Something About the Old and New (3)

(Ophelia)

***

There was something I wanted to do before completing letting loose and celebrating, though.

"Koko," I said, pulling on her arm as if compelled to do so. "Come with me somewhere."

She grabbed it with her other arm and rubbed it up and down.

"Oh?" There was a lilt to her voice that seemed way too provocative. "There's not enough time—"

"That's not what I mean!" I accidentally shouted so loudly that the entire room stared at me.

My face heated up, and my feet suddenly became fascinating as Koharu snickered, fully aware she was about to incite a rapturous bout of questioning.

"Do you have something to tell us?" Hikaru asked with a smile.

I wiggled my arm out of Koharu's grasp. "There's nothing of concern, Your Highness—"

As a weight landed on my back, I choked on my words. Arms swung over my shoulders, and legs wrapped around my waist from behind. I moved my hands under Koharu's thighs to support them before she either strangled me or broke her arm upon knocking us onto the stone beneath us.

"We're dating," she declared like she was announcing the sky was blue or some shit.

*Mm, toes. Mm, floor. Mm, anything that can distract me right now!*

Inei said, "Took the two of you long enough to say it."

"You knew, Your Highness?"

Could this have gotten any more embarrassing?

As it hung loosely, my mouth dried like a desert, my lips barely parted in shock as a nervous sweat became a storm in my palms. How was it even possible that Inei kept silent if he was privy to everything between Koharu and me?

"Remember that parental intuition thing I mentioned before?" Inei asked. "I also saw Leo flailing around a sappy love letter one day." In amusement, he rolled his eyes. "Who taught my daughter to talk like that?"

The answer was: Yes, it could always have gotten more embarrassing.

*Because it sure as fuck wasn't my awkward ass who explained to her what flirting was!*

"I'm more surprised you thought you were being subtle," Hikaru added, placing his side against Inei's before they clasped hands.

*Said the bickering married couple!*

I glared at one of the fairies. "Leo, I swear—"

A fist smacked my back again. "Let's go do the mystery thing you wanted to do, Lia! Giddy up!"

It seemed like she was digging spurs into my pelvis, and a convoluted grunt might have sounded like a neigh from me as I nearly croaked.

There was no way I wasn't going to indulge her after that mess of a week. (Mess of a time dating, honestly.) I saved my impulse to fight for another time, and I ran off with Koharu on my back. Leo's obnoxious laugh rang through the room while I proceeded to the front door.

*I'll kill that idiot one day!*

Koharu was getting heavy, but that was mostly because I was weak. I needed to do more push-ups if this was going to become a regular thing, yet for now, I was empowered by humiliation and determination to make up for the time we had lost due to parental restrictions. Thus, I moved faster than I had expected.

The entrance to the palace, which was cast in beautiful precious metals and exuberant gemstones, opened like it was a monolith in motion. The cold nighttime breeze hit my skin, ruffling the shoulder-length strands of black hair between my parted lips. It didn't help that Koharu parked her chin on my shoulder and threw blonde strings into the tasteless mix. Fortunately, her hair was not long enough for that to be much of an issue, but my nose was still tickled by it. Combined with the pollen of the outdoors, I almost launched her off me as I sneezed.

She laughed—a sound which I loved dearly as I grinned in the aftermath—and I brought her to the gates of the Moon Castle. The guards were easily convinced to release us from behind the metal barrier (much more so than when letting someone in), and soon, the cast iron jail cell bars opened to reveal a homely little town.

With their sandy tones and tan accents, the buildings were typical to me. Their roofs were triangles atop boring rectangles that sometimes zigzagged a few rows back. Most were quaint and small structures that somehow were not dilapidated after all the years they sat, eroding like the strongest stones.

Through the center of this side of Mirai was a painted sidewalk decorated with purple and the occasional yellow brick meant to make it look more inviting. If anything, it looked like an incoherent clash of complementary colors, but I wasn't hired to be an exterior designer.

*I ought to tell Inei this looks like shit, though.*

"Woah!"

I peered over my shoulder to see Koharu absolutely glowing as she took in the close sight of Mirai for the first time in so long. Her face shone vividly as I slowed to a walk for her to process everything. She bent her head back to allow the wind to trace her skin and wreck her hair, and she outstretched one hand as if to reach for something.

"This is what you've been missing," I said to her as we approached the town square. A few people stared at us, but I knew they wouldn't dare to mess with us with Koharu beside me.

"Damn, I haven't seen anything." Her voice was breathy and amazed. "To think one day this could be mine," she mused, spoofing the old line.

I put her down when we made it to a clearing with a tall fountain in the center. There was little flora, but plenty of children and parents pulled carts around the stone tub. Some even tried playing in the water—much to the disdain of mothers—while older children threw rocks and coins into the basin in exchange for wishes.

Under the moonlight, the grass was nearly gray with simple green undertones, and only weeds with wimpy blossoms grew, the occasional sunflower making its bright presence known from within the cracks between the bricks.

"Then, I'll help show you this place." I hugged her to my side as we faced each other with strong gazes. "I'll bring you anywhere you want in this kingdom. We'll catch up on everything together."

Koharu could only smile with a sharp exhale as she turned to examine the area. It was mundane, but the mundane was special to someone who was used to only the stately.

She suddenly moved the hand nearest to me to my ear so that she could play with the cartilage. "You should be sweet like this more. It's cute."

*You want me to be?*

Pondering her statement, I quizzically hummed before telling her, "Okay."

I moved my face next to her cheek, sniffing slightly but not kissing it. I did that a few more times all over her face as she giggled. It must have tickled her some, but I enjoyed taking in her floral scent like a greenhouse full of thriving blossoms.

"You might be pushing that a little too much," she then joked, and we continued to laugh. "I wanna look around more later. I'm a little sick of the outdoors for the moment, but this is interesting."

*I think I'll break something if I smell one more mutilated lawn, too.*

While leaning over, I said, "Get on again, then."