16Summary: She stared silently in the mirror, normally stoic blue eyes uncharacteristically wide with shock and disbelief. She hurriedly backed away, watching as the reflection of the very familiar blonde-haired woman did so as well. She had always considered herself a levelheaded and very adaptable person, but then again, she had never considered being reborn as Kiki Seiran. (Rebirth)
Disclaimer: I do not own Akagami no Shirayukihime. If I did, ObixShirayuki would have already happened.
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The Silent Guardian
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Blinking in shock and disbelief, the girl stared silently at the bathroom mirror, blue eyes uncharacteristically wide. She slowly reached out a hand and pulled at a lock of blonde hair, marveling at the color, but was highly confused since she didn't have blonde hair last time she checked. Her body is also now more slender and fit, a far cry from her rather plain appearance in the past.
She had thought that waking up to a majestic room and not her old creaky bedroom was the strangest thing that ever happened to her. Looking in the mirror now, it was clear that she was wrong, because this isn't her body.
Judging by its very familiar appearance and the fact that she had found a set of equally familiar clothes and a sword back in the bedroom, there is really no mistaking that this body belongs to someone she had previously thought was just a work of fiction.
The body of the swordswoman and one of the closest aides of Prince Zen Wisteria, Kiki Seiran.
She backed away from the mirror, watching as the reflection of the woman did so as well. There is no denying it; this is real indeed.
She leaned against the wall heavily, suddenly feeling too weak on the knees; she had always considered herself a very levelheaded and adaptable person, but this is just pushing things too far. Her mind quickly scrambled for reasons and theories as to why and how this could even be happening.
Dreams came as the number one possibility. Perhaps this was just a dream; after all, she's had quite a few of those adventurous dreams, though this is the first time it was set in an anime. The second was reincarnation, which she originally thought is downright impossible.
However, if it is true, then that just means she had died, a fact she had a hard time believing. The last thing she remembered was sleeping in her room. Did she die in her sleep? If so, how? She never had any fatal diseases. Perhaps, a heart attack?
She pinched herself hard, and was resigned when she felt a sharp throb from that part of her skin. Not a dream, then. That means the second theory was what happened to her, unless there are other possibilities out there which she forgot to consider.
One thing is clear though. Whatever happened to her, whoever had done this to her, they knew what they were doing. Kiki Seiran was a master swordswoman, so it doesn't seem like a coincidence that the person who replaced her is a long-time practitioner of the Japanese sport Kendo, and is a skilled swordswoman herself.
'Though fighting with swords is probably significantly different here', she mused as she went back to her bedroom, 'From what she knew of the anime, they don't treat it here as a sport; sword fighting is a necessary survival skill in this world.'
Unless Kiki has a certain style, she was confident she could hold her own for a while until she relearns everything again from scratch. The problem was her own life. She doesn't know much about Kiki's past except that she's a nobleman's daughter and the heir of the Seiran family. She is also one of Prince Zen's closest aides alongside Mitsuhide Louen and typically has a stoic and serious personality. That pretty much sums up everything she knew about the woman.
While she has no doubt that she could act as close as she could to Kiki's original personality and could probably handle the sword as best as she could, there is still a far bigger problem.
She silently sat at the edge of Kiki's bed, feeling too stunned to move. How could she do this? Her knowledge of the kingdom of Clarines, the Wistal Castle, and the people currently living here is beyond limited, and even if she could figure it out, everyone will surely notice that she changed one way or another.
… Should she just tell everyone about what happened?
She inwardly scoffed, 'and get treated like she was insane? No thank you.'
Should she just tell the Prince and Mitsuhide?
She paused and considered the thought; while the idea sounds more than tempting, something is telling her that it's probably not the wisest thing to do. Besides, she can't disregard the possibility that everything could be different here. She might not even be one of the Prince's closest aides and friend. She could be in another position entirely. It's just too much to risk.
Far too caught up in her conflicted thoughts, the knock on the door should have barely registered in her mind. Though it seems Kiki's body has keen senses, because she was suddenly up and moving towards the door before she was even aware of what was happening, just as the person behind it finished the second knock.
