Hi, if you are reading this and have read my other stories - I'm not dead! :D
Besides being busy with a new overnight job my laptop with my 90%+ finished stories is still at my father's house. I moved. Again.
So, until I have the free weekend to go get it... I hope my new stories serve as an apology! DX
The Hoshidan sister's had gathered once again at night after bathing in their sister's private quarters in the Astral plain. She would normally see everyone one-on-one but they would regularly to talk together as sisters. Some days she would tell tales of her siblings from Nohr, or her sisters would tell tales of Takumi and Ryoma when they were children.
"You should hear some of the story Orochi has!" Hinoka was doubled over in laughter, "There was this one time-"
"S-stop... Takumi doesn't like it when we talk behind his back." Sakura was always the one to stop them from being needless gossips.
Seriea laughed, "She's right, it's late – Hayato will be back soon and he gets grumpy when we're together too late."
"You married a stick in the mud." The Pegasus knight ruffled her sister's undone hair, "I should go check on Mitama anyway."
"Oh, I was going to see how Caeldori was as well..."
She saw her sisters off before settling into a chair at her table, sighing she looked at the simple ring on her finger. Even after marrying Hayato he was very distant and as harsh as ever. Her love for him did not change, she still found him adorable but often even her neutral affection was brushed off rather rudely. Trying not to cry at her frustration she stood and threw her cloak on over her nightgown. The princess opened the door to find the wind blowing through the castle was cold and unforgiving that night.
As her hands rested on the railing before the railing by the stairs she looked at the sky wondering if the stars looked the same as those in Nohr. She had visited Elise's grave recently, even Xander's with only Camilla to accompany her. Even she asked about her husband, who had not even asked where she was going and where she had went when she returned. This hurt more than she realized to think about so she decided to go to bed.
Snuffing out the candles she climbed under the covers of her bed without even re-braiding her hair. Seriea heard the door open as Hayato seemed surprised she had gone to bed without him. One of the things she always did when able was wait up for him, as they would at least go to bed together. He sighed as he lit another candle and went to the table. She held in a sighed and curled deeper into her pillow that she started to hold.
"I know you're not asleep."
She didn't sit up, hearing a sigh and the chair move. "Just finish up, I sleep easier in the dark."
Hayato walked to her, reaching for her as she flinched at his presence, "Are you feeling okay?"
"Just a little unwell," Sitting up she smiled as she always did, moving her hair from her face, "Nothing to worry about."
He let it go at that, not bothering to push the issue, "If you say so... but if you feel any more symptoms you should see a healer."
Seriea smiled telling him she would before going back to laying away from the fire. When the lights died out she heard him leave, surprised as he normally slept with her rather than in his quarters. Having woken from an upsetting dream she looked in the dark and found he was not beside her, so she cried. Sobs shook her shoulders as she let the pent up frustration and sadness fall. Dawn broke as she had finally dried her tears and she had lost a nights sleep over her husband.
The dragon princess went to a mirror and saw her eyes were not pleasant, and even her healing rod could not fix it. Not letting herself get distressed, she changed into her armor and grabbed her training sword. She went to the training grounds to see Caeldori already doing inventory on the weapons. The young woman greeted her but Seriea hid behind her unusually unkempt hair and went about swinging at the training dummy.
Hayato had personally set charms to each dummy to make them come to life so to speak. They could not inflict much harm but could dodge and block attacks. She felt even more upset being put against one of her husband's creations and almost as if it was himself she went all out on it. Her dragon stone held close to her neck under her collar on a pendant Azura had made specifically for her. She hadn't intended to destroy the dummy but in her anger she had used her claws and ripped it in half.
Of course Hayato would throw a fit at his charm being torn and she'd hear about it. This only made her feel more frustrated as she felt someone touch her shoulder she nearly took a swipe at them, but Caeldori had been prepared. She asked if she would like some tea and a talk. Seriea had become good friends with the hard working girl, and as Selkie went running by she saw the princess trying not to cry and thought she was hurt.
The fox girl found Kaden and Hayato enjoying a moment of peace climbing trees again. "Daddy!"
Kaden jumped down to greet his daughter who happily ran circles around him, "Heya Selkie -"
"Is Hayato up in the tree too?"
He was not usually ignored by his own child, so the young man leapt down beside the Kitsune pair, "Do you need me for something?"
"It's Seriea!"
