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.

"W-What do you mean by that, Shirayuki?" Zen asked, a troubled and shocked look washed over his face; he hoped that he had heard her words wrong.

"Four days ago, the Chief Court Pharmacist proposed to have me and Ryuu be transferred to Wilant Castle," Shirayuki explained. "Before we go to Wilant, we would train in Lyrias for one to two years and after that, we would be transferred. The Chief Court Pharmacist allowed us to make the final decision and I have until tomorrow to decide."

Everyone listened in shock at Shirayuki's words.

"So that means," Mitsuhide said, a sweat-drop forming. "Shirayuki's not going to be in Wistal Castle anymore?"

"Nor is little Ryuu," Obi added.

Zen clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he looked to Obi. "Obi!" he yelled. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

Obi narrowed his eyes, a serious and menacing glint reflecting off his orbs. "It isn't my position to tell you guys nor do I have the right to. This concerns Miss's decision and she should be the one to decide whether or not to tell you guys."

"I know," Zen muttered through gritted teeth. "But still-!"

"Obi's right," Kiki interfered. "Shirayuki should be the one to tell us and not him."

Zen stared at Kiki with those agonizing and tormenting sapphire blue eyes of his. He looked down, his pure white hair shadowing his eyes. He balled his fists as he wandered around in his own thoughts. Obi was right. He was right but even so, he was angry. He didn't know whether it was because Shirayuki was leaving or that Obi was the first one to know and not him.

"Zen," Shirayuki's soft voice broke through his mind.

He looked at her and widened his eyes at the look in her eyes. He could tell that she was aching inside, an expression that he had never seen before. 

"Shirayuki," he said. "Is this your decision?"

Shirayuki looked down to the ground before lifting her head proudly and looking directly into his eyes. "Yes."

"Why?" he begged to know. "I know you've always wanted to be a pharmacist and have your own desires and dreams but...I thought that you wanted to walk the same path as everyone else. The same path as me."

Shirayuki understood what it was that he couldn't reason with and it seemed that he had misunderstood the words that she had told him a year ago. She stared at the young white-haired prince in the eyes with no sorrow whatsoever.

"I want to become someone that you can rely on and someone who can support you," she said. "Since the very beginning, I wanted to walk side by side with you and everyone else and be someone that you guys can proudly say is your friend. That wish of mine has never changed since the beginning."

"Then-!" Zen shouted.

"But I never said that I would walk along the same path as everyone else," Shirayuki said, putting Zen at a loss for words. "Zen, people are born into this world with a path set out for them but it all depends on that one person's decision to change that course."

Zen furrowed his eyebrows. "Then you can choose to stay here."

Shirayuki shook her head. "I've decided to take a different road to achieve what I want, Zen. Even if this path is a road that will lead me away from you guys, I'm sure that one day or another, our paths will intertwine again."

Mitsuhide and Kiki looked at one another and smiled at the words she had said a year ago as well as her current words; she hadn't changed a single bit since then. Though Obi hadn't been there to hear it, he knew that that was the desire that she strived for and was what motivated her each day to rise. The three aides to the Second Prince of Clarines knew what she was hinting at and understood her firm intention to leave now. She wanted to grow more, to learn more, to see more; and the only way to do that was to leave Wistal. Even though she was choosing a different path, she was still looking toward a future with them.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Zen hindered their thoughts.

Shirayuki scratched her cheek a bit with her finger, thinking about it long and hard before grinning. "Because we're friends!"

Those were the lines that they knew she would utter. 

"Red is the color of fate and it was this hair of mine that brought us together, whether it be directly or indirectly," Shirayuki fiddled with her hair and set her eyes on Obi, a smile perched on her luscious lips. "We're friends and the red strings of fate have already bound us together. That's why I'm sure we'll meet again!"

Kiki's lips settled into a smile as she walked up to Shirayuki with an assured face. "Shirayuki," she said. "Go to Wilant. I speak this not as an aide but as a fellow friend: go chase the dream that you so wish to have."