Well-honed reflexes and senses? How interesting.
"Kiki?" Her hand abruptly froze on the knob, "Are you okay? You weren't in Zen's office as per your usual schedule and it's already close to noon."
'Kiki' barely heard it, frozen as she was the moment that concerned voice called out to her. She didn't need to see him to recognize that it was Mitsuhide, 'Kiki's friend.
Another knock jolted her out of her thoughts once again, "Kiki?" Mitsuhide called again, "are you in there?"
She hurriedly looked around the room for a robe to cover her nightclothes with and, clearing her throat and hoping that Kiki's voice didn't change, she opened the door.
"Gomen, Mitsuhide." She started, and was more than surprised to hear that the voice that came out certainly did not belong to her and that she could speak in fluent Japanese (or probably the language of this world.) "I am not feeling well earlier. Please relay my apologies to Zen."
The blue-haired man standing before her (and wasn't that color odd?) only blinked in surprise before gazing at her worriedly. "I think that's the first time you admitted that you don't feel well. And you look extremely pale. It must be pretty bad then."
Kiki inwardly cursed; first conversation and already, she screwed it up. "Yes," she said, hoping to salvage the conversation. "Though I'll probably feel better later, so I'll see you then."
She started to close the door, but Mitsuhide's sudden cry of 'wait!' made her pause. "You don't have to push yourself." He told her sincerely. "You can rest, I am sure Zen will understand. I'll call the healers too, if you'd like."
She pursed her lips as she stared at him, adopting Kiki's usual calm expression. Well, she could use the time. But then how would she get used to palace life if she continued to hide in her room? "There's no need, I feel better already." She told him. "Go, I'll meet you both later."
Smiling and nodding to say that he understood, Mitsuhide bade her farewell before finally leaving. Kiki closed the door quietly before sighing in relief. Too close. Though it seems like Mitsuhide didn't notice anything wrong, so that's good at least.
Finally deciding to start the day, Kiki proceeded to bathe and dress herself. It took her several minutes at most to figure out how to put on those strange clothes, and another half hour to have a feel of Kiki's– her sword.
Falling into the most basic of stances, Kiki gave the sword a practice swing. To her surprise, it felt extremely comfortable in her hand, unlike those awkward wooden practice swords she originally used in Kendo. A satisfied smile formed in her face, and she proceeded to do the katas that had been burned into her mind since she was very little; slowly getting used to the weight and sharpness of the sword.
It was only when the sun shone directly in her face did she realize that it was already past noon. Sheathing her sword, she proceeded to leave the privacy of her rooms to face the world beyond.
oOo
Wandering for several minutes, she finally realized that she was well and utterly lost. The castle was so majestic and huge; it took all of her restraint not to let her eyes wander and gape. It would be completely uncharacteristic for her, who has probably been staying here in the castle long enough not to be awed by it anymore.
Thankfully, everyone she passed didn't pay any attention to her and just minded their own businesses, probably assuming that she has a task that was keeping her from being by Prince Zen's side. She didn't dare stop in the middle of the hallways, choosing instead to continue wandering around until she finally found the Prince's rooms.
To the best of her knowledge, she once read that Prince Zen and the rest of the royal family have their rooms and offices in the innermost part of the castle for better protection, so she did her best to stay away from the courtyards and gardens that suggested she was near outside.
However, wasn't his office located directly near a garden as it was shown in the anime? She almost paused at this, before forcing herself to walk again. Both information suggests her knowledge of the castle is unreliable, so it is probably for the best that she ignore it and just keep walking on to find it herself. It was harder than she thought though, but she forced herself not to ask anyone for fear of being thought of as strange.
Though it seemed someone has finally taken pity on her, or it was probably just coincidence, since obliviously walking right in front of her was Mitsuhide himself.
She thought better of calling out to him, since that doesn't seem like a 'Kiki' thing to do, so she instead just silently sped up to walk by his side.
She watched as Mitsuhide turned his head to look at her in surprise, eyes wide. "Oh Kiki! I was just about to get you. Zen was worried because you were gone for almost half the day."
"I'm here now." She told him.
He searched her face worriedly, "Are you really okay? You still look pale."
