AN: ...After many many months, here it is, chapter six! You would not believe all the crazy things that were happening to both me and my computer to stop this update from happening, but at last your patience has been rewarded! Hopefully I will not need to take so long getting the next one to you, but since school is going to start soon...I can make no promises. Sorry, sorry,a thousand times sorry. Please enjoy!
This is M! If you get mad I'll say I told you so!
Disclaimer:These characters are not mine, the story is.
Xiao Lang was in the King's personal sitting room, awaiting his father's arrival. It was still fairly early in the day and the royal physician was still performing his now daily check-up on the King's slowly fading health, but the Prince had received a summons during his morning training session, and when Li Jian Bing wanted to see you; you arrived as early as possible and agreed to as much as you could.
Xiao Lang's nerves were on edge, and with good reason. Ill or no, his father was not a man to be trifled with; his wrath was still feared and his orders carried out like words from the divine by everyone from the most pompous over-fed lords in their expensive silks, down to the simplest of the palace servants, and there was no reason to believe he would make exceptions for his children, least of all his son and heir.
Surprisingly, while he had never cared much for his private meetings with his father, it was not the issue that weighed most heavily in his thoughts at the present. He could not erase the image of the Kinomoto girl's sleeping face. It was pasted to his eyelids, waiting to ambush his brain ever time he closed his eyes.
When the gray light of predawn had peeked hesitantly through the bedroom curtains to wake him, as it did every morning, Xiao Lang had opened his groggy amber eyes to discover that Ying Hua had rolled almost entirely on top of him some time in the night. What came as an even greater surprise was the realization that he was actually holding her in place, with one hand gently cradling the nape of her neck while the other kept a firm grip on the back of her left thigh. Blankets discarded, she had become the only warmth he had wanted, and he clung to her fearlessly.
He could feel her little mouth brushing against the side of his neck as her soft warm breath sighed sweetly into his ear like a whispered promise. The gentle swell of her small breasts was pressed against his chest as their hearts seemed to share a single rhythmic beat. She had somehow managed to get her right arm under his neck, so that he was now ensnared within the heavenly noose of her embrace; he was terrified. He didn't want to move, or breathe, or even blink; nothing that might break this spell and bring reality crashing down around them.
All too soon, Xiao Lang's morning obligations had nagged him into attempting a jail break from his bride's loving arms. Using every ounce of stealth in his possession, he rolled them both so that she was lying beneath him and gently pried her small hands from his neck with more than a little remorse. He paused a moment to relapse into what was swiftly becoming a habit of staring at her face while she slumbered; never to know that the man she hated was straddling her hips and thinking some very odd thoughts about her.
He sighed; bringing his hands to his face, only then realizing that he had kept her hands in his after pulling them from his neck. He let them fall as lightly has he could and crept from his own bed like a thief, flustered and embarrassed. This female that he had known for less than twenty four hours had him behaving like a school girl with a crush; the stoic prince was less than equipped to handle these emotions. They were stubborn, confusing, and damn near infuriating…much like the girl herself.
He looked back at the bed just in time to catch another sleeping smile; he liked her. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he was attracted to her. She had courage, a sense of honor, and he even liked her feistiness to an extent. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly; her looks didn't hurt either.
Once again acting before his brain had time to fully register that what he was doing was a bad idea, he stepped back over to his bed and ghosted his lips across her forehead before stealing from the room and heading towards what promised to be a very bad training session, owing to his complete lack of focus.
Thinking back on it now angered him to no extent. Some great man he was, noble enough not to force himself on her when she was awake and capable of rejecting him, but not above pilfering kisses and groping her in the night. It was disgusting, not to mention degrading on his end. He had never paid much attention to them, but there had always been a number of women all too eager to please and fuss over him, so he assumed he must be at least somewhat attractive, though the fact that he was a crown prince might have also had something to do with their favor. But that just made it worse; he was better than this. He found his resolve and felt it harden somewhere in his chest as he vowed to never lose control over himself again. This was just like any other diplomatic mission; if he really wanted any kind of peace with this woman, he had to prove himself worthy of her trust first.
Then the memory of the name she had said in the night returned to him, a whispered prayer for a man he would never be. He felt an irrational dislike for whoever this 'Yuki' character was for ruining what might have been an awkward, but overall satisfying wedding night. If, just for one night, Xiao Lang had been allowed to think himself her hero, his conscience might have been able to forgive the stolen kiss as a well-earned trophy for his triumph over her nightmare. As it was, he felt like an imposter and a letch.
