Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Kisses: Arc and Yucie ❯ Seeing Red ( Chapter 15 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Title: “Seeing Red”
Author: Wish Wielder
Pairing: Arc/Yucie
Fandom: Puchi Puri Yucie
Theme: #19 (red)
Disclaimer: “Puchi Puri Yucie” and all respective properties are © Masahiko Otsuka. Meg “tN!!” D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own “Puchi Puri Yucie.”

“Seeing Red”

Arc had never truly seen red before. He had been angry, yes, and he had even been down-right furious, but nothing had even enraged him so much that he actually saw red.
Until now.
His grip tightened on the man’s collar, and he held him a little higher. The man was staring back at him through steely eyes, a cocky grin on his face. He wasn’t even scared of him; did the bastard have any idea what he could do to him? To his side, Gurenda was comforting a sobbing Kokoru, and Frederik was scowling at the man he was dangling. When she wasn’t offering words of solace to her distraught friend, Gurenda was shooting venomous glares at the man, as well. He briefly wondered if the man realized just how dead he was.
“What did you do to her?” he finally asked, his voice strained. It took all he had not to shred the man right then and there.
“She got in my way - stuck her nose where it didn’t belong. Sos I taught her a lesson,” the man said. His grin turned a tinge more malicious. “Serves ‘er right, too, damn bitch. None of her business what I -”
“She was trying to save that poor kid!” Gurenda shouted. “You had no right to beat either of them! I’m a demon, and I even know that!”
“Do you have any idea why they took you to the palace?” Arc asked, looking back at the man. The man shrugged, albeit difficultly, and shook his head.
“Figgered she worked here or summin’,” he said. “Servant girl. Won’t be missed.”
“You bastard!” Arc shouted as he shook him. “That girl in there - Yucie - is the Platina Princess! And in a month, she’ll be my wife!”
“A princess marrying a guard? How -”
“I’m the prince of this country,” Arc hissed, his eyes narrowing. The man’s eyes widened, and for the first time since he had arrived Arc noticed a twinge of fear enter his gaze. “I -”
“Aero! What on earth are you doing?! Unhand that man!”
Arc’s head snapped to the side to see his mother standing before the door. She looked appalled, and though Frederik tried to explain the situation, she would not let him. Arc shook his head and prepared to answer, yet before he could the doctor emerged from the adjoined room. He looked at him, his face anxious.
“Doctor?” Gurenda asked, standing. The old man sighed and shook his head.
“She’s resting now,” he said. He gave the prince an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, highness. I’ve done all I can, but the damage…I’m afraid it’s up to her now.”
“Can we see her?“ Kokoru asked nervously. The doctor smiled softly at her.
“She needs her rest,” he said. “However, I will allow one in at a time, as long as you’re quiet.” Arc’s grip had loosened considerably on the man’s collar. His face was pale, his eyes wide, and he looked like he would vomit any minute. Erlsel looked at him, confusion filling her blue eyes.
“A-Aero, what’s -”
The man shoved Arc away, determined to have one last break for it. Before he could even move a step, though, Arc had captured his neck in an iron-fisted grip. He slammed him against the wall, crushing his windpipe. The man gasped for air, clawing at Arc’s unrelenting hand, yet he froze when he saw the prince’s narrowed glare. At that moment, the peasant honestly believed he was looking into the eyes of the devil himself.
“If she doesn’t make it, I swear to God I will kill you myself,” Arc hissed, his voice possessed of an unnatural calm and determination. “And even if she does, I’ll still probably kill you just for doing this to her.”
“You don’t have the -” the man tried to gasp, yet Arc cut him off.
“The power? Yes, I do,” he said. “Remember, I’m the prince, and even if I wasn’t, there’re a lot of people that care deeply for that girl. They’ll let me.” He dropped the man, cocking his fist back to deliver a powerful blow that forced the wind right out of him. The man fell to the ground, wheezing and bloody, and Arc turned to look at Frederik and Gurenda. “Frederik, take him to the dungeon. Gurenda, explain everything to my mother. I need to see Yucie.”
“Right,” Gurenda said as Frederik grabbed the man’s collar and began dragging him from the room. He ignored the sobbing protests and howls of pain; as his prince had said, he cared a great deal for Lady Yucie, and he had no sympathy on this beast that had harmed her so.
