[Infirmary]

Teresa stared at her unconscious younger brother. It had already been hours since he fought Eiichi, and he still hadn't woken up. He and Hideo were the only knights in the infirmary. Hyosetsu and Eiichi himself had both left to train with Setsuko in the angelic dome simulator.

"That guy is gonna pay if Tetsuya doesn't wake up!" Teresa said, clenching her flower-shaped necklace.

Rosa put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "How about you go and take a break? I'll watch over him," the second princess said.

Teresa shook her head. "He's my little brother and thus my responsibility." Suddenly her stomach grumbled. Her face turned bright red. "Uh..."

Rosalba chuckled. "Now, this brings back memories. You should go and eat. It will not benefit your brother's health if you fall ill. In fact, it will most likely cause him to worry, just like how his comatose state is causing you concern."

The older girl sighed. "I guess ya're right. I should get some rest." Suddenly her lips crested into a smile as she recalled Serrano's words on their way to town. She leaned in a bit. "So, what is your relationship with my little brother?"

The princess covered her face with both her hands. "W-what do you mean? W-we are only fellow knights. N-nothing more."

Teresa narrowed her eyes. "Don't lie. I can tell ya have the hots for him. Not that I can blame ya, my little bro can be annoying from time to time, but he does have his good points. Surely even a princess such as yaself would be drawn to them."

Rosalba averted her eyes as she slowly lowered her hands. "Why does everyone think I like him?"

"Maybe because ya do?" Teresa said, nudging the princess on the side. "If ya want, I can help ya out. Ya do seem like a girl he would be attracted to."

The princess lowered her hands all the way, revealing a crimson face. "R-really?"

"Ha, got ya! Ya totally have a thing for him!"

"Y-you lied to me?" Rosa asked, grimacing.

Teresa waved a hand dismissively. "Course not. Meant what I said," Tetsu's older sister said, grinning. "Anyway, I am off to eat! Once done, I'll go look for Taku. He still hasn't come back yet from his sightseeing."

"Alright," Rosalba said, waving shyly.

Teresa giggled as she made her way out of the room. The infirmary was located in the right-wing of the palace on the first floor. To her right was a long corridor that led to an elevator and an inaccessible staircase blocked by a metal barrier. Most likely, it led to the rooms of the royal family. She bet that the doctors and nurses used it more often than the royals themselves. At least Teresa didn't see them coming downstairs to be attended when they could call the physicians to their rooms.

She turned left, retracing in her mind the path Rosalba had taken. The hallway they were in was actually but one of many containing hospital beds. The sheer magnitude made her wonder why the royal family would have a hospital so large within the palace.

Then it hit her, the palace was built during King Orlin's rule. When they were at war with Kasai no Ki, the same war her papa had participated in. She heard tales of how many on both sides perished. Kuroriku had gained new lands in the south. Fertile lands at that which were a boon for the growing nation.

The war in the eastern front, however, was a failure. In the end, Kuroriku had little to show for all the blood and treasure wasted there. As such, it didn't surprise her to hear that there were rebels in the east, where the majority of the war had occurred. After all, the war had hurt them the most. The grand duchy that once existed there had ceased to be. Though that was because its Grand Duchess was a turn-coat.

Teresa turned the corner into another empty hallway. Being alone in a place like this sent chills down her back. If her theory was right, there could be vengeful ghosts of dead soldiers lurking. Though would they hurt her? Her pa was Tekeshi, after all, their comrade whom many looked up to. Especially toward the end of the war.

She decided to run for it, not wishing to test out that theory. Once she reached the end of the current hall, she turned left again and continued to run for dear life. One of the good things about there being no people was she didn't have to worry about bumping into anyone.

"You," a voice called out. Teresa let out a scream and ran even faster. It was a good thing that she had asked the princesses if they had a pair of flats she could wear. If she were still in high heels, she would've tripped by now.

"Please, don't haunt me. I am not the one who took your life!" she yelled, closing her eyes.

"Hey, stop! You're going to crash into that wall!" the voice yelled.

"Huh?" Teresa said, opening her eyes. The specter was right. She was within a few feet of crashing into a wall. In her attempt to flee, she had missed a turn. She spread out her wings to slow her down, but she was going to end up face planting either on the wall or on the ground either way.

"Why are you running? You're that afraid of me?" the voice asked as a blue blur appeared in front of her.

She let out a piercing shriek. "Awww, stop that! I am going to go deaf!" the figure said.