A servant came in, scared to disturb the obviously brooding prince, whose anger was rare, yet terrifying to behold, but not so frightened as to run the risk of delaying the orders of the King and setting loose a fury that was worse then a blow from god himself. He hesitantly told Xiao Lang that his father was now waiting to receive him and begged his pardon numerous times for interrupting what he was sure must have been vastly important thoughts. Glad for the disruption, the prince gave the man a curt nod and strode into his father's bed chamber.
Li Jian Bing had all the marks of a once great man fallen into decay. A tall barrel-chested figure with muscles largely deteriorated to naught but sinew and sagging ashen skin hunched in a pool of silken sheets on his bed. His face was a ghostly echo of his son's, with cheeks sunken from years of sickness and angles sharpened by even more years of bitterness and hate. All that was left of the man he had once been was his regal bearing and the burning spirit flashing in his dark eyes that had most likely been keeping him alive much longer than any medicine ever could have hoped. The expression on his face softened the tiniest bit as his son and heir walked into the room, young and strong, and bowed deeply.
"You sent for me, Your Majesty?" Xiao Lang began, his head still lowered in reverence.
"I have called you here for nothing so formal," Jian Bing replied in his deep somewhat rasping voice, waving a hand impatiently at his son, "you may address me as 'Father'."
"As you wish, Father." Xiao Lang answered while moving to sit in a chair across from his father's bed. "What would you ask of me?" At this, Jian Bing's face broke into a rather lewd grin.
"What do you think boy?" He said in a coarse, but friendly manner, "I am not just the king, I'm your father, and I want to know how it went."
"…how what went?" Xiao Lang replied, a slightly baffled look on his face. "I already gave you my report on the dealings with-"
"No no, you daft boy!" the King interjected irritably, "Are you really my son? The girl; how was the girl? Caught you a pretty one didn't I? Careful though, if she's anything like her mother, it's likely that she's a whore, though that might have made things better. Was she a good fit? Did she struggle? Or is she the kind who doesn't care what man warms her bed, so long as-"
"No!" Xiao Lang exclaimed, rising suddenly to his feet and feeling the blood rushing to his face from mortification and anger. He had never heard his father speak in such a crass way, and about such a private subject! A sharp glance from the King was enough to reprimand him for the crime of an uncontrolled temper and the sin of interrupting any royal speech, no matter how crude and uncomfortable it had been. He lowered his eyes and forced his jaw to unclench as he made his apologies. "Forgive me, Father. I meant to say, 'No, we…didn't'."
"Didn't?" the monarch repeated, his face an unreadable mask, "Didn't what?"
"Our marriage remains…unconsummated…at present." Xiao Lang answered falteringly, his face silly with humiliation. He saw the dark clouds gathering across his father's face as he spoke and braced himself for the ferocious torrent of his rage to break upon him.
"I am going to remain calm." Jian Bing growled through gritted teeth. "And my reason for this is my absolute faith in your judgment, Xiao Lang. I trust that you had a very good reason for not bedding that wench as your duty demands. And I also know that you are going to enlighten me as to what that very good reason might be. Right. Now."
The eighteen year old man was suddenly transformed into the little boy who had gotten caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Hands fumbling nervously in front of him, he looked everywhere but his father's eye as he tried to find the words least likely to get him in worse trouble than he already was.
"S-she…seemed upset." He stammered lamely.
"Upset?" The King replied, brows furrowing in growing displeasure.
"Yes." Xiao Lang said, "She was crying. I didn't want to… That is, I thought-"
"No, Xiao Lang! You did not think! That is the last thing that you did, if you managed to do it at all!" His father growled deep in his throat, cutting off his excuses. "Just because a treaty was signed and a wedding was held; it does not mean that our enemies have vanished! Or that they will suddenly stop wishing us ill! Stupid boy! The only way to prevent some kind of uprising within our new empire is for you to sire a brat with that little slut, and do it quickly! You know that the Amaterisan nobility are all a bunch or traitors and liars who have no sense of honor! The only thing they cling to is their silly tradition of having a female heir to the throne."
He had to stop his tirade in order to regain his breath. He was quaking with anger and there was a clear threat of death gleaming in his dark eyes. "Need I remind you that if her whore of a mother had kept her word, those lands would have been ours long ago? I don't care if the little bitch is crying, I don't care if she begs you to stop the entire time, and I don't care if you have to tie her down and gag her! You had better get your priorities straight and start bedding that girl tonight. And if you won't; I will find someone else of royal blood that would be happy to comply."
