For The Love Of Yuri

(For Erika) Heart's Melody & Memory

"I'm sorry. Did I make you wait long?" A familiar voice suddenly said behind Conrad that disrupted his thoughts. It made him stop musing and then he turned to see the person who spoke.

Erika was only wearing simple civilian clothes. A long sleeved white tops with a short sleeved light blue vest, along with a light blue skirt which length was just below her knees. She was wearing a pair of black shoes and had her hair tied up in a ponytail using a white ribbon.

Though she looked so simple, Conrad could not help but to feel amazed and speechless at her elegance regardless of what she was wearing.

But as he continued to stare at her, be frowned when he noticed that the color of her eyes and hair wasn't exactly the usual black.

Erika just smiled at this and touched her hair, which was actually turned dark blue.

"I was actually thinking that I might not be able to enjoy the festival if many people stare at me because of my hair color. I know that having black hair and black eyes in this country is a rarity. That is why I decided to change my hair and eye color magically. I hope you would not mind," she said while looking at him and then gave a faint smile.

He slightly shook his head and then stood up from the bench.

"No, I do not mind." And then he approached her while carrying a cape with him. When he was near her, he gently placed the cape around her and then he smiled. "The wind will be cold tonight, so you should wear this."

Erika was undeniably surprised at this gesture but she managed to hide it with a smile. "Thank you, Conrad."

And with that, the two proceeded to the stable in order to get the horses that they would be riding on to go to the capital.

But unknown to them (at least that was how it went), several pair of eyes had been watching them secretly, all were smiling slyly and some were winking at each other because of that particular scene, knowing where would that lead in the future.

xxxxxx

Shin Makoku's capital...

The celebration of the Moon Festival had just began when Conrad and Erika arrived there. Several items, foods, and other stuff were seen being sold in each booth. The lightings were neatly placed, too. Even the lanterns. And it gave off an amazing fairytale-like scenario for those who really consider this day more special.

And as she continued to observe the town, she noticed that most of the people outside were couples, happily holding each other's hands and seemingly contented to be with the one they loved. She couldn't help but to smile as she watched this.

"They have really found the love that they deserved, huh?" she murmured that made Conrad looked at her skeptically. And after that, she peered at him that caught him off-guard as she gently smiled. "I wish both of us could find that kind of love someday."

But will I be able to find one? Conrad asked himself. With the kind of duties that I have, it will be close to impossible for me to focus on such things. Besides... I think I will only find the love I really deserve if I could be able to find her... And then he mentally sighed.

...which is definitely the most impossible of all.

"Are you alright, Conrad?" He heard Erika that with concerns evident in her voice.

It startled him but even still, he managed to smile and then he slightly nodded. "Yes, I am. Do not mind me."

No, you are not... Erika mentally said to herself but then she thought that the fun would end there even though it had not started yet when she would continue asking him that. But when she was about to get gloomy because of that, she was shocked when Conrad suddenly grabbed her hand and held it tight, as if afraid that she would get lost once he let her go.

"Should we start having fun tonight?" He said. "This is our day off, after all. It is a good opportunity for us to have a day without the restrictions imposed to us because of our individual duties and positions."

And she could not help but to get caught up with Conrad's somehow cool attitude and a "go for it" energy. With that, she nodded and the two of them roamed the town as the people continued to celebrate while having fun and holding each other's hands.

That night was definitely special. With all the foods and the events arranged there, it was definitely made as a night to remember. But for Conrad and Erika, the only thing that made that ocassion special was the presence of each other. They had fun like how a common person would have fun. It was the only night when their positions had been neglected (or to be specific, discarded) even if it was just for once.

And this would probably be the last.

But for now, the two of them were not thinking about that. One thing that they had in mind at that moment was to make as many enjoyable memories as they could. And they wanted every bit of the moments to be worth remembering in the future.

This was for their newly found friendship, after all...

When the two of them arrived at the central part of the town where a large fountain was located, there was a band playing a sweet song as several couples danced around the fountain. Those couples really did look happy and in love. And when she looked at the sky, the moon was in full shape.

"A part of the Moon Festival is the tradition about the Moon Dance," Conrad said, breaking the silence between them.

