Beneath the Moonlight

"He's still glaring at me." Misa whispered, her eyes on Ryusei whose gleaming sky-blue eyes sought hers from across the square.

The group had left the tiny stone chamber and had made the trek in virtual silence to the town square where the night's execution had been performed earlier. The remnants of the event had been cleaned up, leaving the square looking pleasant and devoid of all townsfolk. Misa stood at one end of the square with Prince Ran and Tana, facing Ryusei and his group.

"He isn't a threat." Prince Ran reassured her. "He just doesn't trust you."

"But why? I get the feeling it's about more than just me being human."

Prince Ran was silent for a moment, and Misa waited, sensing that there was something there. When he finally answered, he met Misa's eyes, wisps of his long hair dipping over his handsome features. "You remind him of someone," was all the prince said before Tana moved in on Misa, denying her the chance to ask him more.

Tugging the large, hooded cloak she had magically fashioned for Misa more firmly over her head and shoulders, she scolded, "Wear it properly. One stray bend of wind on your skin and the whole city will wake up. This cloak will help to smother your stench--"

"My scent."

"We should call it for what it is, Lady Misa." The Fae deadpanned much to Misa's chagrin and continued, "You should remain undetected until you make it home to the castle. I can't be absolutely certain, however. So, you must not dawdle. Go at once."

By this time, the young night had grown tired and plenty of houses were again lit with the fires of, hopefully sleepy, occupants. Misa couldn't deny that she was nervous as all could be just being out there so exposed. Therefore, she didn't need to be told twice to get going.

Turning to Prince Ran, she admitted, "Can we go now? I'm freaking out a little."

The prince produced what he probably thought was a mean smirk but was instead rather fond in Misa's eyes. She fought hard to not smile at him, for fear that he'd catch on. "We need to work on your fear management." He said.

'We,' huh? Misa thought, beaming inside.

"We will go... but allow me a second to speak with Ryusei one more time." Without waiting for a response, as usual, Prince Ran made a wild jump across the square to his brother's side.

Cuts down travel time, I guess. Misa thought and watched the two vampire brothers converse. She couldn't help running her eyes all over them like a sleaze, admiring how similar (and attractive) they looked, down to the confidence in their postures.

She wondered what exact part in their history, beyond the banishment of Ryusei, took their brotherhood away.

Within minutes, Prince Ran returned with such an angry look on his face that Misa knew she shouldn't--but knew she would--ask about what had happened during their short exchange.

They bid Princess Tana farewell and started on their way back to the castle. Above them, the moon shadowed their footsteps, a massive spotlight in the night sky. Although they wove quickly through the desolate streets, it was not lost on Misa that this counted as her first nighttime stroll with the kingdom's beloved prince.

She said as much out loud and the prince's response was, "We wouldn't have had to walk if you had already been at home like you were supposed to. I could have flown. Silly human."

Misa shoved Prince Ran with her body, but it felt like crashing into a brick wall. She ticked her teeth, "You suck." She said, which earned her a cocky smirk from the prince.

Once they were outside of the city walls and back on the lengthy path up the hill to the castle's massive outer gates, Misa thought the time appropriate to ask the prince about one of her burning curiosities.

"Hey, Ran?"

"Mm."

"Forgive my asking, but... what did you and your brother discuss that made you so angry back there? In the square, just before we left."

Prince Ran sighed, "I knew it was a matter of time before you asked. Nothing to concern you, human."

"Misa. Call me Misa from now on, or else!"

The prince chuckled, a smile not really there but his face soft all the same. "Or else what? What can this human princess do?"

Misa felt herself blush, realizing that Prince Ran had been fully accepting of her as his future bride as of late. She stuttered as she screamed, "D-Don't change the subject!"

"Fine, I understand." Prince Ran sounded totally amused when replying, "If you really want to know, we discussed you. He thinks you are aiming to betray the kingdom by urging us to free the Fae princess. He expects to have to kill you someday."

Misa shot her eyes upward at the prince, looking at him in alarm. The way he'd said it, as if were something natural or to be expected, scared the life out of her. Again, his eyes were hard as steel. "He won't come after me, will he?!" Misa asked.

Prince Ran leveled stern eyes at her, his chartreuse irises flashing with power in the dark. "Not unless you truly plan treason upon this land."

"No! Never!" Misa exclaimed, shaking her head wildly. "Of course, I wouldn't. I just... I feel like more can be done than fighting and killing all the time. Princess Tana was majorly outnumbered by us; plus, she was defenseless."

"I disagree that she was defenseless. She is a very powerful Fae."

"Regardless, there's always another way." Misa asserted. "But I would never dream of betraying the kingdom. Stop listening to your crazy brother."

"Yes, of course. I hadn't thought you could anyway. You are too mousy to betray the kingdom. I was joking."

Misa made a show of gasping, "You know how to joke?!"

"Misa."

"Okay, I'll stop."

Finally, they reached the castle's drawbridge which was met with alarmed cries of, "It's the prince and the lady! Lower the bridge! Hurry!"

Feeling rushed, Misa spat out, "I'm also curious about what was going on before Princess Tana and I entered the room down there. In that cellar-like place... Why were you kneeling to your brother and his goons? Of all people... I don't know. I feel like you're above that."

On one hand, Misa was afraid to make the prince upset with her questioning. Though, on the other hand, she figured, It's worth the risk. For some reason, I feel like I need to know what we're up against. 

She just hoped nothing was seriously wrong.

He gave her a look like he didn't want to answer, and for a moment, Misa was convinced that he never would and was on the verge of giving up, willing to wait any number of days. However, the bridge came down and the prince began walking ahead of her. He tossed an answer over his shoulder as she started after him.

"It was a choice of mine. I threw away my pride down there in that dank little room and swore something to him."

Misa's feet tapping against the drawbridge sounded loud to her ears as she jogged a few steps to catch up with Prince Ran. She wished she was quieter. It was clear, bathed as he was beneath this bright moonlight, that Prince Ran was working through something painful. This felt like such a fragile moment, and Misa didn't want to break it.

"You're not... Won't you tell me?" She asked quietly.

The prince let out a breath of humorless air. "Curious, human."

"Sorry! I'm sorry, you're right. Don't tell me--" Misa babbled, cut off by Prince Ran.

"Don't be. I promised to allow him, one night, to take my life."

"What?! No!" Misa cried. She was horrified. "Why would you even say that?"

"I owe it to him. It was my own carelessness that caused his expulsion--"

"Expulsion is no grounds to erase someone from existence!" Misa insisted, "It's not like he's dead."

"But his beloved is. And... they had a son." He took a while to continue, almost stopping on the drawbridge as he gazed up at the moon, thinking about that son. His nephew. "He's gone too, little Rui, and all of it was on me. My laziness. My prejudice. An irresponsible immaturity eating away at my sense of reason.  

"Misa, with you, I will be living the life that should have been his. And to think I ended it all with just one lie."