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The White Kingdom was bright… way too bright for Momo’s eyesight. He adjusted his top hat so it could cover his eyes better. The sky was too blue, without any clouds to protect the citizens from the sunlight and even worse… Every little house and the castle approaching were white with silver details, everyone was wearing light clothes, making anyone not used to it, teary eyed with the gleam. How could they live like this!? The Black King thought with himself.
“I told you that I could go meet Yuki by myself,” Ban, a Gray Knight (why even his Armor was so shining!? Momo thought), sighed. “It would be easier for him to go to the Black Area or if you went here during twilight.” The only time the White Kingdom had anything resembling a night time was during dusk, the complete opposite of the Night Kingdom in which the daytime was only during what was considered a brief dawn.
“It’s fine, we need to meet each other one way or another.” He rubbed off the tears of his eyes. He should have at least brought a parasol.
“If you say so.” Momo could bet Ban was smiling with the sight of his stubbornness. “This way, my lord”. He could hear the gates being open and the trumpets being played by the Pawns, announcing their arrival.
The Black King followed the sound of metal that the armor of Ban was making. He still was looking down, to avoid the sunlight that peeked through the glass windows. Even inside the castle, everything seemed too white so he constantly looked back at his feet, following Ban via noise and his shadow.
Another trumpet.
Momo stopped and saw through his peripheral vision Ban getting on his knees and did the same. It was weird showing this much respect and not the other way around, as he is used to.
“The White King welcomes you all!” The trumpet player shouts.
Momo, with his eyes half closed, stood up and tried to look up, following Ban’s movement.
It was the first time Momo was seeing the White King in the flesh. It was public knowledge that he was beautiful but none of the paintings in the newspapers could capture how majestic and angelic Yuki was even with his cold stare, indecipherable. The Black King’s face felt hot but did his best to have a neutral expression.
“What do you want?” Even his voice is angelic? That’s not fair! Momo’s thoughts screamed in his head. He clears his throat, worried about how his voice would sound.
“Greetings, I’m the Black King, Sunohara Momose. Your highness can call me Momo.”
No answer. The White King still had a poker face, looking only to Ban, who was his friend. Momo wanted to gulp and fidget his fingers but contained himself. He recycled in his head the most precise way to say what was his speech:
“I’m here to propose a deal. I want to reunite the White and Black Kingdom. The civil war happened eons ago, for a motive that doesn’t matter nowadays, so much so that we don’t fight for generations. In that way, we could help each other with our strengths and make the Gray Area more peaceful as well with our guidance, with better deals. What do you think? Would you officially make a Peace Treaty with my Kingdom?”
He eagerly waited for an answer. Finally, Yuki spoke, looking at Ban and ignoring Momo.
“Ban, that’s why you wanted me here? This could have been done via letters.”
Oh no, he didn’t like the proposal… What if we went to battle because of this?
“Yuki, Momo’s idea would help everyone. I think it’s more important to have this meeting in person.”
“If you say so…” He said sarcastically. Momo’s legs felt weak as Yuki was moving backstage, clearly ending the meeting. He had to say something!
“W-wait!”
Yuki stopped midway and looked back, stunned.
“What is it?”
“You didn’t answer my proposal! The Peace Treaty would help us all, I need you in this project. I insist.” Momo’s words surprisingly sounded firm. Yuki widened his gray eyes.
“I suppose I did not… Very well, I agree that it would be beneficial for both of our nations and the Gray Area too. Bring the accord as soon as you can so we can sign all agreements.”
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“I think you went well!” Ban patted Momo’s back, having a huge smile on his face. Momo wished he was as cheery and confident as his friend.
“My stomach doesn’t agree with it…” He sighed and rubbed between his eyes, still feeling nauseous. Ban laughed and pat Momo’s back again.
“Yuki is like that, don’t worry. If he really didn't like you, he would make it clear, trust me. Anyway, you should go back to your home and prepare for the next time you come back to the White Kingdom. I won’t be there, you know?”
Momo was well aware that this was a rare occurrence, Ban being free to help with the Peace Treaty. The Black King was expecting a lot of things by trying to achieve peace: frustration if there were harsh arguments, relief. But being fascinated and flustered by the White King? That wasn't in his list of possible reactions. He reenacted his speech and tried to predict what answers he would receive so could create arguments for it.
Momo’s heart pounded when he remembered the White King’s gray cold eyes.
“Are you alright? You’re red, are you still feeling sick?”
“N-no! I’m okay. Thank you for everything, Ban. If it wasn’t for you, Yuki wouldn’t agree to have a meeting with me if it wasn’t for you.”
“My pleasure. This Peace Treaty would be my dream come true.”
Momo knew that. Partially, he got this dream through Ban, when they started being friends after the Knight made so many trade deals with the Black Kingdom. Even though he was technically a rogue soldier, Ban was a very peaceful fellow and would always compliment the White King, making Momo’s curiosity arisen.
“Mine as well, Ban… Hope to see you soon” Momo gave a farewell before entering his chariot.
Finally his eyes could rest from the sunlight.
