My Light In The Darkness.

13 - The Peace Between.

It didn't take long for the small group to rejoin, although Ser Kanade Yoisaki couldn't help but feel a bit worried as she approached her comrades, alone. She didn't remember exactly where ex-General Asahina's position in the distraction had been, only that it wasn't far from her own. She doubted the likeness that something had happened to her, Mafuyu was very highly trained, specifically with Obscurian battle methods in mind, after all, so surely she would be able to handle everything by herself.
Kanade ran up to the group, who seemed to be all celebrating and asking questions. Ser Akiyama could be seen swinging her arms around Prince Tsukasa and Ser Shinonome, laughing and cheering. They were right on the border, so there was little risk of anyone approaching them. "Hey-! There's K-! Over here!!" Mizuki called out to her. Upon closer inspection, it was clear why they were hanging out of the two taller males.

Ser Akiyama had a fresh stream of crimson running down the side of their head, accompanied by a large blade slit down her leg. Somehow, she showed no pain, only pure joy for the people around her. They were grinning from ear to ear without a single care for their current state, teasing her friends around like it was a party. "Don't mind this one," Sir Shinonome nudged his head in Mizuki's direction when addressing Ser Yoisaki. "I'm pretty sure they're currently running on adrenaline"
"Holy- Akiyama, what happened to you!?" Kanade asked, eyes wide in shock. Ser Akiyama burst into another laughing fit. "I challenged one of my old bullies to a fight, you should have seen his face-! I didn't do too much, I couldn't forget the mission, but my word, it was fun!" She cheered. "Right..." The grey haired knight turned her attention to her Prince, who was also enjoying the moment. "How did the meeting go?"
"It was brief.." Prince Tsukasa admitted. "I presume it wasn't successful, then.."
"Quite the opposite, he told me that he would consider it, which is more than I expected!" He exclaimed. "Really? That's amazing news!" Kanade smiled at him.
"I thought so! Ah.." He paused. "Where's General Asahina?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" A feminine voice shouted over to them. The purple haired female rushed over, dropping into an instant apologetic bow in front of the Luminarian Prince. "My apologies, it would appear that I was approached by questioning officers, however I fended them off" She explained. "There's no need for so much, but thank you, I appreciate your honesty" Prince Tsukasa commended her. Mafuyu stood back up and made her way to stand beside Kanade, not before pressing a quick peck on the other knight's cheek. "M-Mafuyu-?" Ser Yoisaki turned her head away from her and quickly covered her blushed pink face with her hands. The other knights gave each other awkward looks, unsure of what to say or how to respond to what just happened. "Come on," Sir Shinonome eventually spoke up, much to everyone else's thankfulness. "We need to get this one back before they bleed out and my sister has my head on a spike for it"
"Aww, lil' bro~!" Mizuki shifted her weight onto Akito's side playfully. "You do care about me!"
"Yeah yeah, come on, I'm sure Prince Tsukasa has other things he needs to do other than carry you all day"

The high palace of Obscuria always had this same, unwelcomingly dark overcast that drained any warmth that its walls could have offered. With that darkness, however, came the increasingly difficult motivation to wake oneself up. It was always perfect conditions to just sleep your life away, and many times Prince Rui Kamishiro had considered doing just that, although he sometimes hoped that it would be a much deeper form of sleep. It always felt as though he served no true meaning other than to be a burden to those who he loved, and he hated it. But now, sitting groggily awake on his bed in his candle-lit room, he was tempted to grab the first piece of parchment his eyes set on. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't alone in the room. He sat in silence with his nervous apprentice sitting at his bedside, awaiting any form of communication. Nene didn't expect much, her princes sunken in, tired eyes told her that she was chasing answers that would never come. It was clear, Prince Rui would never again admit what he did hours before then, and it hurt to see him hiding what could be the start of something new for him.

