Silent Confessions

By Jackie Almasy

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"Holgooze's defenses seem endless! King Guridori will not give up that easily!"

"Then what do you suggest we do Shuza? The Magical King may have the forces of Enda at his side now but that cannot hold off Holgooze forever!"

The exhausted and angered forms of General Shuza and Rui stood from their seats around the conference table. Night had set, adding a black tone to the flashing screens of statistics, information, and up to the minute details on spy reports. Intelligence had never been more critical until now but even with a seemingly endless supply of spies, the Holgooze defenses were just barely defeated.

A long marble table stood in the middle of the great room. The constant clicks of computers sounded off in the hot room, the sounds of arguments and barely held back tempers filling the air. Six high chairs were placed around its gleaming surface, the once shining material now cluttered with papers of information surrounding their invading army.

The forms of Shuza and Rui stood tall in the iridescent of the moonlight shining through the tall windows. The cloaks of blue and green ruffled behind them, their scarred and battle worn bodies clutching the edges with anger. Fingers constantly being pointed back and forth, the minds of soldiers constantly on alert in case of a surprise attack.

To the sides of the Generals sat the forms of Leica, Ryuely, Gass, and Munto. The physical side effect of war showed as well. Bags of dark circles hung under their exhausted eyes, the anger of limited patience starting to show in every one of their faces. Leica was the first to crack, slamming her fist down onto the marble stone.

"While we argue over petty things like information intelligence, that bastard Guridori could invade this country before we even realize it!"

Leica's silver hair waved in her face, adding a sense of shock to the General's sudden behavior change. Her blue eyes shined with determination to get her side of the story said.

Rui's eyes met the strong female warrior's, sparks flying between the debates of what actions should be taken.

"Have you gone mad Leica?! Have you forgotten what it is that we are fighting? The single largest army in the Heavens! Single handedly, Holgooze is managing to take on the Three-way Federation…,"

"I have not forgotten my place in this war Rui! Enda is in ruins! My country is on the brink of collapse, my Queen is dead, and the last time I checked, the Magical Kingdom would be in ruins if not for the Enda Armies!"

"You watch your tongue Enda scum! You stand before Lord Munto, the King who saved the Heavens and everyone in it! Without him…,"

Munto opened his eyes, the golden amber shimmering with determination to keep the peace within his palace walls.

"This is enough Rui, Leica!"

His slender form stood up from his seat, his belts jingling at his hips. The fiery eyes of the ruler meeting the shocked gazes of the two, his frown firm and hands clutched. Unclenching them, his placed his palms onto the cold table and leaned foreword, speaking with a forced calm tone.

"It is true that without Enda, our forces would have given out long ago to Holgooze's attacking units. To that fact, I owe Enda a word of thanks and promise a reforming of a treaty once this war is over. However,"

His eyebrows narrowed suddenly, a look of pride shining proudly and into the blue orbs of the Enda General.

"I will not tolerate insults to my people or my position on the throne! We stood against the Holgooze forces for weeks before Enda showed up and if need be, we can do it again. Make no mistake Leica; I will not take any words of insults lightly! You will respect me on my land, and especially in my palace! Do you understand me?"

The silence that followed was heavy and unnerving. The two people stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, not one daring to blink before the other as a heavy sigh finally broke the eerie calm. Sitting down roughly into her chair, Leica closed her eyes and murmured,

"My apologies Lord Munto. The battles have worn me more than I would like to admit."

Ryuely's violet eyes looked over to the exhausted warrior, her soft and wise voice trying to pass comfort.

"The endless battles have taken a toll on everyone, especially Lord Munto though his Majesty will not admit so,"

A low grunt emitted from Munto, his form having sat back down with a hand massaging a sore pressure point on the side of his face.

"However, I believe we all know what must be done. We all witnessed the amount of power that shot from the Under World six lunar cycles ago,"

The individuals all nodded slowly, as if afraid of what to see what was coming next. The vivid image of a warm and blinding light shooting up from the world beneath them as the battles became frozen in place, the shock of the events transpiring being etched into their memories.

The image of a once battle hardened King suddenly emerging before the warring armies, holding a frail and unconscious human girl. Locks of flowing brown hair caught in the sunlight, blowing in the hot winds of war and death. Amongst this battlefield of horror emerged the suddenly holy form of the Akuto source, the human seer Yumemi. The key to saving the Heavens from the enraging wars of power lust.

"Munto… The amount of powers swirling and emitting from that human girl was raw and untamed. It gave you the powers to cross the space-time continuum once again to return to our world, and all of this was possible by you simply touching Yumemi. Miss Yumemi must assist you in the battles to come or…"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

The sudden burst of anger shocked the normally calm facial expression, the Seer remaining still and shocked at her King's behavior. Munto stood tall; slamming both his hands onto the table as his eyes suddenly became murderous and angered.

"If anyone else dares to suggest using the human girl as a weapon or tool of war…," the glare continued, shuddering from the barely contained restriction of his anger.

"Then I will personally see to it that they will not walk again… No amount of Akuto could save you."

The shocked eyes met his own, not one word being said.

"The human girl was brought here to help stop the war, not make her a battle tactic! The connection between her and I is not up for discussion and certainly not under interrogation of how our link works!"

Shoving the seat behind him back as if it was nothing, Munto brought back his hands.