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It took four months for the Peace Treaty to be completed. The gap of time from their first meeting to the last day was because Yuki was a nightmare to work with, especially in the beginning, when they weren’t accustomed with each other's goals and personalities. Momo knew Yuki was a little difficult to talk to, he received this warning from their mutual friend Ban and was prepared for this back and forth between agreements. He even bought a parasol, since he stayed in the White Kingdom so much he needed to protect his eyes from so much light.
When they finally agreed with all articles and the day when they would sign the paper, the only thing Yuki asked was for a stadium to be the place where the ceremony would be. When Momo asked why, Yuki seemed hesitant, but he finally gave in:
“Can you keep a secret? One that not even Ban knows?”
“Of course!” Momo was surprised. This was the first time Yuki let his guard down. Not that he was always rude (maybe a word that defined him better was picky) but he never seemed to be 100% at ease when he was alone with the Black King and even when they were accompanied by Ban, Yuki would still be a little stiff, even if he smiled more.
“My dream is to sing… I know it’s silly for me to have a dream like this, but I feel more alive than ever when I can put my feelings into music. In a historical moment like this, I think it would be important for all Pieces to celebrate like this.”
“I agree. It would be wonderful to have a celebration like this and not be so formal. And I don’t think it’s a silly dream, it’s a wonderful one!”
Yuki’s beautiful eyes widened and soon were half open again, with a small smile on his lips, so very typical of him to be this graceful.
“Thank you. You are very kind.”
“You know…” Momo began speaking, feeling like he should be honest as well. “I once had a dream, before this one of uniting the Black, White and Gray areas. I wanted to become an athlete… Unfortunately I got an injury helping my sister and never could do sports like the way I used to. But that’s when I had to step up as King and became friends with Ban and his dream became mine as well.”
Like being graceful was natural to Yuki, Momo thought of himself as naturally wanting to help others to fulfill their dreams. Being the younger brother and having so many expectations upon him since birth made him well aware that his status could be favorable for others. The same expectations that Yuki also had and that, maybe, was the reason he wanted to be more open to Momo about his wish. Only another King could understand about not being able to focus on their individual dream because they needed to focus on the realm.
“I’m so sorry about this injury.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad I’m where I am now.”
“Me too.” And Yuki was being very sincere.
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The Peace Day became a worldwide holiday, when finally the two kings signed the Peace Treaty in a Gray area, exactly the middle way for the Black and White castle, for Black Pieces, White Pieces and Gray Pieces to see, all in cheer and tears of joy. The Stadium was packed full of everyone: from nobility to knights, merchants, farmers. Ban couldn’t keep his screams of happiness when Yuki and Momo shook hands. Fireworks were fired as the two kings prepared for their show.
Momo didn’t know how to sing. Like any other noble, he was taught music and knew how to play the piano, which was the instrument he would accompany Yuki’s singing. Yuki’s timbre was impressive only talking but when he sang, everyone couldn’t keep his eyes away from him. And he couldn't keep his eyes away from Momo who was helping him to fulfill his dream. His heart pounded hard in his ears and smiled like never before.
And in Momo’s mind he thought: I think I’m in love.
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For Yuki, the Black Kingdom was too dark, the moonlight, constellations and shooting stars not being enough to see what was in front of him and could understand a bit more of Momo’s constant whining about the White Kingdom brightness (I should have brought a candle!). He easily could have stumbled all the time if not for Momo, who was guiding him, by holding his hand. The White King was blushing, the physical closeness made his heart beat faster and Ban not coming with them again made him even more nervous. Hopefully (but unlikely), the Black King couldn’t see his partner's flushed face.
“We’re almost there!” Momo reassured him, when he realized that Yuki was getting tired. The White King wasn’t used to walking so much. “You won’t be disappointed.”
“I know I won’t be.”
It’s been a year since the first time they’ve seen each other in White Kingdom. Yuki felt a little guilty by how he used to treat Momo, so harshly. But since then, he learned to be more patient, more kind. The White King would be eternally grateful for that, it was even more impactful to him learning to be a better man for his kingdom than to follow his dream of being a singer as well. He still couldn’t put all these feelings into words, to say how grateful he was to the Black King…
“We’ve arrived!” Momo’s words make Yuki return to reality.
They were in a dark room, illuminated by candles. The roof was made of glass, making the night sky visible. Every piece of furniture was made of a shining dark wood, with a wide stage and a piano, with a few chairs with wine-colored cushions for a possible audience.
“Is this…?”
“It’s a choir room!” Momo smiled. “I know it is not as big as the Stadium in the Gray Area but I thought of how you could still sing when you stayed over in Black castle! And, if you don’t mind, I would like to start to sing with you too… I’m a terrible singer but-” Momo was interrupted by a surprise kiss from Yuki. It was tender, the White King holding his partner’s face with all the care in the world.
“Never not in a million years would I have dreamed of this… Thank you, thank you so much. I will gladly teach you how to sing, my love.”
“You’re welcome, my king.” Momo’s smile was always wide but this one looked the widest of them all. “Shall we begin?
“Of course.”
And both sang until dawn and in the White Kingdom, until dusk. Sometimes with Ban being their audience (he was, after all, their biggest fan), sometimes the whole Kingdom, from north to south. From eons to come, Pieces from different parts of the realm heard stories about the Unifying Kings that brought peace, found love in each other and in music.