At first, Xiao Lang could not even manage to disguise his feelings; he was completely dumbfounded. But as the meaning in his father's words seeped into his brain his demeanor retracted back into its normal appearance of apathy, while a fire slowly heated in his amber orbs. He clenched his hands so tightly, he was amazed that he didn't break his fingers, but miraculously, he managed to give his king a brief agitated bow before excusing himself from the room.
Xiao Lang took long purposeful strides, he needed to find Yue. Steps needed to be taken. This was a child who had never crossed his superiors, who always obeyed without question. But no one, not even his father would threaten what was his. This was completely and totally unacceptable. That peacefully sleeping girl with the gentle face. A girl whose smiles illuminated rooms like sun beams. That sad little girl crying for her mother. Jian Bing was going to have her raped.
It was well past mid-day and Xiao Lang was heading out to the gardens for some much-needed respite after a night of little sleep and a morning filled with far more cares then he had anticipated. He sighed heavily to himself and rubbed his slightly haggard face with his hands for what must have been the hundredth time that day. He never imagined married life would be this difficult.
A soft whine at his feet pulled him from his troubles and brought forth the slimmest of smiles. A great golden hunting dog sat placidly by his side, waiting for him to resume walking. Cerberus; the prince's most loyal subject, looked up at his master with wide intelligent eyes, imploring silently that the large stick in his mouth be thrown so that he might have the immense pleasure of returning it.
Xiao Lang placed a palm on the dog's head and gave it an affectionate ruffle, it might seem cliché, but there was nothing like the bond between a boy and his dog. Only when they were alone together did the prince feel free of the burdens that his birth required. Cerberus too, seemed to only truly enjoy his master's company. No one else could pet or play with him; to all others he was as solemn and serious as a dog could be.
"You are far luckier than you will ever know," Xiao Lang said as he pried the branch from the dog's jaws. "No one is ever going to make you spend every day with a girl who hates you and try to force you to sleep with her until you produce an heir." Cerberus' only reply was a roguish grin and a few joyously booming barks as he circled his master in anticipation.
He wasn't kept waiting long. Xiao Lang flung the stick with a fair amount of force and it disappeared far into the foliage. This gave enormous enjoyment to both the beast, which got to go tearing through the brush after it, and the man who was just happy to know that he could at least please someone today.
Unfortunately, like too many other times that day, Xiao Lang's contentment was short lived. A high feminine shriek cut through the shady forest garden from the very same direction Cerberus had dashed off to. Fearing some foolish new servant had tried to play with him, Xiao Lang raced to the rescue of whatever poor soul had tangled with his best friend.
Sure enough, as he entered the next clearing, he was met with the sight of the large animal hovering over his victim who was thrashing and squealing on the grass. Xiao Lang's heart leapt to his throat; there was only one punishment for an animal that attacked an unarmed human.
"Cerberus!" He called out, his strong voice laced with panic. The dog immediately stopped his assault to turn and look at his master, eyes bright and happy; his tail moving in great, body-swaying wags. This gave his prey the chance to sit up and lightly push the animal off her legs. For the victim was indeed a girl, and one the Xiao Lang had never seen about the palace before, not that he paid much attention to who was hired and fired, his father lost patience with servants often enough that half the time it wasn't worth taking the trouble to remember their names.
Her red-brown hair was cropped boyishly short, but it framed her face in a pleasant kind of way. She wore simple black robes, but the fabric looked expensive; she must be a private maid to one of the ladies of the court. He couldn't see most of her face, as she was busy wiping what he assumed must be dog slobber off of it, but she was giggling in a happy child-like way. The sound of her laughter warmed his heart and he heaved a sigh of relief, but he looked amazedly at his pet, he had never reacted like this to anyone.
"I'm so sorry." He said, "Cerberus usually isn't like this. In fact, he's never like this. He's serious and dislikes almost everyone." The dog in question seemed to know he was being talked about and sat down huffily, looking quite offended.
"Is that so?" She replied, still laughing. "Maybe it's because his name is so formal sounding. You don't seem like a 'Cerberus' at all to me." She held her hands out to the animal and he went to her, tail fanning the air gently. She rubbed fondly at his ears with her hands as he tried in vain to lick at her face again, she seemed lost in thought. At length she said, "I know! You seem much more like a 'Kero'. Do you like that, Kero?" Her reply was a happy, booming bark, to which she beamed and wrapped her arms about his great golden shoulders.
"Well," Xiao Lang said, smiling softly and offering a hand to help her up, "You certainly seemed to have charmed him, my lady."
"Oh, how rude of me!" She exclaimed, taking his hand gratefully, "My name is-", but she stopped suddenly and three things seemed to happen all at once.