"Rui, you will continue to maintain surveillance of the Holgooze armies! Shuza, you will continue to maintain connection with our front line and will switch out the soldiers every fifteen hours. Rest while you all can and be ready to go to battle at a moment's noticed,"

His red eyes flared with authority.

"This meeting is adjourned."

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The tired King walked down the halls, his temper still flaring at the very thought of the past suggestion. The moonlit hallways echoed with the barely audible murmurs of the soldiers on duty, every now and then a pair of armed guards standing in front of doors appearing by the passing King.

Not even giving a passing glance or nod to the final pair of guards protecting the door to his private wing, he pushes the double doors open. Feeling them shut behind him, Munto stopped, his boots clicking sound of making contact with the marble not resounding anymore. His red hair stood out as the moonlight shined in, showing a decorated hallway of white stone and carpet. On either side stood two doors, one leading to his private bedroom and the other to Yumemi's.

His eyes lifted to the wooden doors leading to Yumemi's bedroom, the once serious golden gaze suddenly a mysterious aura of tenderness. Sighing, he turned his head and shook it, walking slowly to his own doors. Placing both hands on the wooden double doors, Munto stopped mid-push, his body hunched and still.

The words still echoed within his mind. Yumemi's declaration of courage and power filled the misty air as her world was crashing around her, her now growing form reflecting the change of the past year. A whole year since their fingertips had touched, since their minds melded, and since their hearts connected. The memories of her younger form flashing endlessly within his mind, making his shoulders tremble at the indescribable weight of being able to witness the sacred moments of her life.

Her emotions of anger of being alone in facing these haunting images of floating islands, her happiness at finally finding someone who believed her words and her sadness of watching his form fade away and leave her. His hands slowly tightened once again on the wooden doors, his shoulders starting to shake from the alien emotions souring through his system.

Her aching loneliness of watching him fade off back to his own world, leaving her in the wake of finding an understanding of her power. Her aching loneliness of him going away.

A small and barely audible whimper escaped his throat, the sound rare and barely anyone ever having witnessed the strong warrior shaking under his own emotions.

This girl had touched his memories, his emotions, and his heart. His eyes opened, reflecting the determination to protect her dignity and her safety. She had to be protected because she was precious, so precious.

It felt so foreign, so new and unnerving to want to protect something with his life. He had always had his dominant protection of his people and his country but this was something new, something awkwardly beautiful.

Bringing his hands off of the doors, he looked over his shoulders and walked silently towards the opposite set. As quietly as he could, Munto pushed the wooden doors open and walked into the illuminated darkness. Shutting them closed behind him, he stalked foreword silently towards the single petite form in the massive king sized double bed.

The image of a full moon among a starry sky shined into the room, illuminating the columns at the far side of the room. A light warm breeze blew through, making the white sheets on the bed ruffle and shudder. On the right side of the monstrous bed slept Yumemi.

Her slender form slept on her back, one arm resting on her stomach while her other rested on her side, her hand by her head. Her head had fallen to her far left, her light brown hair strands flowing behind her body onto the white pillows.

Munto slowly stopped by the bedside, silently standing over her sleeping form and taking in the sight of the rare calm. The past six months had been nothing but stress and worry, the only time the beautiful smile he had come accustomed to seeing gracing her lips upon seeing him return from battle.

Her pale skin moved only with her chest rising and falling for breath in her sleep. Her facial expression one of needed calm and restoration of her energy, her light pink lips parted slightly.

His eyes softening once again, Munto slowly lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. Not once taking his eyes off of her face, he hesitantly raised his hand and began reaching out. Shaky but tenderly, his rough fingertips brushed the skin of her warm cheeks. Munto let out a shaky breath, as if in a trance of the beautiful sight before him.

Cupping her cheek gently in his palm, he caressed the skin lightly, as if trying to maintain the feathery brush as to not wake her. The warmth and smoothness of her skin felt like uncontrollable spark, her energies slightly reacting to his touch and presence. His eyes shimmered in the moonlight, the golden amber hue almost seeming to light up.

Freezing in place, Munto's breath caught in his chest as he watched her form shift in her sleep. Whimpering tiredly from being roused somewhat from her sleep, Yumemi turned her head as if to stare up straight at the ceiling. Shifting her legs a little, she slowly settled back down and fell back into the deep sleep.

Letting out the breath at long last, Munto placed either hand on the bed above her shoulders. Supporting his weight on his arms, he leaned over to bring his face slowly down to hers. His eyes half closed, the golden eyes shuddered with dominance and worry.

Closing his eyes, Munto brought his lips down to her forehead. Brushing his lips across her skin, he felt her stir softly but settle back down. Substituting his forehead for his lips, Munto silently and carefully nuzzled her forehead, the emotions of devotion to her safety overflowing. Opening his eyes to her face, he smiled a small smile as the magical king watched over his precious Yumemi.

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This little short story of romance was brought on by watching Munto 1 and 2 back to back again. Upon checking out Kyotoanimation's website today, their newest issue of the online magazine featured a picture of grown up Munto. Gotta admit, the anticipation is getting even more intense for Munto 3.

A lot of careful attention went into the details of who goes with what country went into this story. I spent a good two hours researching online and watching the movies as to what countries existed, who were the leaders, and where the characters owed their allegiances too.

You can be sure more little spurts of romance one-shots will follow this one. Please review! I love to hear any sort of feedback!

Till next time,

Jackie Almasy

Munto and Munto 2 Beyond the Wall of Time are copyrighted by Kyoto Animation and Kyoaniproject. I own nothing.