"I'm fine."
He nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting her words. "We should probably head back now."
She only followed silently, fists clenched at the realization that she was about to meet the Prince himself. While not an avid anime fan, she had taken a liking to Akagami no Shirayukihime. She had finished watching the anime, completed the manga, and even memorized the songs. To meet one of the main protagonists now… it would be surreal.
She let Mitsuhide lead the way for obvious reasons, and it seemed that he noticed this because he had glanced at her oddly a few times. Ignoring him, she just did her best to memorize the route, knowing that she would do this every day for probably the rest of her life.
At last, they reached it, and steeling herself for the final time, she pushed the doors open.
The first sight that greeted her was the Prince bowed over his desk signing a stack of papers, the sheer brightness of his albino-like white hair making her blink in surprise. At their entrance, the Prince lifted his head and regarded her curiously.
She immediately stood straighter, "I apologize for failing to show up earlier today, Zen-denka." She told him. The formal words felt strange in her tongue, but it felt like something Kiki would say.
Prince Zen only continued to stare at her. Looking directly into his eyes, Kiki immediately caught a flicker of something behind them, which she soon realized was concern.
"Mitsuhide told me what happened," He told her. "Are you alright now?"
"Hai."
His eyes abruptly softened, "Don't push yourself, Kiki." He said. "Especially with what happened yesterday."
She felt her body involuntarily stiffen in surprise, and she quickly tried to figure out what exactly happened yesterday. It was no use wondering though, since she didn't even know the year or what part of the events in the story she landed in the first place.
Both men seemed to have noticed her abrupt silence, since they shifted uncomfortably. "It's alright," Zen tried to appease her. "The situation has been taken care of."
Now she was even more confused. What situation?
Her expression must have looked pretty bad, because both men visibly sweated.
She was torn on what to do. Should she act as if she knew what happened until it backfired on her completely or admit that she doesn't? Both probably wouldn't appreciate being lied at; not that she had any obligation to tell them anything. They are Kiki's friends, not hers.
To her dismay, her mouth said the complete opposite, "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? What situation?"
They both stared at her blankly. She stared right back.
"You're kidding?" Zen said after a while.
"Kiki, are you sure you're okay?" Mitsuhide asked again.
She pursed her lips, thinking about the consequences and finally decided on telling only the partial truth. She knows they'll do their best to help her, and who was she to deny that help? "I don't think so." She said as honestly as she could. "Truth be told, I don't remember anything that happened yesterday." And my whole life before that.
Instead of gaping comically like she expected they would, (after all, who would believe that outrageous lie?) she was surprised when both looked very shaken. "You… wha– really?" Zen sat back in disbelief.
Mitsuhide looked like he was about to approach her but restrained himself. "Can I ask what you do remember?"
It seems they both trust Kiki so much that they immediately think everything that she says is the truth. She felt a stab of guilt at that, but did her best to ignore it.
She frowned as if lost in thought, but inwardly she was trying her best to salvage the situation. Should she tell them everything or continue with her partial lie? "I… I'm sorry." She finally decided, shaking her head. "I don't remember anything I've done since I started to work here. I only remember your names, and my position. Quite frankly, I was lost in the castle before Mitsuhide found me."
They were both frozen in shock, and Kiki half-expected them to run away from her completely, probably to call the mental hospital (if they actually had those here.)
"T-That was why you were walking behind me the entire time instead of beside me like we always do." Mitsuhide whispered, the pieces finally connecting.
"Seriously?" Zen still looked like he was in shock. "What brought this on? Do you know?"
She was hoping he would inform her about the events yesterday but only shook her head in the negative.
"Come on, we'll get you checked up in the medical wing. The court herbalists has got to know what happened that would make you lose your memory like this." Zen stood up determinedly and began stalking out of the room, Mitsuhide and Kiki herself automatically following a step behind him.
Truth be told, Kiki honestly didn't think herbalists could find a reason behind this, (except if it was Shirayuki. That girl tended to think outside the box) but there was no arguing with Zen. To her surprise (not), they didn't find any reason at all. They claimed that Kiki's both mentally and physically fine, except for the glaring hole in her memory. They promised they'll try to do something about it though (which Kiki highly doubted they could.) However, the moment they tried to file the report, Kiki quietly requested that they don't record their findings.