"Huh?" Teresa crashed into the specter, sending him against the wall. Wait, I didn't go through it. Oh no, it probably wants to hurt me. Ya've done it now, Tere!

"Ouch," the voice said.

Teresa back away slowly and glanced up at the specter's face. Her eyes widened. It wasn't an actual specter but considering who it was, he might as well have been.

"Z-Zafir," she said, trembling.

***

[Weeks Ago]

As Zafir was turning the doorknob, Teresa came running out of her kitchen. He flashed her a toothy smile. "Or are you simply here to say goodbye?" He averted his eyes. "I know we started off on bad footing, but I am glad to have met you. Even if it was like this. So, if you wish, I visit if I find myself in the area, once I find out where in the world this place is..."

Teresa breamed. "Really? Ya will? Uh..." Her face heated up. "So, about what ya said before."

"What's that?" he asked, putting his hands over his chest.

Her hands fidgeted. "About how ya were going to repay me."

"Oh right," he said, scratching the side of his head. "So, what do you want?"

Teresa looked up and leaned in. Her lips pressed against Zafir's soft lips, causing the prince's sea-blue eyes to widen.

"Sorry," she said, backing away. She combed her long black hair with her fingers. "I shouldn't have done that."

Zafir remained speechless for a while before finally turning his back to her. "You really should not have. Bye," he said, opening the door before slamming it behind him.

***

['Present']

"W-what are ya doing here?" she asked, stepping back further.

The young Mizu no Kin prince rubbed his forehead. "I came here to get some herbs to reduce the back pain I have been experiencing. Though, seems that coming here resulted in the opposite effect."

Teresa wanted to kick herself. "S-sorry. If ya like, I can go get ya the medicine."

The prince smiled. "Thanks," he said, rubbing his back.

"So, where do they store the herbs?" she asked, glancing around the various rooms.

Zafir pointed to the opposite end of the hall. "Over there, where it says, medicinal herb storage."

Teresa let out a defeated groan. "I missed that."

The prince chuckled. "You sure did."

She felt her face warm up. Why was he acting as if nothing had happened? Did he perhaps forget? She contemplated bringing it up, but doing so would make things so awkward. A smile crossed her face. Maybe it was for the best.

"To be honest, this pain has persisted since I last saw you," Zafir said as they made their way to the storage room. "Not even my best doctors could take it away, unlike you."

Teresa stopped. "R-really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. What is your secret?"

She averted her eyes. "M-my secret... I don't think there is one. I simply make the medicine as my mother taught me. If there's any, she's the one who knows it. Ah, but she did say that the key ingredient was love!"

Zafir put a hand over his face. "Love, huh? I...see." He continued on his way. "I apologize for leaving how I did last time we saw each other." He sighed. "I should have been more respectful, especially after having been dumped the way I was."

"Akari," Teresa said, chasing after him. "Did you get to talk to her again?"

She saw as the shine in his eyes diminished. "No. I couldn't find her again."

Teresa thought back to the bus driver. "I-I think I saw her."

"What? Where? Wait, how do you know how she looks?" Zafir asked, his voice hopeful.

She gave him a thin smile. "I met a blond gal called Akari on the way here. She became nervous when I asked if she knew you."

He dropped his head as they arrived at a silver door with a keypad. "So, she still has ill feelings." He closed his eyes and banged the door. "What did I do wrong? Was I that bad?" He slid his hands down the door, curling up into a ball.

"Zafir," Teresa said, putting a hand on his back. Her heart clenched as she saw tears slide down his face. "Ya know, a girl like that is not worth it. If I were her, I would have given ya a straight answer."

Not that I would've dumped ya to begin with...

Zafir glanced up at her. "M-maybe you're right... Though I cannot give up yet. Tell me, where did you see-" The Mizu no Kin prince let out a cry of pain.

Teresa removed her hand from his back. "We should get ya treated first. Open this door. I will tell you where she is once we finish ya treatment."

The prince took out a blue card from the pockets of his jeans and ran it through the scanner on the keypad. The door snapped open. "Please hurry," he said before wincing again.

Teresa held out a hand to him. He took the hand, and the two entered the room. The country girl gasped at the sight of thousands upon thousands of shelves with all kinds of bottled herbs. Each one was labeled and ordered alphabetically with tidbits of information on their usage on said label.

Teresa glanced around. Even with them being ordered alphabetically and by usage, she would still have difficulty locating the right herb in such a big place.