"How are you feeling?"
"Look at me and take a guess" She received with a sarcastic scoff. Nene furrowed her brows and stood up assertively. "I'm doing my best with what you're giving me, without trying to overwhelm you into another damn panic attack, so don't use that tone with me."
Prince Rui's eyes widened in disgust, taken back by the sudden comment. "I never asked-"

"I never implied that you did, but you know what you would be like if I hadn't helped you. You know that everything I have been saying, for all of this time, is true, and yet here you sit like a tall child, revolted by the possibility of your mind being that fucked up that me simply asking how meeting your ex-boyfriend-whatever-he-was went, sent you into a full on breakdown." She told him aggressively. The latter stared at her in disbelief. "You put ideas into my head, and then suddenly everything made no sense!?" He argued. Nene exhaled a heavy sigh, placing her left hand over her face, the other on her hip. "I have tried so hard to stay calm and not to seem pushy, and try to be cautious with my words and come off as 'oh haha, it's only a silly suggestion, you know, as a friend!', but I've had it! What was that down there!? The first thing you said when you walked through that door, was 'what did you do to me', as if I am the reason your head is like this!? How is it my fault that I am trying to help you gain back a sense of who you are, even if that's just saying little observations? It's not my fault that a few words give you a whole identity crisis!? You were crying for him, saying that you needed him, the same boy who for years you have denied yourself of loving, and now you're going to make me seem like the fool!? Absolutely not. You need to stop pushing away people who try to help you, because it's only making your situation worse. You can guarantee that if you had said to Prince Tenma today that you were ready to tell him, and ready to let him help you, he wouldn't have blinked an eye and taken you into his arms as if you never left. But sure, be whatever way you want, because I am done trying to help you, and if you keep this up, Tenma won't be far behind me"

Lady Kusangi didn't even look back at the shocked expression on the prince's face while she walked out of the room. She knew she was right in everything she said, and as guilty as she felt leaving Rui alone after what had happened earlier that day, she knew it needed to happen. He needed to make his own decision on what he wanted his future to be. She couldn't keep letting him shove it out of sight, but she didn't have the heart to audibly force him either. She figured that this way, he knew how she felt about it, and could use his own sense from there. The candles flickered light throughout the room as she slammed his bedroom door behind her, ignoring his apologetic begging for her to stay.

Living in a kingdom at war always had the potential to lead to a natural feeling of needing to be quick about doing significant things amongst couples who worked along the kingdom's knight forces. For Ser Mizuki Akiyama and Lady Ena Shinonome, this feeling was no different. They had both waited so long for Ena's brothers blessings, and with the uncertainty of their kingdom's path, the two had their wedding set for only a few weeks later, an Autumn, mid October ceremony in the enchanting environment of their home land. Luminaria, while being a primarily summery kingdom adorned with blissful sunlight and divine weather, always went through such beautiful changes through the seasons. The weather was still humid, an ideal for the people to still be able to enjoy their landscape before the harsh winter carried from the neighbouring kingdom. Across the streets scattered leaves in all tones from yellows to browns lay, fallen from the trees. The young children could be seen scooping piles of this detritus into their small little hands and throwing it at one another, a joy only available during this time of year.

Prince Tsukasa found it amazing how the people of Luminaria could go on as if there wasn't that constant fear of a surprise attack, or anything of the sorts. His knights were able to live their lives happily without worrying, from what he could see. It told him all he needed to know, that whatever he was doing, he was doing it right. He loved being there to see it, even if only at a quick glance as he rushed down the streets in his best outfit, hoping that he hadn't missed his friend's wedding.

Mizuki and Ena's home didn't particularly stand out from the other small cottages along the road, the only difference being that it was a bit longer than the others, and the clearly painted wooden plaque beside the front door that read both of their surnames 'Akiyama-Shinonome'. They had both decided to hold the ceremony in the back garden of their home, as a tribute to the life they built together since first meeting eleven years prior, when Ena spotted the peculiar new knight standing awfully close to her recently graduated knight brother. The garden was decorated elegantly with white fabric ribbons along the fence, and many flowers at the bottom of them, although they were most likely a part of the twos garden in general. There were white seats set up in slanted rows facing the back fence, where a subtle arbour with flower vines running down the pillars stood.

