Amai of Swan Lake

Chapter 7

The whole morning, all Amai could think of was the events of the night before. The way she'd danced with Kisshu, discovering who he was, how he looked at her with his mesmerizing gold eyes. So lovestruck she ignored the teasing comments that were made by the girls, who were all elated to see her so happy.

Yet there was something that came up to stop that.

"Uh, guys? There's something else written on the scroll!" Retasu said, bringing the whole group's attention to the scroll she held in her hand. "We must've missed it when we got distracted by Amai's past with Kisshu." "Well, what does the rest say?" Amai asked. Unrolling it further, the greenette read; "However, if the true love..." "Meaning his royal cuteness." Mint stated. "...pledges love to another, the Mew Aqua will lose its power."

"What?!" That was not what they wanted to hear. "But that's not fair!" Ichigo protested, crossing her arms. Ryou, having joined them a while ago, released a soft sigh. "No, though unfortunately, the legend can't be undone."

Pudding folded her hands and jumped onto a stone. "That makes sense, since true love is really rare!" "She's right." Speaking up, Zakuro placed a hand on Amai's feathers, the swan glancing at her. "Love is when two people love each other more than themselves. Alone, they're two. But together, they're one. That kind of love have incredible power."

"Oh, two for one." Mint brushed off her dress. "Well then, we need to get busy." Amai looked confused. "Busy doing what?" "What else? Getting ready to prepare you for the ball tonight as soon as the sun is down!"

"But guys, going to a ball at a time like this? Is that really a good idea?"

"Naturally!" Ichigo began to demonstrate. "Just imagine, you walk in and the prince sees you. He will ask you to dance. Then, you'll be wrapped in his arms, and he'll declare his true love to you!" She finished with a hand over her heart, head high in the air with a blissful look. "Then we'll all be saved."

The group was excited. Pudding sighed. "Ah, together forever." "But he's the prince." Said Amai, doubt on her face. "I'm just a servant girl from the village." Her eyes glanced down. A hand lifted her small chin, meeting Keiichiro's gaze. "You know what I see? Love, laughter, bravery. Princess or peasant, those qualities are more than worthy of a prince's heart." Everyone agreed with him.

Ryou whistled. "Alright, everyone. We have time until sunset, so we need to start getting everything ready now. I want Zakuro, Mint and Ichigo keeping an eye out for any of Deep Blue's shadows in case they make an appearance. Pudding and Retasu, you'll help with gown making. Keiichiro and I will figure out transport to the castle. Remember everyone, time is of the essence, so she needs to be prepared as soon as possible after she transforms back. Let's go!"

Not a second was wasted. Everyone started on their tasks for the evening ahead of them, praying that fate would be in their favor.

...........................................................................................................................................

Throwing a goblet at the wall, Deep Blue growled with seething rage. His dark mood spiked to a dangerous level as he reveled in the previous night's happenings. His little swan, in the arms of another! And she protected him like someone would for a loved one! Did she actually love him?!

"GAH!" Destroying another goblet, he slammed his hands down on the table in front of him, heavy breaths leaving his mouth, chest rising up and down. "I can not allow this boy to ruin everything." He stood straight. Walking to his looking glass, he demanded to see Amai and his brother's group. He was slightly surprised to see them all busy preparing for something, but what, he didn't know.