that…that someday I will save people." She shrugged though. "I don't know what that means."

Matt snorted.

She shot him an evil look.

"So, do you believe in love?"

"You know I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

Both five-year-olds glared at one another before smiling and laughing.

"Well, am I your friend?" the clever girl asked shyly.

Matt scratched behind his ear. Well, duh. "Of course. You're my friend."

Mimi nodded excitedly. "Friends love each other, everyone knows that."

"And?"

"So! It means you do believe in love because you have a friend!" Mimi explained triumphantly. She grinned from ear to ear.

Matt thought about it before nodding slowly. "Well, if you put it that way, Mimi-chan. Then I do believe in love I think. Yeah, I guess I love you."

Mimi smirked. "Told you."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

-X-

That night, Lady Akari was tucking in her only daughter. Mimi was filled with excess energy and was wriggling on her bed, messing her silken sheets and wrinkling her pink nightgown. Her amber eyes were twinkling and there was a large smile on her excited face.

Lady Akari smiled gently as she tried to lay down Mimi. "Darling, please hold still. What has made you so excited?"

"Well, this afternoon, I proved that Matt-chan is wrong!" Mimi recalled happily, clapping her hands. "He said he didn't believe in love…very cy…cy…cyni…" she racked her brain for the word her father often used that meant world-weary and jaded. "Cynical, darling," Lady Akari helpfully gave. Mimi nodded. "Yeah! Cy…cynical, that's the word. Then I said that if he didn't believe in love then why does he have friends? And when you have friends, then you must believe in love!"

The redheaded mother grinned and said, "Very good, Mimi-chan. You could be a philosopher since you're so great in making other people believe in your philosophy."

The little girl's face scrunched up in confusion, finally lying still on her bed and allowing her mother to pull the blanket over her until below her chin.

"Mama, what's a phi-philisopher?"

"Phi-lo-so-pher, darling. It's someone who searches for the world's truths and opening people's eyes to one owns belief's."

Mimi nodded. "Oh. Then maybe I should be a phi-philosopher."

Lady Akari bent down and planted a soft kiss on Mimi's forehead, touching her glossy, sunshine-brown hair that was spread around her head like a golden halo.

"But you, my darling, are destined for something much more wonderful, more promising." Lady Akari sat on the edge of the enormous silk bed. Mimi blinked back at her mother; features softening as sleep slowly took over her small body, movements going lethargic.

"What is my destiny, mama?"

"The greatest destiny, my darling," Lady Akari whispered, watching as Mimi's eyes slowly closed.

For a brief moment, the child's eyes twinkled with mischief and girlish desires. "I want to be a princess!" she murmured sleepily, giggling. "A beautiful princess with a beautiful crown…" Her smile turned peaceful as her eyelids closed, long lashes curling against her cheeks.

Lady Akari caressed her only daughter's cheeks, beautiful face dimming for a moment. "But you are already a princess, my darling. I only hope you weren't though…"

-X-

The shadow moved across the silent hallways of the Mansion, velvet robe trailing behind in a sleek glide. The face was shadowed but the moonlight slinking through the high windows lighting one side of the intruder's body, illuminating a tall and slender figure.

It walked hurriedly but elegantly, climbing the stairs to the bedrooms and stopping in front of two large oak doors, gleaming in the dim light of the moon. Beyond the doors, it could sense the small girl slumbering inside and its spine tingled with anticipation. And within the little girl, he felt the latent powers cursing through her young body, amazing and intimidating in its powers.

"You will soon be mine, little on," a soft, androgynous voice whispered.

It lifted a slender and long-fingered hand and made a circling motion gracefully. Faintly, it heard the clicking sound of the locks undoing itself and the hand pushed slightly forward and the door open soundlessly by its own accord. It slipped inside like an illusive shadow, standing over the prone form of the sunshine-haired little princess.

It bent over the girl and kissed her cheek. A lock of white hair tumbled down from the darkness of its hood and whispered, "And now you are mine."

It gently scooped the sleeping girl in its robed arm, muttering an incantation to keep her asleep until dawn no matter what noise nor movement might resound.

With little Mimi in his arms, it walked back the way it came from, not disturbing anyone as it moved with that strange grace. Mimi slept on; oblivious that she was being taken away from the life she knew and loved.

As they stepped out of the mansion and continued into the nearby forest, ominous in the darkness, the house suddenly exploded into flames, lighting the sky with a fierce, red-orange color as thick black smoke rose into the heavens. The sudden screams of the people inside the burning mansion rang through the air. The sadistic cackling of the shadowed villain mixed with the shouting, echoing deep in the forest.

But Mimi slept on, unaware that she was now in the clutches of an evil scoundrel. She slumbered on pleasantly, dreaming of wonderful and sweet things and of Yamato. Unbeknownst to her, that dream and her memory of him will fade away as time passes and that would be the last time they will see each other in a very long time.

-X-

Twelve years later…

In the palace of King Ishida, a private and royal meeting was taking place in the Royal Chamber.

"…and she is your long-lost fiancée, my son and you must save her from the Evil Sorcerer. I'm sure you remember that sweet and beautiful child…"

There was a long, tense pause. Then Crowned Prince Yamato finally reacted.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

-X-

A/N: What do you think? It's just a pathetic epilogue and if you want me to continue, then please review!!!