Shirayuki widened her eyes, her emerald green eyes shining. Kiki understood her desire more than anyone else. She, who had left the noble house of Seiran to become a knight, went through the same things as Shirayuki. Her path diverged from those that she had been with since young but even so, she remained connected to them and in the end, the path she chose led her to more friends and companions than she had ever thought she would get. Shirayuki nodded her head in gratefulness and Kiki smiled in genuine delight. Shirayuki was enamored by that smile and felt a slow blush rising to her cheeks.

"Shirayuki," Mitsuhide called out.

Shirayuki turned to him and he held out a thumbs-up. "I'm supporting you! Do what you want to do without leaving behind regret!"

"En!" she nodded her head in delight before turning her attention back to Zen.

Zen was silent and the four of them all looked at him, waiting for his response. Out of the three, Shirayuki valued Zen's opinion the most. He was the sole reason why she had entered the castle as well as the person that she had first befriended. Everything that she had done until now was so that Zen wouldn't feel ashamed of having her as a friend. Zen slowly lifted his head, his sapphire blue eyes - which held a melancholy yet inclined look within them - met Shirayuki's and a slow smile spread across his lips.

"Very well," he said, giving his support to her as her face lit up in joy. "Shirayuki, as your friend, I support your decision to go to Wilant."

"Zen," she breathed.

"But promise me one thing," he said, taking her slim and calloused hand gently. "You'll come back to Wistal one day. Back to where we all are, where I am. We'll always be waiting here for your return," he said and kissed the back of her hand.

Shirayuki, unfazed by his action, beamed brightly and nodded her head. The problem that she had been toiling over had finally been dealt with and she was freed from the agony that chained her. Her shoulders felt, all of sudden, much lighter and the world around her seemed much brighter than before. 

Obi's laugh lifted the silence, his voice cheery. "For once, Master says something cool."

"Hey, Obi!" Zen glared. "What's that supposed to mean?

"I have to agree with Obi this time," Mitsuhide nodded his head.

Kiki chuckled. "Same here."

"Mitsuhide! Kiki!" Zen shouted in disbelief. 

Shirayuki laughed to herself at seeing Zen back to his noisy self and Mitsuhide, Kiki, and Obi being the joyful and lighthearted people that they were. She watched on and before she knew it, she had unconsciously settled her eyes on Obi. The latter caught her stare and stared back with a grin.

She smiled and mouthed, "Thank you."

To which he replied. "You're welcome."

Once again, she laughed. Their reaction just now reminded her of the time not long ago where Obi had also helped her out with a certain problem. She softened the corner of her eyes and lips and stared pensively at an undefined corner of the room. The way the wind rustled the leaves of the aged and young trees, the sparrows that constantly chirped at her bedroom window, the friendly voices that called out to her, the earthly smell that accompanied her...she was going to miss it all. How much she wished that she could bring a companion, a friend, with her along to Lyrias and Wilant. 

"Oh!" Mitsuhide's voice broke through her thoughts. "It's already this late."

"It's because you talked too much," Kiki remarked without batting a single eye at him.

"Kiki!" Mitsuhide said in shock. 

"Yeah, you do say too much!" Zen laughed as he held his stomach.

Obi burst out into laughter. "Kiki-san sure got you there. As expected of partners!"

Mitsuhide watched the two of them with a sweat-drop forming on his face. He looked at the two men who were rolling and dying in laughter while Kiki just watched them with a nonchalant expression. He didn't understand what was so amusing about it.

"Sorry, Shirayuki," Mitsuhide walked over to her, deciding that calling out the two would do no good. "For keeping you this long. Shall I escort you back to the medicinal wing?

"Huh?" Shirayuki blinked up at him before waving her hands frantically in front of her with an embarrassed look. "No need to, Mitsuhide-san. I can get back just fine."

"Are you sure?" he looked at her in doubt.

"I'm sure, I'm sure," she reassured him. "The medicinal wing is only a few minutes walk away and besides," she looked at them all, the faint outline of dark shadows under their eyes. "You guys look pretty tired."

"I'm not," Zen interrupted. "I can walk you back."

"There's no need to! Really!" Shirayuki objected, not wanting to cause him any trouble.