"Moon Dance?"

Conrad nodded slightly and then he stared at the couples dancing. "They said that if you are able to dance with the one you like at the exact time the moon was in full shape and it was reflecting on that fountain, you will be together with that person forever. Or at least that was how the legend goes. There was once a legend that had happened half a millenium before this country was found and established on how the Moon Festival had actually started. Whenever the moon was in full shape, a mysterious maiden would usually appear at this exact spot where the fountain was built. One night, a young man inadvertently witnessed her while she was dancing here. That man fell in love with her at that instant and asked her to dance. Many people, particularly scholars, had said that their dance under the radiant full moon becane a symbol of their true love and the maiden wished with all of her heart that she wanted to be with the man she had ever loved the most for all eternity."

"Did they end up together?" She asked.

"According to the legend, they did." And then Conrad smiled before facing Erika who was standing beside him. "Can I ask you to dance?" He asked with a gentle smile plastered on his face.

Though she looked at him in bewilderment, she just smiled and gently nodded. "I would love to," she replied.

And with that, Conrad led Erika to the dance floor just as a new sweet and slow melody was starting to play courtesy of the band commissioned to perform for that festival. Then they started dancing.

"You sure know how to dance splendidly, huh?" Erika commented with a giggle. It made him blush slightly.

"My mother taught me how," he answered. "Just in case I will be needing it, she once said."

The moon was in bright full shape and several people were currently witnessing that interesting scene between the two.

When the music had ended, so were the couples dancing. They bowed to each other and Conrad approached Erika.

"Thank you, Conrad. I really enjoyed this," she said.

"Me, too," Conrad replied with a smile and then he laid his hand in front of her. "Do you want to go someplace quiet?"

She thought about it for some seconds before speaking. "Do you have some place in mind that you would want to go?"

He laughed and then nodded.

That was when she took Conrad's hand and then smiled sweetly. "Then let's go. You are my tour guide, after all."

xxxxxx

"This place is beautiful!" Erika exclaimed as she looked around the place where Conrad had taken her.

It was actually a forest in lush green sprouting on a seaside cliff where the moon shone in the night.

This was one place where someone could definitely feel peace whenever they laid their sight on it.

"Do you like it?" Conrad asked her.

Erika nodded. And then she smiled... a geniune smile of being grateful. "Thank you, Conrad, for bringing me here. But why exactly did you bring me here?"

Conrad sighed and then looked at the sea where the moon was reflected. "It is so that you could make a wish on the moon about finding the person meant for you."

That statement made her stare at him. And then she, too, looked at the sea. "Conrad, will it be okay if I ask you something?"

He glanced at her. "About what?"

"How far will you actually go for the sake of the one you love?" She asked that rendered him quite shocked. But then he maintained his composure and then answered her question.

"As long as I believe that we were meant to be together, I am willing to do almost anything for her and love her against all the odds that the world has ever offered," he said while smiling.

"Are you even willing to accept everything about her, no matter who or what she is or where she came from? Even if there were many people who believe that love against all odds only exists in fiction now?"

He nodded. "Yes, I will. That is why it is called love against all odds. It still exists. I know it. Not just in fiction but in real life, too. Two people from different worlds can be together, right? Even if they have racial differences... as long as they truly love each other."

"Just like the saying 'love knows no boundaries'. Am I right?" He just smiled in response to that.

After that, Erika gently bowed her head facing the moon on the sea before closing her eyes and clasping her hands.

Powers of the silver moon that grants the wishes of those who believes in your magic, please hear my prayer, Erika thoughtfully prayed. Conrad just continued watching her. And then, afterwards, he did the same as her. He bowed his head, closed his eyes and prayed as he faced the moon.

Please let me meet the person entrusted by my destiny for me to love for the rest of my life. Let me have a life where I won’t feel this seemingly endless sadness anymore, she wished with all of her heart.

Right now, all I could ever wish for is for me to know my real place in her heart. And please let me find the one person that I will always love and cherish for the rest of my life. Conrad, on the other hand, had wished this on the moon.

But unknown to the two of them, the reflection of the moon on the sea emitted a radiant glow. It only lasted for a few seconds before returning to its original state.