"What was the herb you used called again?" Zafir asked, glancing over at her. In his hands was a silver tablet.

"Uh, they're violet evergreen leaves," she responded, staring at Zafir typed something in the tablet. Suddenly a silver sphere zipped by so fast she wasn't even sure if it was real. Then as if to prove her of its existence, it came back. Its top half opened up, revealing a jar of thin purple leaves.

"Are those the right ones?" Zafir asked, expectantly.

"Uh, yes." She looked up at the little robot, which let out a cheerful hum before it vanished as fast as it came. "What was that thing?"

"A robot? It's the latest model of the pharmaceutical assistant bot, known as P.A.B. 3.0 for short. It's only one out of millions in this room."

Teresa turned toward him. "For real? Millions?"

Zafir snickered. "Amazing, are they not? Kuroriku has truly magnificent technology. That is why Lady Saya chose this clan to develop the weapons necessary to push back the enemy. Not to say that my clan and the others are going to stay in the sidelines. Otherwise, I would not be here right now."

"Lady Saya?" Teresa asked, looking at him in awe. "You mean as in The Saya? The queen of all Zionia? That Saya?"

He nodded, a smile on his face. "Yeah, is there another?"

"Woah! Wait, if ya're here because of whatever my brother and the others will be fighting, then does that mean that Lady Saya and the royals from each clan will be appearing too?"

He shook his head. "No, unfortunately, neither Prince Maki nor High Prince Ryonoko could make it, but there will be time for all of us to gather in the future. They, along with the Seven Flames and Seven Lights, know what we are to face."

"I see," Teresa said, taking a deep breath. If Lady Saya is involving herself, then whatever Tetsu is going to combat will be huge! Perhaps I should aid him... I might lack the combat experience of Taku, but I can still fight.

"Alright, let me go get a mortar and a pestle, and I'll help ya apply ya medicine like old times."

Zafir grimaced again and fell to the ground.

She crouched down and rubbed his back gently. "You alright? Is the pain that bad? I shouldn't have let you go. Looking at you now, I know you clearly weren't healed."

The prince of Mizu no Kin pushed himself off the ground. "I will be fine once the tonic has been applied."

"Right!" Teresa chased after Zafir, who walked into the nearest room. It was as big as the one her younger brother was kept in, with twenty beds split into two rows. Next to each bed were metallic vases though they were currently empty. Seeing the empty beds and vases, she got a sense of how it might have been back when it was in use. Perhaps she should get her brother some flowers as a get better wish.

Teresa shook her head and walked over to the sink on her left. She opened up one of the cupboards and found a dusty mortar and pestle. Taking them out, she turned on the water and swept the top layer of dust away. Though she knew that wouldn't do. She searched the bottom cupboards for some soap but found none.

Teresa sighed. If only she could perform magic like Kuroshi. She could always a new mortar and pestle out of stone, but she wasn't sure how sanitary using them would be. Seemed she would need to make do with semi-clean tools.

Zafir put his hand over hers. "No need for soap," he said, closing his eyes. The blue glow of water mana enveloped the mortar and pestle, ridding them of any trace of dust.

"T-thanks," she said, feeling warm under the collar due to how close he was. "C-can you please remove your shirt." Her warmth increase. "I, I mean, so that I can apply the medicine that is. W-when it's done."

"O-okay," Zafir said, smiling as he turned his back to her.

She looked over her shoulders and watched as he removed his sky blue shirt and threw it onto the bed. The prince had a lean yet muscular build, much like her late Pa's.

"Is something the matter?" Zafir asked, looking back at her.

"N-no!" she said, trying not to look back.

Why are ya blushing, ya fool? Ya've already seen him shirtless. It's nothing special! Though I failed to realize how hot he is. Why in the world did Akari dump this fine ass man? I mean, sure he can be a bit of a jerk, but he can also be hecka kind.

She poured the herbs she left next to the sink into the clean mortar and crushed the herbs rapidly.

"You sure you are well? Your face is all red?" Zafir said, sitting up from the bed he had tossed his shirt at.

"Yes, ya fool!" she screamed. She clasped a hand over her mouth. Why did I do that?

The prince grinned. "By the way, that dress really suits you," he said, turning his head away and pressing it into the snow-white pillow.

Teresa stared down at her dress. She had made a few adjustments while she had waited for Tetsuya to waken. One of those was to reduce the skirt's length, allowing her to move with ease without holding onto it.

