Author: Sunny-Baby-Angel

Date Published: April 3, 2013

A/N: I miss watching Twelve Kingdoms. Really, one of the best anime I've seen so far. And I terribly missed Youko and Keiki's interactions. So I finally got the time to write this one-shot. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twelve Kingdoms.

.O...O. Punishment .O...O.

Piles after piles of paperwork were enough to leave Youko, the Empress of Kei, in a state of exhaustion.

If in a nation, there's a state of calamity, state of war, state of emergency – then hers is a state of exhaustion. As it seems, even immortality won't be saving this foolish Empress from this dreaded feeling. Really, no one else was to blame but Her Majesty.

She argued her way with Koukan, her council leader, to accomplish the letters that were to be delivered to the provinces, against his proposal, which was to leave the tedious job to the Imperial scribes.

"Like I told you, Shujou, it's their job," Koukan pleaded exasperatedly, remembering how many times he and the Empress had discussed about the same topic over and over again.

"But it would greatly help me learn, Koukan," Youko proceeded with her rambling, "As Empress, I at least must have some first hand experience-"

And what an experience it was, Youko could apparently just smite herself.

If her hand was a separate entity from herself, it would have probably collapsed from exhaustion, or worse, already buried from a literal death by the pen.

She shifted from her seat, wiped off the sweat from her brows then rested her chin against the smooth texture of her study. Twenty letters to go, she eyed the neat heap of empty scrolls at her left. She glanced up and saw the rays of sunlight infiltrating the thick material of her curtains. She remembered that she just had taken her bath, ate her breakfast and listened to the early combined sermons of Keiki and Koukan. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily.

Two lavender eyes were staring at her, disappointment evident in their features.

"Shujou," A tall man of pale complexion with long, translucent golden hair sighed at least a meter away from the half-awakened Empress.

"K-Keiki?" She stood up in surprise, wiping off the drool she inadvertently noticed, "Is something wrong?"

"Shujou, do you not have any consideration on what time of the day it is already? " He shook his head, a crease in his brow, "The sun had already set."

"What?" She rushed to her life-sized glass windows and pulled the velvet curtains away, "Why, yes. It's already evening."

"Yes," He spoke too soon, steel in his voice, "You missed all your classes. Moreover, the annual report on the national agricultural status was cancelled because Her Majesty was nowhere to be found."

Tensing up, she turned and faced her Kirin, "Okay. I'm sorry. Is that it?"

"If a mere apology was needed, then punishments would not have existed in the first place," He sighed, then gave Youko a stern look, "How many times have I told you not to engage in menial tasks? Even a person like Koukan will get tired of reminding you over and over again."

"Going to lecture on me again?" She raised her hands in defeat, "Fine."

"It is not a Kirin's job to lecture," Keiki raised his head, "It is to enlighten Her Majesty on ways she must discover by herself for the good of the kingdom."

"Enlighten you say, "Her jade eyes turned into slits, then with a snicker, she pointed an accusing finger at her Kirin, "You've been lecturing me non-stop since I became Empress! I think I need a break, yes?"

"Shujou. I believe you've already visited every province of Kei in the past six months, which I confirmed was the break you asked of me, yes?" Keiki gave her a knowing look.

Embarrassed, Youko flushed to her hair, heat rising to her face as she went with the realization that there was nothing to hide from this man.

"W-Well, I guess that was a nice break from all the Imperial duties," She replied, all the while facing away from her Kirin, "But I guess you never had a break from all your obligations."

He looked up and met her eyes as she turned around, "Breaks are unnecessary. They are only needed to relieve oneself from extreme stress."

"Well, aren't you stressed right now? " Youko smiled triumphantly, "Come on. It isn't so bad for Her Highness and her Kirin to take the day off."

"But-"

"No buts!" She commanded, "And oh, I think you'll be receiving punishment for overworking."

"Punishment?" Keiki stared at her, "I have not committed any offense, I believe."

"Well, I consider overworking is, " Youko planted her hands on her hips, "Because it causes stress! You should have realized it by now, correct?"

"It is not so-" She cut him off with an abrupt kiss on his cheek. Blushing, she gave him a smile, revealing her pearly whites.

Keiki, as if in shock, did not move an inch from where Youko pecked him on the cheek.

"That is the punishment, " She turned on her heel, avoiding his gaze, "So if you don't want another coming, think about what we just discussed, you hear?"

With a light thud of the door, Youko ran off to the koi pond, her face red as a tomato.

With a hand on the cheek his cheeky Empress recently pressed her lips on, Keiki's expression softened.

Overworking for the rest of the weeks must not really be bad, after all.

A/N: I'm such a fangirl of Youko and Keiki. Hope that Fuyumi Ono would write a sequel. Reviews are greatly appreciated :)