His heart sank, "Is she all right?!"
"She was crying in the training field – she looked messy too!" Selkie did not stop explaining, "She went all RAWR and tore up a training dummy, she looked so cool!"
Hayato watched Selkie describe the situation, it looked like his wife had turned into a dragon and crushed a dummy he had enchanted. He assumed she was crying as she knew how hard he worked on the charms attacked to each one and would scold anyone who broke it. Sighing, he knew he couldn't be mad if she was so upset and said she'd be fine after a while. Selkie wasn't sure and said she'd go check on her before waving to her father.
"Are you sure you don't want to check on her?" Kaden leapt onto a branch and sat on it.
His friend shrugged, "She'll be fine, she always is."
"That's cold, I always check on Felicia when she cries."
Hayato glared at him making the Kitsune become quiet as he just wondered what was going on between the two.
Seriea sat in Caeldori's room as the young woman brushed her hair letting her drink the tea she prepared. The princess felt bad that she was doing this, but refusing her refusal Caeldori said she was comforting a friend. Selkie burst in not long after making sure the door was closed when ordered to do so.
"Are you crying because you broke the dummy?" She sat next to Seriea close to her to share warmth and comfort.
"N-no..."
"I told him!" Selkie puffed out her cheeks, "Hayato's a dummy!"
Resisting a laugh, Seriea listened as Caeldori shouted, "That's because he's insensitive!"
"Yeah that too!"
These two girls made the princess smile widely as they carefully insulted her husband trying to make her feel better. She defended him eventually, but finding her proof was a bit hidden in the weeds. Caeldori finished putting her hair up like normal with her ponytail on the side and as she was about to leave she sat her back down. Taking a trick she was taught by her mother she placed something cool over her eyes to reduce the swelling and had her lay on the bed.
"So, why did you go all ferocious on the dummy?" Selkie asked as she played with her own tail.
"It's obvious, she was mad at Hayato."
Seriea flinched as Caeldori hit the nail on the head, "I also had no sleep..."
"Another nightmare?"
Her sisters and these two along with Mitama and their husbands were the only one's to know of her reoccurring nightmares. Usually when she slept beside her husband, Seriea slept comfortably and even if she had a nightmare he did not stir at all. Every one was of the fight against her brother but instead of Elise being cut down it was Hayato protecting her. It terrified her when he was on the front lines, every time he fought he was at risk since like Orochi or Sakura he had minimal armor.
Caeldori stroked her hair as she lay on her bed, "Hey, it's already past, everything is all right."
Seriea sighed, sitting up as she took the cucumber away. "I just remember Xander protecting me from anything that made me unhappy when I was little..."
"You think this dream means something."
The dragon princess saw the sun going down and sighed at having wasted a day, she thanked them for the assistance and went to check on the facilities. Her brother Takumi was spending his free time working in the weapon shop, surprised to see her he gave her the books to look over without much conversation. The stores were each run by someone like normal, and she looked at the spring for ore finding Shigure had taken a turn there that day.
Once the sun set she decided to take her bath and put on her bathing suit in the hot spring before preparing to go in, she was sure the women's hour had begun and went in to find Hayato was alone. He heard the noise and looked to see her acting shy like anytime they managed to run into each other there. She silently ignored him and sighed as she sank into the water. He remained silent as long as she did, but she left first without a word just as she arrived.
Seriea slipped back into her room alone again, sighing as she sat on the bed after changing and leaned against the wall watching the fire. She did not like feeling insecure, Hayato was the only one who could make her feel that way, but she assumed that was a side effect of loving someone. Unfortunately it seemed like the only effect, not a side effect to her. Deciding she was wasting her time again, she went to her desk where she had laid out a map. There were still fights going on, people beginning wars and the like so she would go at the behest of her brother to quell them.
"There you are."
She looked up to see Hayato walk into her room, then she looked back at her map, "It is evening, where else would I be."
"I don't know, training I guess?"
Ignoring him, she looked over the map where she marked deep-realm portals still in use, "Kaze says he's due to see Midori soon..."
"Seriea." She looked up to see Hayato was standing the opposite of her desk now, "You can tell me that you broke the charm -"
"Oh good..." Her anger was finally about to snap, "Hayato not everything is about you!"
Without thinking she grabbed her shawl and began leaving the room but he caught her wrist. "Then why were you crying."