Arc followed the doctor into the room, but he froze when he saw Yucie lying so still on the bed. Breathing became impossible, and could feel his whole body tremble. The doctor frowned sympathetically at the young man and put a hand on his shoulder.
“She’s sleeping, highness,” he said, “that’s all.”
Arc nodded mutely and walked over to her, sitting in the chair by her bedside. He reached out and brushed some stray hair from her bruised face, and he winced as his hand brushed against a particularly nasty purple welt on her cheek. He took her hand in his own and watched her, praying that she’d pull through. He was terrified to ask, but he knew he had to, so a moment later he spoke, catching the doctor’s attention.
“W-what did…how bad…” he tried, yet he found himself unable to finish the simple question. Honestly, how hard was it to ask what the damage report was? The doctor sighed and nodded, understanding.
“Some broken ribs,” he started. “A few bruises - most of them not as serious as that one on her face. Lots of cuts, some internal stuff…I don’t want to go into too much detail, sir. It’s not -”
“I understand,” Arc said. He leaned his head down, pressing his forehead to her pale knuckles. “Oh, God…why wasn’t I there? I’m supposed to keep her safe, damn it!”
“There was nothing you could have done, highness,” the doctor tried. Arc shook his head.
“I should have done something,” he said. The red that had been fleeing his vision began to return, clouding his mind in a train of irrational thought. “I promised Sir Gunberd I would keep her safe, and look at her! She’s -”
“She will be fine, Prince!” the doctor said. Arc looked at him.
“But you said -”
“I know what I said, and I meant it,” the elderly man said. He looked at Yucie, a frown on his face. “The damage is extensive, but I’ve come to know this child fairly well in the months since the princess selection. If anyone can pull through this, she can. On a side note…”
“Doctor?” Arc asked, looking at him in confusion. The old man smiled at him.
“I hope you do gut the bastard, if I may say so,” he said. Arc couldn’t help it; he leaned forward, laughing heartily at the doctor’s comment. He nodded, and was opening his mouth to reply when he heard it: the faint whisper of his name, coming from the supposedly sleeping girl next to him. He turned quickly, watching as Yucie forced her eyes open. They were drooped and unfocused, and one wouldn’t open at all because of the swelling. He leaned forward, gently brushing her hair out of her face.
“I’m here, Yucie,” he said. She turned her head slightly, yet she winced at the effort and closed her clear eye, gasping for breath at the shooting pains that raced throughout her body.
“W-what…happened?” she asked quietly. “I-I…the boy…”
“He’s fine, Yucie,” Arc said. “Please, don’t talk. You need to save your strength.”
“F-fine? I’m glad,” she whispered. She sank back farther into the mattress, groaning. “So tired…”
“Then sleep,” he said. He kissed her hand, frowning deeply at the pained look on her face. It ripped out his heart, seeing her like this. He should have been there; it was his job to protect her. He should have been there.
“C-can’t,” she whispered. “Scared.”
“I’ll be right here with you, Yucie,” he said. “You have nothing to be scared of.”
“N-no,” she said, just as quietly. “Scared of leaving.”
“I said I wouldn’t -” he started, confusion filling his face at her words.
“I-I don’t want to l-leave, Arc,” she whispered. “I-I don’t want to leave y-you a-acci-accidental…ly…”
He bit his lip, silenced by her terrified words. He gripped her hand, fear sinking into his aqua eyes.
“Then don’t,” he said firmly. “Fight it, Yucie. I’ll keep you anchored. Just hold on, please…please hold on…”
“Y-you’re crying,” she said, her eyebrows furrowing. He laughed bitterly.
“Of course I am, idiot,” he said. “You’re hurt. You expect me to be dancing?”
“I don’t like you c-crying,” she said. He leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Rest, Forehead,” he said. “I promise I‘ll still be here when you wake up. I‘m never leaving you again.”
She nodded weakly and settled back into the blankets, a small smile on her face; it wasn’t long before she was asleep. The doctor put a hand on Arc’s shoulder, but he didn’t look up at him.
“You can stay with her tonight, if you wish,” he said. “I’m sure the others will understand.”
“Thank you,” Arc said. The doctor shook his head.
“Don’t thank me,” he said. “I just think it will be better for her if you do. Like you said, highness: you have to anchor her.”
Arc gave him a weak smile and nodded. He turned back to Yucie as the doctor walked out of the room; he assumed the man was going to tell the others more details on Yucie’s condition. He folded his arms on the bed next to her, his hand still possessively clutching her own, and laid his head down. He looked at Yucie’s sleeping face and frowned.