It wasn't surprising to Prince Tsukasa to find many of the wedding guests already in their seats and chatting amongst each other when he arrived, it only gave him a quick freight, having thought that he missed the ceremony. Standing at the front facing a recognisable black-blue faded hair woman and a different blonde woman who were both sitting before him, stood Sir Akito Shinonome, looking both unamused and bored in his interesting combination of a rose red shirt paired with a black vested jacket with intricate red embroidery sewn around it, along with a regular pair of black pants and black boots. Tsukasa approached the trio, startling An, or as he remembered her, 'Little Miss Shiraishi', from behind. She let out a small shriek as he jumped in her seat. She whipped her head around to look up at him, hand on her chest as she exhaled. "My apologies, my prince, you scared the ever living daylights out of me!" She said, laughing with her hand on her chest, and making Tsukasa feel a bit guilty. "Ah, please, it was my own fault, I should have warned you that I was so close, I apologise for that"

Akito let out a chuckle watching the two, giving An an excuse to kick him with her high heel. "You could have warned me, Akito!? Now I look like a fool in front of his highness!?" She complained. While they argued, it was interesting to see how people were dressed for such an occasion, according to the chosen dress code for the event. Mizuki and Ena had asked everyone to wear black for the ceremony, but didn't specify why, which gave a buzz of excitement to the atmosphere. An was wearing a long, black dress skirt that flowed down to just below her knees, with little gold stars hand sewn around the bodice, paired with matching heels and a gold purse, while her counterpart was wearing a shorter, ashy black skirt and a loose fitting black blouse, similar to An's. Prince Tsukasa had been unsure of what to wear prior to knowing the requested idea, since he hadn't attended a wedding since Ser Shiho Hinomori and her wife Dr Honami Mochizuki had gotten married around four years prior, and naturally, he had no recollection of what he wore and didn't intend on asking his knight to look at her wedding photos just to know that. So naturally, he was quite relieved to hear about the dress code. He landed on a basic pair of black dress trousers and boots, similar to Akito's, only his shirt was a chalky shade of black with puffed sleeves that tightened at the cuffs, and a heavy midnight blue vest lined in gold fabric on top of it. He had debated wearing his signature accessory, but decided against it since he was already pushing his luck with the vest, which he would most likely take off before the event began. He could never tell if anyone recognised the difference between the original cape and the replica he had personally tailored for every-day wear, something that reminded him of his most fond memories, without the impending sadness that came with them. It was a tribute to his past, however admittedly now that he was wearing the original more often, he found it to be much more comfortable.

"Are you not even going to introduce Kohane, An? Oh how rude-!" The ginger haired male mocked her. "Ah-" She stood up and turned away from him in annoyance. She swiftly bowed to Prince Tsukasa before directing her hand to the lady beside her, who followed suit to stand and bow. "My Prince, this is my girlfriend, Kohane Azusawa, forgive me for my stalling" She said. Prince Tsukasa stood a quick head nod to the two, grinning. "It's lovely to meet you, Miss Azusawa" He greeted. "Likewise, your highness"

Tsukasa couldn't help but notice his male friends uncomfortably shifting as he listened to the conversation. Sir Shinonome was caught fiddling with his cuff buttons the whole time, as if to avoid being included. He didn't seem too off, but something was certainly bothering him. "Are you alright, Sir Shinonome?" Tsukasa asked him while stepping closer in front of him. "Yeah, I'm fine.." The other male sighed. The blonde averted his gaze to the scenery around them. "Are you nervous? For this, I mean," He asked. Reluctantly, Akito sighed once more before speaking. "Yeah, Yeah I am, I know that Ena is older than me, but I just can't help it, I can't not still imagine her as the bratty teenager who would be sending me around the town for art supplies, and now she's getting married?" He explained. Prince Tsukasa placed a reassuring hand on Akito's shoulder. "I understand, you're taking it a lot better than I would if it was me and Saki in your place" He joked. "I appreciate you admitting that, honestly" Sir Shinonome smiled at him. "You're going to be a great best man, trust me!" Tsukasa boasted. A bold laugh escaped the latter at that. "As long as I stay best man, and not 'uncle', I'll be alright"