She watched his eyes, "I-I simply hurt myself training..."
"Seriea stop lying to me."
"I'm not-"
Hayato let go of her wrist instantly, "Fine, don't tell me then."
"Gods, Caeldori was right." Seriea glared at him in return, "You are so very insensitive."
"Insensitive?!"
"Exactly that!"
Late into the night they argued until Seriea left in a huff even going so far as to seek out Azura who was on patrol that night. The songstress turned Falcon Knight took her up on her Pegasus to calm the woman who held onto her back crying. While not good with words, Azura had been the one who always let her cry when she needed to, and Seriea in return. Azura's son Shigure was to relieve her from her position but his mother asked him to return the now sleeping woman to her room before doing so. He took the delicate looking woman in his arms and entered her room to find Hayato still there, and still angry.
"Seriea!"
"Quiet, if you please." Shigure gently set the woman on her bed, easily towering over Hayato like his brother Shiro. "She fell asleep to my mother's singing."
"I'll apologize to Azura."
"Please don't." The young man smiled as he folded Seriea's cloak and handed it to Hayato. "Apologize to your wife."
"W-What for?"
He glared at the man who was older yet shorter than him, "Because every time she cries to my mother or Caeldori – Seriea cries because of you." Before leaving Shigure turned back, "You may not realize this but you act like a child the more you push her away. She may have everyone in this army on her side, but she is lonely without you."
Hayato watched in silence as he had been scolded by a boy near half his age but looked back at his sleeping wife. The urge to stroke her hair was pushed away by the guilt he felt welling up inside as he realized every time she stopped smiling at him it was because of himself. As he was going to leave he heard her beginning to thrash in her sleep, a nightmare tore through her dreams. She called his name in fear as she gripped her own arms to the point of drawing blood. Panicking he went to her side, trying to figure out how to calm her he grabbed her face.
Putting his forehead to hers he promised, "I'm here... I'm here..."
Opening her eyes she smiled, "I know you are."
He saw her through blurry vision realizing he was crying, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Seriea pressed her cheek further into his hand, "It's okay... I should have said something."
"No, you shouldn't have to say anything for me to know." Hayato sighed, about to leave, "I'm your husband I should know these things."
She reached for him quickly pulling him to her on the bed. Resting quickly into his arms she said she refused to let him go. He knew he could never win against her and mentioned that was only the second time they fell asleep in each others arms – but she was already asleep. Smiling, he stroked her ashen hair from her face and kissed her lightly in her sleep.
After they came to an understanding of making time specifically for each other they grew closer than before. Sleeping in either one's room as Hayato had become more comfortable with her bed but still preferred his futon. After a few months their relationship had mended and they were even happier than they had been in the beginning – and were blessed with their first child. Rhajat had been a happy child but as Seriea became pregnant not but five months after Rhajat had joined their army and was separated from her again.
Of course the girl offered to stay with her during the pregnancy but the woman refused asking her daughter to watch after Hayato. He knew nothing of this promise but willing to do anything her mother asked, Rhajat listened. Like with her first pregnancy she hid in the deep-realm as their castle in the astral plain was still unsafe for children and pregnant mothers.
"Kana?" Hayato held Seriea's hand as they lay in a field in the deep-realm where she was hiding during her pregnancy. "I like that name."
"Mhm. I also like it." She stroked her ever growing belly, "If only he would come out to greet us soon."
Sitting up, Hayato noticed the setting sun, "I should probably go back – any messages?"
"No – not-"
She had stopped while trying to stand, her hands went to her side as she tried not to cry in pain. Hayato instantly knew what was going on and wrapped an arm around her lifting her as he managed to carry her back. The caretakers instantly took her to another room where he heard her screaming for what seemed like hours. When it finally died down and the screams were no more, there was a sharp cry. Lifting his head from a prayer Hayato rushed to the door, listening through for the cry of his child again.
The moment he was allowed in he saw the small child in her arms he felt his worry fade. She smiled as she called him over, motioning to the patch of red hair on the sleeping child's head. Although she had not yet noticed he could see the slightest point in his son's ears – even though it was not his first child he was still just as amazed. He swore just like the day Rhajat was born that he would protect his family like the man he was.
- no hate, but just like Ricken, I adore Hayato. It's probably the urge to tease them mercilessly.
None the less, I hope this wasn't too bad as I haven't written anything in a few months!