The Pharmacist and Her Knight

Story 3

Mitsuhide and Kiki widened their eyes in surprise at the two unusual guests but soon greeted them with much warmth.

"If it isn't Shirayuki," Mitsuhide said. "And Obi."

"You just totally forgot that I even existed, didn't you, Mitsuhide-san?" Obi grinned with a tick mark on his head.

Mitsuhide averted his guilty gaze. "I don't know what you happen to be talking about."

"What brings you here at night, Shirayuki?" Kiki asked, ignoring the two troublesome men that were arguing with one another. "It's rare for you to come here."

"Ah," Shirayuki looked up at her before looking down with a pitiful look. "I wanted to discuss with you guys about something?"

"Should I call Zen, too?" Mitsuhide said.

She nodded her head. "If you can. Thank you, Mitsuhide-san."

While Mitsuhide went to call for Zen who was working in his private quarters, Kiki studied Shirayuki's face. She could see the slight furrowing of her eyebrows as well as the way her lips were pulled into a faint tight frown. Her eyes seemed to be holding back tears and moreover, they held a distant look in them. Whatever it was she came to talk about, she knew that it was important. Shirayuki, the only female friend that she had in the palace, was someone independent and stubborn and rarely had things that troubled her. So if she was acting like this, something was up.

Kiki looked to Obi who must have an idea of what was going on. Obi just stared at her and shook his head before looking to Shirayuki, indicating that it wasn't his place to tell. Kiki narrowed her eyes at Obi's firm decision to not tell her and so, decided to wait.

"It's rare to see you come here so late, Shirayuki," Zen appeared.

"Sorry for interrupting you guys so late at night," she apologized with a meek smile.

"No worries," Zen laughed, waving his hand in the air. "It was about time that I relieved myself from all that work," Zen glared at Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide averted his gaze and whistled, giving Zen an "I don't know what you're talking about" face. Shirayuki laughed at the two's interaction and comments before a pensive sadness washed over her face. She was going to miss those two and their daily playful arguments. Zen, who supported her and encouraged her to go on the path she wanted, and Mitsuhide, a friend whom she trusted would carry Zen to become a brilliant Prince of Clarines, were people that she would greatly miss. She looked at Kiki, whose amethyst eyes and silky blonde hair magnified her beauty, with sadness and reminisced the times where she saw the female aide practicing her sword with elegance and grace. She was going to miss all of them but the one person who she couldn't bear to leave was none other than Obi. His dark black hair and golden cat-like eyes saw right through her every time and he was the person she trusted the most. He knew her better than anyone else and was the first true friend that she could rely on. Obi, the unusual knight that was assigned to her, was a person who saved her and cheered her in troubled times. He was a friend that she would never give up.

"So, Shirayuki," Zen focused his attention back to her. "What did you want to talk to us about."

Shirayuki smiled fondly at the memories she had made of the past year and looked up at them with resilient and firm eyes.

"I've decided to go to Wilant."

A deafening silence resounded in the room and it was silent to the point where the tweeting of birds could be heard outside the closed window glass panels. Kiki looked at Obi with furrowed eyebrows, asking through her eyes if he had known this. Obi remained calm and composed as he watched Shirayuki with serene eyes, knowing that she could handle it. The first one to respond to her sudden statement was Zen.