As she spoke to him, she had looked up, finally giving the prince a proper view of her face. Jade eyes sparkling and cheeks slightly flushed from laughing, she almost seemed to glow with joy. But it was her sweet true smile the stole the air from Xiao Lang's lungs. A garden long ago…and the sound of children laughing, there was something about that smile that sent his mind hurdling into the past.
It was also in the instant that husband and wife recognized each other at last and discovered that they had actually been getting along, which bought awkwardness to one and mortification to the other. Luckily, Meiling also chose this moment to reappear, face flushed and slightly disheveled; she seemed to have been searching for something frantically.
"Sakura!" She cried in exasperation, "Honestly, I turn my back for a second and you're half way across the grounds!" And with that, the spell was broken; Xiao Lang watched his spouse's eyes harden with dislike as she wrenched her fingers from his, as if burned. Gone was the happy radiance she seemed to emit only moments ago, and the frown on her face was so deep-set and determined that the Prince was sure he must have imagined that angelic smile in some kind of sleep-deprived hallucination. Ying Hua rose to her feet and fussily wiped the dirt from her gown before making a somewhat stiff apology to Meiling.
"I apologize." She said, "I did not mean to wander so far." Meiling was leaning heavily against a nearby tree and breathing hard, almost too hard, but she somehow managed to give the Princess a feeble nod in reply. Xiao Lang rolled his eyes; Meiling was always overly dramatic, milking any chance of attention for all it was worth.
"Meiling," Xiao Lang said with an ice cold edge to his voice, "I thought I made it clear that I wished you to stay with my wife all day. That she was not to be left alone." His cousin flinched at his tone and lowered her head, mumbling apologies under her breath.
"I already admitted that it was I who was at fault!" Ying Hua said hotly; temper flaring in defense of her friend. "And besides that, I do not need to be constantly watched like a small child!" She added with growing fervor. Xiao Lang studied her a minute, deliberating as to how he should caution her from disobeying his wishes without telling her about his father's intentions.
"I gave Meiling specific instructions, which she told me, could and would be followed." Xiao Lang said in his best diplomatic voice, his tone was calm steady, leaving no room for argument. "Therefore, the fault was hers and not yours, but while we are on the subject, I would prefer it if you did not leave our rooms unaccompanied. It would be bothersome if someone had to come and find you every time you got lost until you have learned your way around."
"You are implying that I am incapable of looking after myself! I am a grown woman, I do not need you or anyone else to constantly shepherd me from place to place!" Sakura practically growled at him, while pointing an accusatory finger. Xiao Lang's ire was visibly raised; couldn't the stupid girl figure out that he was just trying to protect her?
"You're wrong, I wasn't implying, I was telling you that you are incapable! I doubt that your hair was suddenly shorter when you woke up this morning and…are those bandages?" His slight annoyance was fanned into true anger at the sight of the white gauze around her slender throat. "Meiling! Explain this at once!" He roared, turning to his cousin and pointing a hand at the offending fabric.
"I-it was-"Meiling began hesitantly, but her explanation was quickly interrupted.
"There you go again, blaming Meilin for my actions!" Sakura snarled. "I am no shy flower; I was raised to be strong. I can take what ever you can dish out, so if you have a problem, try taking it up with me instead of bullying those who love you too well to fight back!" Though slightly taken aback, it didn't take Xiao Lang long to reclaim his anger and find a counter of his own.
"I asked Meiling because I at least know that what she tells me will be the truth! And as for being 'raised strong', I find that laughable. I've never met a woman who didn't blindly follow her emotions, and you seem to be exactly like the rest of them…or was crying for your mother in your sleep like a baby one of those times you were showing your strength?"
The blow came so hard and fast, the Prince thought he had gone momentarily blind. She had slapped him, and it left more than just his cheek stinging. She stood inches from him, a petite enraged volcano, mouthing words that she was too mad to voice. Her face was blotchy and her short hair was still sticking up in odd places from rolling on the ground, but he didn't care, because he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. The immense hurt lurking in the depths of those emeralds was enough to infuriate him more than anything else that had happened during this long struggle of a day.
He was mad at her for being a general pain in his side, mad at himself for bullying a girl, mad at his father…hell, he was just plain mad. And he had had enough of it. He couldn't tolerate her looking at him with those reproving eyes; she had to be stopped. His brain had switched to that of the warrior, pure instinct. No more words. No more thoughts. There was only time for actions. He crushed her to him with powerful hands and kissed her fiercely. The rest of the world vanished against those tender lips. It was meant as punishment, but for one brief insane instant, Xiao Lang swore he felt her kiss him back.