Suddenly a set of arms was thrown around his neck, and an enthusiastic voice chimed in. "I can't guarantee anything, don't keep your hopes up, lil bro~"
"Get your hands off of me, Akiyama, and keep them off my sister while you're at it" Akito grunted.
Ser Akiyama looked gorgeous in their wedding attire. She wore a simple but elegant, feminine suit, with tightly ruffled sleeves and a skirt-like design coming from the back of the trousers. In their hair she wore a hanging gold flower, pinned back to their pink hair, that was left to flow down her back. The most striking part of Mizuki's outfit was its colour, the bright, white colour standing out from everyone else around. It was clear now why the dress code was in place, and it was working a charm. Mizuki had a loving grin across their face, as usual, only elevated beyond comparison. "Mizuki-! You look fabulous!" Lady Shiraishi pulled them into a tight hug, careful not to disrupt any of the finer details on Mizuki's outfit. "Thank you!!" She cheered. "I haven't seen Ena yet, I can't tell whether I'm excited or if I'm about to throw up from nervousness!" They laughed. "Congratulations, Ser Akiyama" Prince Tsukasa held out his hand, not sure if he should offer a hug instead. Mizuki gracefully accepted, and bowed with his hand in theirs. "Thank you for coming, it truly means a lot to us!" Mizuki turned to the rest of the group. "And thanks for dressing the way you did, everyone, I hope that it wasn't too much of a bother!"
"An here has a full closet of dresses, she was only dying to wear this when you told her the theme!" Kohane giggled. "Aw, Kohane come on, you don't need to go telling everyone!" Lady Shiraishi covered her face in embarrassment. "Don't be embarrassed, An, trust me! You should have seen what Ena was like, she wouldn't let me even peek at her dress, but she has talked about wearing it for weeks now!"

Ser Akiyama then noticed the tension on her brother-in-law's face, and discreetly stepped to the side with him. She stood seriously in front of him, a determined look across their face. "I promise you, Sir Shinonome, I will take care of your sister, I am willing to give my life for hers, and I will show her the love and support that she deserves, and more, and I will do what I can to prove that to you, as a promise" She told him. A small chuckle escaped the taller one at the use of his surname instead of the silly nickname Mizuki had for him, his lips curving slightly upwards. "You don't have to call me that, just Akito is fine now, we are going to be in-law's now, I suppose.." He insisted. "And I know you will be nothing short of amazing to Ena, and I can only hope that she is the same to you, I don't mean to present as untrusting, I'm just still trying to process the fact that my sister is getting married, that's all" He admitted, noting the adoring face on the pink-haired knight ahead of him. "I- I don't know whether to laugh or cry.."
"How about neither? Shouldn't you be getting ready to start soon?" Akito asked. "Yeah, that's why I came out here, I'm pretty sure the officiate will be here any minute and then we'll start a few minutes after" Mizuki explained. Akito swung an arm around her, smiling down at her. "Go get a drink, I'll have everyone sitting by the time the officiate gets here"

The ceremony truly was beautiful, it was so simple. Mizuki could be seen wiping her tears as Ena walked down the garden aisle in her shady white floor length dress. Her hair was pinned back into a low, braided bun with flowers placed throughout the braid, the same flowers as she held in her hand bouquet. The dress itself was stunning, the bodice was modest, decorated with thin, sheer lace fabric accentuating the bishop sleeves. Friends and family sat around the garden, listening to the two lovers sharing their everlasting vows in the home that they worked together towards.

"Do you, Mizuki Akiyama, take Ena Shinonome to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Mizuki said tearfully.

"And do you, Ena Shinonome, take Mizuki Akiyama to be your lawfully wedded partner, to love and cherish them, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do, a million times, I do" Ena finished.

"Well then" The officiate closed over his handbook. "With the power vested in me, I pronounce you both to be married under the eyes of the light, you may now kiss"
A wave of joy and euphoria wafted through the air as the two lovers collided in a pure, love-filled kiss, both innocent and tender as the two had tears of happiness streaming down their faces. After they slowly pulled away a minute later, Mizuki suddenly scooped her bride into her arms and ran back towards the back door of the house, the two of them giggling and laughing the whole time. A crowd of their friends ran after them, watching as the two took their first drink together as newlyweds, from the same wine glass. "Let's get this party started!"

Hours felt like minutes as the evening slowly showed through the sky, a day of celebration passing everyone. With the help of a few of the stronger knights around the party, the original ceremony setting had been changed into a dining area, with small groups of tables scattered throughout where the aisle and rows had originally been. Mizuki and Ena opted to sit beside all of their friends at the largest table. Akito, Shiho, Dr Honami, Lady An, Kohane, and Prince Tsukasa sat with them, drinking all around them. Suddenly, the orange haired male stood up from his seat, clinking his knife against his wine glass, addressing the other members of the party. "I'd like to make a toast" He began shakily. "To my sister and her no longer betrothed. At least now I can give people a freight saying that they are no longer engaged" A mumble of laughs could be heard, gigging him the confirmation he needed to continue. "I have been fortunate enough to witness a lot of Ena and Mizuki's relationships, getting to hear both sides of their love. From their first date together to Mizuki begging me for a blessing, I knew that if there was ever a couple so perfect for one another, it was these two." He looked down at his sister, who was hand in hand with her partner, listening to her brother intently. "Ena, as annoying as you were as an older sister, it fills me with nothing but pride to see you here today. Honestly, I had to remind myself several times that you weren't the moody teenager who was sending me around the whole kingdom to get you art supplies at every possible chance, but I couldn't be happier to call you my sister, and I wish you nothing but happiness in your marriage, and your life as a whole" He paused. "And if Mizuki so much as even looks at you the wrong way, make sure that I'm the first to know" He let out a small laugh. "I don't mean that seriously, of course"