‘You better stay with me, Yucie,’ he thought. ‘I don’t think I could handle loosing you again…’
Now, there were many times in Yucie’s life that had caused her to see red. However, this one was topping the charts as one of the worst.
A month later, life was, for the most part, back to normal. Her attacker had been executed (much to her friends’ relief, yet the thought made her queasy), she was healed, and she was married. She was currently standing next to Arc before their wedding cake, where they were supposed to do the traditional ‘you feed me, I’ll feed you’ thing. Arc was doubled over laughing, as were the portion of their guests that were close friends or family of theirs. The people who were basically just there for political show, however, were muttering over the prince’s uncouth actions.
Yucie stood, clad in a beautiful gown, her hair tied back in an elaborate set of curls and pins, with yellow cake dripping down her obnoxiously large forehead. She forced a smile and took a napkin, wiping the sticky substance away. Without a word, she took the piece of cake she had set aside to give him and slammed it onto his forehead, smearing it into his otherwise shiny, clean hair. He stopped laughing, blinking at her in astonishment while the laughter around them increased tenfold. He could hear Gurenda shouting: “You go, brat! Show him who’s boss!” He grinned and caught his new wife about the waist, pulling her close to him.
“Well, Forehead, I didn’t know you had it in you,” he said. She smirked at him.
“I learned from the best,” she said. He laughed again, shaking his head at her reply. He leaned down, giving her a brief kiss that tasted of icing.
“You’re cleaning it,” he said. He wiped a blob of icing off her nose and licked his finger, grinning. He then looked at the group around them. “That’s a pretty good cake. You all might want to try some.”
Off to the side, Erlsel sighed and placed her head in her palm while more laughter burst from the crowd.
“I doubt my son will ever grow up,” she said. Gunberd, who was standing next to her, chuckled.
“At least they’re happy,” he said.
“Yes,” Erlsel said, nodding. “At least they’re happy.”
After everyone had their cake, Arc sat under a tree with Yucie on his lap. She had a small bowl of water and some towels next to her, and she was busy cleaning his hair. He couldn’t help but grin at her.
“I told you you’d be cleaning it,” he said.
“You started it,” she huffed.
“Only ‘cause I love teasing you,” he replied. She rolled her eyes and scrubbed out the last little bit of frosting.
“There, done,” she said. He took the towel from her, rinsed it in the bowl, and began wiping off her forehead.
“Now let’s take care of you,” he said.
“I already got it,” she said.
“Not all of it,” he told her. He smiled at her. “Besides, it’s my job to take care of you now. That includes keeping cake off that large forehead of yours.”
“But you were the one who…hey!” she cried. A tiny bit of red once again seeped into her vision, yet it was swept away by the wave of emotion that overcame her when he pulled her close, crashing his lips against her own in a passionate kiss. She melted against him, marveling at how he always made her swoon. He pulled away a moment later, and her words completely failed her.
“I love you, Yucie,” he said. He put a hand against her ribs, smiling softly at her. “Thanks for not leaving me behind again.”
“I’m never going to leave you, Arc,” she said, realizing what he was talking about. She took his hand in her own and placed it against her heart. “As long as you hold this, I’ll never be able to leave you.”
He smiled and pulled her back against him, once again sweeping her up in a mind-numbing kiss.
‘Then I’m never letting go,’ he thought, brushing his thumb over the exposed skin that covered her heart. She shivered in his arms, and he deepened the kiss. ‘I’m never, ever letting go.’

owari

a.n.: A wee bit lost on how to do “red”, and then the image of Arc beating some guy into a bloody pulp came into my head. AND! I said I’d never kill her again, and I didn’t! Happy ending, see? SEE??? (Shii-chanchick, please don’t kill me! -cowers-)

Fun little side note: I just noticed another PM characteristic PPY follows. Y’know the whole “character from a previous game shows up” thing? Magazerent is Maria (PM1)! Was looking through KitKat’s Princess Maker Corner earlier, and I just noticed it. -sweatdrop-

ALSO! Anyone notice the change in the disclaimer? Yes, I finally found the name of the woman who made PPY! =3 Ok…enough rambling from me.

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don’t flame. If you can’t say your CC without flaming, don’t bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az’s bonfire for the yummy s’mores.