To answer their questioning gazes, she claimed that the moment anyone found out what happened, her time as the Prince's aide would be over. After all, no one would trust an amnesiac to be an aide for the beloved Second Prince of Clarines.
Immediately after hearing that, both Zen and Mitsuhide agreed. The Prince then told the court herbalists to keep this to themselves, which they gladly did so with a bow, before Zen stalked out once more to go back to the privacy of his office.
Once inside, Zen whirled around and Kiki was shocked to see the wide array of emotions on his face. "Since no one could know about this, we will be the ones to teach you everything again."
"Don't hesitate to ask, Kiki." Mitsuhide told her determinedly. "We'll help you no matter what."
The two men watched as the normally stoic woman's eyes suddenly went wide. She clenched her fists and bowed her head, and Mitsuhide hurriedly went to her side. To their extreme shock, Kiki's cheeks are now suddenly trailing with silent tears.
That immediately erased any remaining suspicions they have about the situation.
"K-Kiki!" They both exclaimed in astonishment.
"Gomen…" She tried saying with a clear voice but failed miserably. Kiki never cried, yet why is she doing this? They will surely know that something is terribly wrong with her. But she can't help it, all the events in the past few hours had suddenly caught up to her the moment they said those words.
She had originally planned to do everything by herself, but here they are now offering to help her through this. And to think she had tried concealing the truth from them… she knew now that that would have been a mistake.
However, this realization still doesn't change the fact that she had lost her whole family and friends the moment she woke up in this world. The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes. She had lost her whole life. And now she had to live in a new one and pretend that she's someone else entirely. It's no wonder she finally broke down.
But now… she looked up to see both Mitsuhide and Zen's faces clouded with worry and a slight hint of panic. It was strange to see two complete strangers this worried about her, but she knew that it was because they thought she was Kiki. Once again, she felt that faint stab of guilt.
She hopes they will eventually accept this new side of her (as she was bound to show a few changes soon) and sent a silent apology to the real Kiki for inadvertently replacing her, hoping she was well. She was still determined that they need not know the whole truth, but she resolved to be as honest as she can from now on. It's the least she could do for the help they will give her.
"It's okay to cry, Kiki." Mitsuhide's soothing voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. "It's only natural to feel like this after losing something as big as that. Frankly, I don't even know how you managed to last as long as you did. I would have panicked the moment I found out."
"K-Kiki…" Zen still looked shaken at the sight of her crying face. "Don't worry; we'll help you get through this." He said determinedly.
Her eyes widened. She felt oddly touched by their endless concern, but only nodded in the outside. She slowly reached up to wipe off her tears but was cut off by a handkerchief in her face. Mitsuhide was holding it out to her, smiling encouragingly. Thankful, she was about to take it, but changed her mind at the last second, bringing out her own handkerchief. The action caused Mitsuhide to unexpectedly laugh instead of becoming annoyed like she expected him to. Zen also seemed to catch the joke and laughed as well.
"Whatever happens, memory or no, you are still Kiki who doesn't like to accept help from anyone." Mitsuhide was still laughing, but it now sounded slightly hysterical with relief.
"Thank goodness." Zen said in amusement. Kiki had to admit it was funny too.
"So do you want to begin now, or do you want to rest first?" Mitsuhide asked her after he had calmed down. She immediately shook her head at the second option. She had had enough of rest. She has to learn quickly in order to act accordingly in this world. The moment she has learned everything again, then she will begin to start planning what will happen in the future. Especially with the impending arrivals of Shirayuki and Obi.
"I want to begin now. I want to relearn everything as soon as possible." She replied.
Zen seemed to understand, since his face suddenly turned grave. "I see. What would you like to learn first?"
There was no hesitation; she unsheathed her sword partway through. "Let's spar."
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Japanese terms:
Denka - Your Highness
Kata - An individual training exercise for practitioners of martial arts
Gomen - I'm sorry
Hai - Yes
I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Please oh please review or I'll become lazy at updating!