When the two opened their eyes, they just stared at each other after that and smiled. Conrad decided to sit on a boulder near the tree that was planted a few meters away from the cliff. But Erika was just standing there, near the cliff, still looking at the moon. And he found it quite worrying.

"Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" He asked.

Erika, however, seemed that she had not heard him. That was why he decided not to ask anymore. She might be thinking some stuff again, since he could somehow sense that she was beginning to get sad again.

"Say, Conrad..." After a long while of silence between them, Erika suddenly spoke. "Would you like to hear the song?"

"The song?"

She slightly nodded after facing him. She was still standing near the edge of the cliff. "That's right. The song that you heard from me, the one that I sang this morning."

Conrad, though quite surprised, was pleased. "You mean you want me to hear you sing the complete song?"

"Yes..."

"Then... please..." he said.

Erika gently smiled and then she closed her eyes as she clasped her hands once more, facing the moon, as well. And then she began to sing:

Release me from this mysterious waiting

The stars are falling; the wind is blowing

Finally, I can hold you in my arms

Two hearts beating together

Believe me that my heart is never changing

Waiting a thousand years

You have my promise

Despite many winters, I never let you go

Close your eyes and tightly grab my hands

Please recall the past ー the days we were in love

We loved each other too much

It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you"...

There was something about that song that Conrad could feel. That song... somehow had a hidden story behind it...

More like a tale of love during a past life...

A tale of love that Erika somehow witnessed before...

...or probably had experienced.

Every night my heart aches

I never stop thinking of you

I am used to being alone for such a long time

And I faced it with a smile

Believe me, I choose to wait

Even though it is painful, I would not leave

Only your tenderness can save me from this endless cold...

A tale of a past love that never bore fruit... Conrad thought as he kept on listening to Erika's song. And yet they are still willing to wait for each other no matter how long it will take...

Close your eyes and tightly grab my hands

Please recall the past ー the days we were in love

We loved each other too much

It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you"...

But unknown to the man behind her, Erika was beginning to see images inside her head...

Images that she felt she had witnessed a long time ago...

And what was surprising, she could see images with Conrad in it!

Let love be a blossoming flower in our hearts

We can pass through time, never bowing our hearts

And never giving up our dream...

Images of a brutal war... bloodshed that had once torn two races apart...

She could see Conrad slowly dying because of a severe wound, but she couldn't do anything...

We loved each other too much

That is the source of our pain

It is sorrowful that we can't even say "I love you"...

And without her knowing it, her tears streaked down her face... hard.

Let love be a blossoming flower in our hearts

We can pass through time, never bowing our hearts

And never giving up our dream...

Why? Why could she see images like that when she could not even remember being there?

We never forget our promise...

But having a vision of those images, she was pretty sure about one thing that she suddenly felt inside of her.

She would never let Conrad face that kind of life-threatening danger again...

Only true love follows us as we pass through time...

...because she does not want to feel endless sadness that would surely drive her insane.

We can't even say "I love you"...

...because she was now sure that Conrad had already occupied a special place in her heart.

And he became someone that she really cared about.

The love we have in our hearts is the only never-changing myth...

The song had just ended and the night wind blew forth softly. And then she turned around, only to be surprised to see Conrad standing right in front of her. That was when she realized that she must have approached her just before the song has ended.

"Conrad..." she muttered.

He did not say anything, though.

But then her eyes widened when he lifted his hand and gently wiped the tears that streaked down her cheeks. And then subconsciously, she touched the hand that was now touching her cheeks.

"I really hate seeing you cry like this..." he whispered.

Those words had definitely surprised her, and she was even more convinced that what he just said was true when Conrad pulled her to him and gently embraced her, as if wanting her to know that there was no reason for her to cry...

"I will always be here for you... Erika..." he said as he hugged her tight and gently at the same time. "So please do not cry..." Because right now, you truly mean so much to me... he added in his thoughts.

"Conrad..." And that was all that it took for the negative emotions creeping inside of her to finally melt.

And the radiant light of the moon and the sparkles of the stars became the witness of that unforgettable scene...

A scene that would forever change the fate of two destined hearts...