"Zen, you should rest," Kiki agreed. "You pulled an all-nighter the previous night. Get some sleep. Otherwise, we'll all get in trouble."

A sweat drop appeared on Obi's face. "Prince Izana is a frightening man all right."

"But..." Zen narrowed his eyes before looking at Shirayuki straight on. "It's decided. I'm walking you back."

"H-Huh?!" Shirayuki widened her eyes.

She flustered about as Zen walked over to her, ready to leave his office and send Shirayuki back to her room. Just as Zen was about to pull her by her wrist and pull her along, a sharp voice stopped Zen in his tracks. It was Mitsuhide.

"Zen," he sternly said. 

Zen turned around and looked at Mitsuhide with distaste on his face. He knew that he shouldn't be doing this since rumors would start going around in the palace again. Not only would that cause him and his aides trouble, it would also cause Shirayuki the same trouble. Mitsuhide was telling him to be aware of his own position as a Prince of Clarines and not to cause unnecessary attention and trouble. After all, his actions greatly affect those around him.

"Zen, I can go back on my own."

Shirayuki stepped away from him, bringing her hand back to her side. Zen watched at the hand he was about to hold slowly get farther away from him. He could make out the faint red strands of her hair moving away from him and wanted to desperately hold onto that. She was going somewhere far away; far away to place where he couldn't reach.

"Master," Obi's voice broke through. "I'll take Miss back."

Zen watched him make his way to Shirayuki's side and stood by her with a warmth he hadn't seen before reflected in his eyes. Shirayuki, too, had a look in her eyes that he had not once seen before when she was with him. Contrary to Shirayuki's reaction with Zen, her reaction to Obi was completely different. She didn't fluster or reject his proposal to escort her back.

"Then we'll be going now," Shirayuki excused herself with a smile. 

"See you later, Master," Obi waved with a grin.

Before they exited the door, Zen saw the smile that the two exchanged with one another. It was full of tenderness, warmth, and most of all, affection. Obi's golden eyes and Shirayuki's emerald green ones shone with life and Zen was utterly baffled. An unsettling emotion churned in his heart and he wanted to chase after the two but couldn't. He was chained to the ground, unable to move.

At times like this, I wish that I wasn't a prince, he thought.

But, Shirayuki would hate him if he said that thought aloud. He turned around and it wasn't until a little while later that he would regret his actions. He would regret not chasing after her and holding onto her when he could have done it.

Meanwhile~

"Sorry, Obi," Shirayuki apologized with a nervous laugh. "To have you walk me back."

"It's nothing, Miss," he laughed his usual cheery laugh. "As your guard, it's my duty to escort you back. Especially when it's this late at night. You wouldn't know when a kidnapper might pop out," he hung his hands in front of him and made a weird face, mimicking the face of a stereotypical evil-doer.

Shirayuki laughed at his poor attempt. "There's guards placed around the castle. A kidnapper wouldn't get in so easily."

"The world is full of surprises, Miss," he commented with a laugh. Just like how your existence was a complete surprise.

The two walked on with mostly Obi chatting away. He wanted to do more, speak more, to make up for the times that he can't in the future. He wanted to indulge himself in her sweet voice, her light and airy laugh, the brilliance of her emerald eyes, the flush of her cheeks, the corners of her lips when they curled up into a smile, and her bright red apple hair. There was a tinge of pain in his eyes as he thought about the day she was to leave for Lyrias but nevertheless, covered it up with a grinning mask.

In the back of Shirayuki's head, she was thinking about his words. As your guard, it's my duty to escort you. She wondered, if it wasn't his duty binding him to be with her, would he still be by her side? She looked at Obi and took in his laugh, the tiny scar right above his left eye, how slim yet muscular he was, and the way he stared straight at her with those golden hazel orbs of his. She felt tears beginning to rise within her and looked away.

"Thank you, Obi," she turned around and gave him a bright smile.

"No problem, Miss," he smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow" she waved before hurrying inside the building and shutting the door to her room. 

The two furrowed their eyebrows and clenched their fists, staring up above them. They wondered how much longer they would be able to say those three words of "see you tomorrow" to one another.