He then looked directly at Mizuki. "Where do I even start, Akiya- no, Mizuki, since the moment you came to me asking if it would be alright to take my sister out on a date, I knew that you would treat her with the respect that I always wished someone would. I don't ever recall a time where I didn't think that you two were perfect for each other, and as pathetic as it is, I'm using this as my apology for waiting so long to give you my official blessing. You have always shown your loyalty and trustworthiness in everything you do, whether that is to do with knighting, or even if it's just telling me something going on between you and Ena, and asking me wholeheartedly for advice. Those times showed me not only that you care, but if there was anyone in this world who should get to marry my sister, it should be you." He held his wine glass up high, looking around the crowd again. "To Mizuki and Ena!"
"To Mizuki and Ena!" A collaboration of voices followed him, as he sat back down and took a sip of his drink. Prince Tsukasa, who was sitting beside him, leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Are you crying, Sir Shinonome?" He teased him lightheartedly. "I am not!" Akito used his sleeve to wipe away any evidence of what his prince had pointed out. "It's the alcohol, probably-"

Without warning, he was pulled up into an embrace from behind, Ena, who was now crying harder than before, wrapping her arms around him. "That was so sweet, Akito, you can't make me cry like this.." She muttered. "Ena.." He smiled at her. "You'll always be my annoying older sister, no matter who's ring you have on your finger"
His sister slapped him lightly, reaching up to hit his head because she was much shorter than him. "Never change, you ginger asshole.."

Before long, the wedding guests started leaving one after another. The sun had long set, and now the garden was set up under the stars. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to stay around and help clean up?" Prince Tsukasa offered, a lot more sober than he had been after his first drinking experience, partially out of spite for his friends reminding him of what happened last time every time he took a single sip. "No thank you, my prince, it's really fine, I'll get lil' bro to do it all in the morning!" Mizuki said enthusiastically. "What!?"
Sir Shinonome, on the other hand, did not take his own advice on drinking, and was flat out drunk after the celebrations. Prince Tsukasa laughed at the sight of his friend. "I'll make sure he gets home alright, you enjoy your night, Akiyama!"
Mizuki let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, I owe you for this!"

Together the two males walked in the darkness of the night, rambling on to each other about the randomest of things. "I can't believe Ena got married before me.."
"Well, she is older, you know? You still have plenty of time for that!" Tsukasa answered. "You know, I saw this knight in Obscuria, I was fighting, and they looked pretty alright.." Sir Shinonome murmured, his words borderlining on gibberish. Prince Tsukasa started to crack up. "I guess that will make two of us!"

It didn't take long to get back home after dropping Sir Shinonome off, and Prince Tsukasa made his way straight up to his room, tired from the exhilarating day he just had, but happy that he attended in the end. He wearily closed his door behind him, slipping off his boots to the side and wanting nothing more than to fall straight asleep on his bed. Just as he was about to collapse onto the mattress, he noticed an odd colour contrasting against the colour of the sheets.
He picked the object up, revealing it to be another strange piece of parchment, this time it was flat, without creases, and read much longer than the first one had.

'Prince Tsukasa,
I thank you for your offer made to me, and apologise for how long it took to respond.
I would like to accept your offer to meet, and if it's alright with you, I would like to meet you possibly on the first monday of November, hopefully joined by two others.
If there is an issue, please have a letter given to one of my border guards, however don't tell them what it is about, I'd like to keep this out of primary public view.
~ RK'

Tsukasa gripped the paper hard in his hands, a heat rising to his face as his eyes skimmed over each cursive letter, and repeatedly landing on the signature at the bottom.
His mission had been successful.