A short little story about Hakuryuu and his escapades on the Tenzan Plateau. WARNING: This will not be super-fluff filled story. It will get dark at times and I will try to keep Hakuryuu totally in character (as he was after he left the trio after proposing to Morgiana) which means he's a little...yeah. Not quite depravity but still...not completely sound of mind.

-K.N.

He is meticulous.

He is careful.

The way he carries himself, striding with head held high and shoulders back, seizes the attention of those he passes.

'He is important,' his traditional imperial clothing says.

'He is powerful,' his scar and the sword at his hip scream in unison.

'He is not to be trifled with,' the rage slithering just beneath his skin whispers, silently bearing its fangs at all who would threaten his ultimate end game.

Lips pressed firm in a thin line, he tries his best to appear passive. His air is calm and undeniably regal.

He is a prince of Kou. Who could expect anything else? And yet there is no throng of servants, slaves, and flatterers accompanying him, no advisers whispering in his ear, making suggestions on what and what not to say. It tells enough about his position.

Hakuryuu Ren takes his seat and prepares himself for the string of diplomatic talks that would indefinitely result in the barbaric nation bending its knees to the will of Kou. This is simply fact in his mind. That is how that place operates, how his family operates, how he operates. Do not bend. Do not break.

He keeps his eyes narrowed and uncooperative.

"You will become territory of the Kou Empire."

The displeasure is visible on the barbarian king's face and comes in the form of dark red. His men draw their swords, ready to defend the honor of their king. Hakuryuu sighs inside.

'These people and their ignorant pride.'

They haven't the slightest inkling of the horrors that loom over their heads should they choose to settle the matter with bloodshed and the sword. Kouen would show no mercy. He certainly would not be the one to subjugate them, being the lowly fourth prince and all. He is a messenger, through and through. And yet, should he be granted the permission of cutting down the enemy, Hakuryuu somehow feels that the people of Karkor would be in a worse position dealing with him then if they have the displeasure of tangling with his brother, Kouen.

'No, step-brother', he tells himself. 'No, not even that…'

The detestable creature beneath the surface of his skin which for years has had his heart in a vice-grip stirs silently but the young prince keeps it at bay with a fair amount of concentration. Now is not the time. He thinks of the good times, the happy times, and fairly…recent times.

Lost in thought, Hakuryuu barely notices the barbarian king going off on a heated diatribe about 'hospitality' and how one treats one's 'guests', scolding his men for their rash behavior.

Hakuryuu is pleasantly surprised.

Perhaps the people of Karkor are far more reasonable than he originally thought.

...

Love at first sight-a myth with unshakable certainty. She finds it funny how fiction can so easily become fact, funny in the most ironic way possible, of course. As she kneels motionless with hands folded primly in her lap next to her brothers and sisters, she stares him down, transfixed.

The scar on his face does not faze her, like it does her sisters who cringe at the mere sight of it. If anything it is his eyes that first catch her attention, heterochromatic eyes, breathtaking eyes. Two slightly varying shades of blue and whether that was due to the injury that marred his face or solely due to birth, she is utterly captivated by the entity known as Hakuryuu Ren.

And as she continues to scrutinize the fourth prince of the Kou Empire, she takes careful note of the color of his hair, how it contrasts with his skin, the mole near his bottom lip, the curvature of his face, the timbre of his voice-

"Tairin"

The strong voice of her father, the king, snaps her out of the blissful reverie. Apparently, the discussion had ended.

"You will keep the little prince company and teach him our customs for as long as he remains here."

She is more than surprised by her father's words, she is stunned into silence. Tairin is not the most reliable daughter when it comes to political matters, neither is she the eldest so it catches her off-guard that she is given such a task. He is the lowly fourth prince and she is a king's daughter, albeit only in name.

It fits.

Their eyes meet and for a brief moment, for as long as she looks directly into those mesmerizing two-toned icy blue eyes-Tairin believes in fate.