Wildflowers ~ Chapter I

A pale young prince stood in the center of a lotus-covered pavilion, a book in his hand. He paced the white, wooden floor, violet eyes intently reading from the pages through the lens of his glasses, oblivious to anything else, including his younger sister running up the steps and practically throwing herself on him.

The royal two tumbled over, the book falling out of his white-gloved hand, and sliding across the polished floor. She sat up, shaking a head of short pink hair, before suddenly remembering the cause of the episode. “Brother!”

“Um, yes..?” He asked, blinking profusely while pushing his glasses, which had been knocked askew, back up his nose. As soon as she got off of him, he stood up, dusting himself off, and picked up his book, dusting it off as well.

“They're here, you dolt!” She cried, waving her arms around. “They're here, and they brought dragons! They're about to land in the northern courtyard! With dragons!”

Kanakuri just blinked a few more times, still adjusting his glasses. “But... That hardly seems safe, and I-” She just rolled her eyes, grabbed his wrist, and ran off down the pavilion steps, and across the courtyard, dragging him the entire way. “Woah, wait!”

Yet again, the book fell from his hands, though this time at the feet of a tall, violet-eyed, purple-haired young man. He bent down to pick up the book, and then looked after them for a moment, before calling out after them. “W-wait! Lady Bara, Prince Kanakuri! I'm supposed to be watching you today! You're not supposed to go near the dragons, I-”

“Oh, hell...” He said, exasperated, before running off after them.

Renge sighed softly before peeling his shirt off, and tossing it to the dirt beneath his small, tanned feet. He picked up the basket beside him off the ground once more, and continued to gently yet swiftly pluck deep, purple grapes from their vines, with experienced, nimble fingers, all the while the sun streaming down on him.

“Excuse me-” Came a voice from behind the young boy, who quickly turned on it, his icy blue hair twirling sharply behind him.

“Geez, I'll pick it up later! Just because I'm short doesn't mean- Oh,” Renge frowned, and looked at the golden haired boy before him, a boyish smirk on his pale face. “I thought you were someone else,” he said simply, glaring up at the older boy before turning back to his work. “What do you want?”

The wry grin on the lips of the boy with garnet eyes widened, as he stepped after Renge. “My name is A- it's... Kurei, I'm moving in next door. And you are...?”

Renge stopped, his fingers rested on a grape, the half-full basked balanced against his hip, and turned to Kurei, raising his eyebrows before answering. “Oh... Kay. My name is Renge, and I um... I live here. Well, not right here exactly but... Um... You get what I mean... On the vineyard...”

Kurei only nodded slowly, suppressing his laughter, much to Renge's distaste. He held his hand out, at which Renge offered his own, expecting a handshake. His gray-blue eyes widened exceptionally when Kurei leaned down, and kissed his small hand. He looked up, smirking once more. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“W-wha...” Renge stuttered, his face now completely flushed, jerking his hand out of Kurei's and holding it against his chest like some wounded animal. “W-why did you just do th-that?”

“It's simple, really,” He said, standing up straight, smiling all the while. “Because you're absolutely lovely. Tell me, Renge,” He asked softly, stepping forwards, and pulling Renge into his arms, running his finger's through Renge's hair. “How old are you?”

Renge stiffened in shock, having never been treated quite like this before, his basket falling to the ground, grapes rolling past his feet. “I-I-I... Thirteen!”

“Oh...” Kurei frowned, releasing Renge, who stumbled backwards, still in utterly confused. “How disappointing. Oh, well,” He smiled patting Renge on the head. “I'll be here for a long, long time...”

“W-wait..!” Renge called after him miserably, as he began to walk away down one of the paths of the vineyard fields, his golden hair glinting in the sun. When Kurei didn't answer, and finally faded off into the distance, Renge slumped to his knees, and began to re-gather what was left of the fallen grapes.

A sudden, loud whoosh of air sounded before clawed feet padded onto the stone yard, accompanied by the noise of rushing air from beneath the beating of the dragons' golden -red wings. Atop the most majestic of the small legion of winged creatures sat two princes, each with flaming red hair.

Kanakuri and Bara rushed through an arch in the courtyard just in time to see the dragons land, Kouka close on their heels. All three had different reactions, Kouka unamused, if not the faintest bit annoyed, Bara in silent, though disrespectful awe, and Kanakuri still desperately trying to adjust his glasses.

The taller of the two princes dismounted the dragon gracefully, and then turned to take the smaller boy by the waist, and lift him to the ground. The younger of the two brothers looked around eagerly, before spotting the three to the side.

“Kanakuri!” He cried delightedly, before rushing at the white-haired prince, and throwing his arms around him, knocking his glasses array. “I am so glad to see you!” He squealed, clinging desperately to the other boy.

“Um... Er.. Yes,” Kanakuri said nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose around the long-haired prince. “It's nice to see you too, Kingyosou... Um... Have you seen Bara yet..?” He asked, almost desperately.

“Oh, please,” Bara said, rolling her eyes, before putting her hands on her hips and walking off to the middle of the courtyard to better inspect the dragons, who now crouched rather still, but for the slight moving of their translucent wings with the winds. “Don't try to dump your boyfriend on me, oh, brother of mine!”

“Ah, the lovely Princess Bara!” The older prince said delightedly, still standing near his mount. “A pleasure to see you! And I must say, you've grown quite a bit since last we-”

“Save it, Yuusuge,” She interrupted boredly, squinting at one of the dragons. Yuusuge only smirked, eying the princess.

“But, lady... Why look at the dragons? I've brought you a far more... Fascinating... Gift.” Bara looked up at this, much to the prince's pleasure, as wary as her gaze was. “I give you,” his lips spread into a poisonously sweet smile as he walked around the largest of the dragons, pulling something up from behind it.

Kouka, quite uninterested in watching Kingyosou fawn all over the unwilling prince Kanakuri, had stepped behind Bara at a reasonable distance, to watch her as he had been instructed. The princess was quite known to get into much trouble, not that that currently interested him either. What greatly interested him was what was in the hand of the prince as he walked out from behind the dragon, still smiling.

“My lady, princess,” he said grandly, shimmering electric green strands wrapped around his fingers, “I give you... One of Nuriko's finest. Get up, boy!” He demanded, pulling on the ponytail of the boy -not much younger than himself-, bringing him to his knees.

Again, the three had mixed reactions. Bara only continued to glare, at both the green-haired slave and Yuusuge, Kanakuri looked absolutely shocked from behind Kingyosou, and Kouka... Kouka just stared at the poor young man on his knees before him.

He lifted his head upon another sharp tug from Yuusuge, smiling up at the young princess, his emerald green eyes almost sorrowful. “Hello, my lady. My name is Tsumekuso... I'm your new slave.”

^^;;; Well... Hahaha, this is a side story to Lotus!!! It takes place four years before Lotus does, and gives you a little more of an insight to the characters, their pasts, and their personalities... That does not mean, however, that you have to read Lotus to figure out what's going on in this story...

^^;;; Unlike Lotus, where the main couple focused on is Renge and Kanakuri, this one features just about everyone... :D Mini-sized! ^^;;; And actually... :) Renge most likely wont be a very important character at all.

^^; Hehe, how are my at signs..? lol, I thought I'd try something besides percent signs... ^^ Hahaha. :D They're supposed to look like roses... (Supposed to... --;;;)