"T-thanks," she said, pulling her hair behind her right ear, revealing a cyan earring. It had been a gift from her Pa. He made it with his Aventine's design in mind.

She finished crushing the leaves. She poured some water into the mortar, dyed a deep green as soon as it met the powder.

"Done," she said, turning off the faucet. She turned around and noticed Zafir was looking back at her earring. The prince was smiling. "W-what? And why are you smiling? Weren't you in pain awhile ago?"

He pressed his chin against the pillow. "Yeah, though it appears to have subsided."

Teresa chuckled. "Really? Or were ya faking it?"

He gave her a deadpan stare. "Why would I fake being in pain for?"

Teresa put down the bowl next to the vase and submerged her hands. The resulting liquid had a viscosity similar to that of a hand-sanitizer. She pulled them up and gently rubbed them against Zafir's back, causing the prince to let out a relieved sigh.

"Maybe ya miss my messages?" she whispered into his ear. She laughed as the prince jumped. "Sorry, did I scare ya?"

He rubbed his ear as his face remained bright red. "Do not do that again," he muttered as he pressed his face against the pillow.

"S-sorry," Teresa said as she tried to contain her laughter.

Zafir smiled. "Do you want me to repay you?" he asked in a low voice.

Teresa stopped. "Uh..."

Is he flirting with me?

Zafir chuckled. "And before you get any bright ideas, this time I'll pay you with money rather than let you choose."

Teresa averted her eyes. "Sorry, again."

The prince turned around and smiled warmly.

Why is he acting so nice to me? Come on, be a jerk. That way, I can hate ya! Or maybe... I interest him...

***

[Some time ago- somewhere else in Kaguya City, Kuroriku]

"Which way is it to the castle again?" Takuya asked himself, gazing back and forth between two streets. Both of them seemed to stretch as far as the eye could make out, and his eyes were some of the best he knew. It seemed as if every street led to the palace, but he had already run into a dozen dead ends.

After going his own way, he went to do some sight-seeing of the city's most prominent monuments. One of which was the Imperial Museum, which was housed in the old imperial palace. He wished that the rest of his family could have seen it. They would've enjoyed it. Plus, he wouldn't have gotten lost with his siblings leading the way.

"Are you lost?" a female voice called. He turned around and saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She had long golden blond hair, deep verdant eyes, and skin that shimmered like bronze in the sunlight. It was the girl from this morning.

He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-yeah, sorta am. A-Akari was was it?"

The girl suddenly grabbed his hand and smiled at him. "You seem like an interesting young man. I'll show you around town if you so desire. Tell me which sites do you wish to see?"

"Actually, I was thinkin' of headin' to the palace," he responded, blushing' as she drew closer.

"The palace?" she asked, glancing at the towers in the distance. "Oh right, I forgot that you came here with Serrano." She looked Takuya up and down, including his bare feet. "I mean, you're handsome, but you don't strike me as the noble type. People will think you're a beggar if you attempt to enter the palace looking like you do now." She let go of him. Putting her hands behind her back, she walked ahead of him.

Takuya sighed. He knew that people would think that.

Akari turned around and smiled at him. Her eyes shimmered like a combination of emeralds and peridots. "Since you interest me, I'll help you out."

"You really will?" I asked.

She leaned forward until their lips were only a few inches apart. "I told you, you interest me. Greatly."

"Uh..." he looked down at the rags that he referred to as 'clothes'. What did she find interesting? That he was dressed like this yet wanted to go to the palace? If he were her, he would think of the barefoot guy in front of her as odd.

She straightened up and grabbed his hand, pulling him like an overly playful child. "Come, come! We got to get you looking nice, or they won't even let you within a two-mile radius of the palace."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, the guards at the palace these days are very strict."

"Where are we goin'?" Takuya asked as he tried his best to keep up with her.

"My place," she responded.

"Is it fine to invite a stranger to your home?"

She stopped and laughed. "That you would even ask me that question shows that I'm right to trust you. Plus, you give out an aura of innocence. Tell you what, after this, I'll accompany you to the palace. There's something I need to attend to there."

Smiling, Takuya followed her.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed this chapter :3. It was going to be half Teresa and half Takuya, but I made Teresa's part bigger than I had expected so yeah xD. Expect the next chapter soon :3. So, what did you think of Teresa's reunion with Zafir? Think that she has a shot with her 'prince charming'?**