Degree 7: Frost

Furihata Kouki doesn't really know why he's here, to be honest. For the past couple of hours he had been wandering wondering Touou's grand palace like a lost child. He didn't even bother asking someone to help him out with figuring out the maze like castle. The reason why he didn't get anyone to lead him around is mostly to spend time alone. Usually he's a very social person and loves talking to others, but he sometimes likes to be by himself to think out his racing thoughts. Besides, it's better to be alone than to stand next to his husband. Speaking of the emperor, Akashi had been spending a lot of time with King Aomine since they arrived to the seaport country. Well, it's a large improvement from back home in Rakuzan where he only gets black and blue from being hurt by the man. The auburn eyed male had become somewhat friendly with Lady Satsuki, King Aomine's wife, and they have been getting along rather well. But, there was something in her magenta eyes that reflect very deep pain and sorrow. He briefly wonders about the tragic story that lays behind her suffering expression. Maybe that's why he standing there like an idiot in the royal cemetery. Furihata didn't mean to come here, he swears! One moment, he was walking around of what seems to be the soldiers' quarters and the next, he was here. The brunette glances at the rather heartbreaking sight of the hauntingly beautiful headstones that rest underneath a gorgeous cherry blossom tree. He sees the names Hiroyuki, Eiji and Aimi carved in swooping elegant letters, it gives him a sense of loss.

He feels something wet fall down from his eyes and touches his cheeks with a realization that he's crying. How strange. He doesn't even know the people in the graves, yet he sheds tears for the lives they didn't get to live out. The brunette quietly mourns the futures that they have lost. What gave him the ultimate shock was Lady Satsuki softly approaching him with a somber expression on her pretty face. Her bubblegum pink hair done up in an elaborate bun with some pieces of hair hanging loose, pearl pins and ornate broaches decorating the hairstyle. The pinkette's slim frame is wrapped up in a dark blue dress covered in black, delicate lace on top. Her small hands covered in long, lacey blue gloves and a deep plum color for her lipstick that compliments her pale features. She's beautiful, he can see that. But, there's something about her entire look that screams a woman in an extreme amounts of pain and hurt and loss. He doesn't even know her that well, but it doesn't stop the flush on his cheeks the moment she notices his red tinted eyes and tear stained face. Lady Satsuki stares silently at the headstones as if understanding why he was sobbing uncontrollably. They just stand there, side by side, simply taking in the gloomy atmosphere of the dark clouds above them and the soft wind blowing through their hair. The ground smelled damp, as if indicating rainfall. The brunette eyes his companion wondering how to ask the question he has on his mind as gently as possible.

"These are my children, Hiroyuki was my first and the other two were twins." She stated as if commenting about the weather and not about her dead children, her voice sounded drained and sad.

"O-Oh…I'm sorry for your loss then." What else could he say in this situation? It's not like he was taught the etiquette of how to properly show remorse to royalty or anything.

She gives him a soft pat on the shoulder, "I…I was torn up when they passed away and Dai-Chan is really trying his best to help me…but…" He gestures for her to continue, "It's not enough….no matter how much time passes, it'll still hurt. I'm learning to go through my grief on my own. I don't know when I'll be ready to be a mother because I don't know if I'll….be able to have another, I wouldn't be able to handle it if it happened again."

Furihata remains speechless for a good moment or two, "When I saw their graves, I felt that loss. I didn't know….and, I don't know what it's like to lose a child…but, I'll be here if you need me."

"Thank you Furirin…"

"No problem."

"Do you think I should try….just one more time?"

"Only if you're ready Lady Satsuki…only you can make that choice."

She hums in agreement, "That's true….I'm healing at my own pace, I hope I can find my closure someday."

He feels a little determined after hearing that, "You will. I know it."

Lady Satsuki's lips upturn into a serene smile, bowing her head at the graves and stands there in complete silence. Furihata took it as a message to leave her be, the moment feels too personal for him to be intruding on her mourning period. He then continues to walk about the palace, taking in all the rather intimidating architecture it has in comparison to the bright and colorful atmosphere of the island country. Everything was a deep color, black or blue sometimes red, but it was pretty somber and a little depressing. Extremely contrasting with the happy scenery outside the palace walls. There were some extremely scary sculptures of soldiers frozen forever with frightened and anguished expressions, arms raised up high with their swords fighting an unknown enemy. Other statues were of past rulers holding the bloodied severed heads of their opponents or brave generals horribly dying in mid-battle. How awful. It kind of scares the brunette that people who work in the palace have to see those sculptures every single day. He wonders how they could even be inside the castle without feeling a bit nauseous or actually throwing up. He might need a tip or two if he's going to stay in Touou for some time. Furihata trembles at more terrifyingly realistic statues as he walks down more complex hallways of the castle. He really needs to get out of there. Soon enough, he decides to venture outside. Not exactly the brightest idea he had since he is now royalty. After all, it would give King Aomine a bad reputation if the emperor's husband got kidnapped or died in his country.

So…he somehow managed to enlist the aid of Sir Wakamatsu, who actually wasn't a guard, but a high ranking knight in King Aomine's army. He's a bit too intimated to ask Sir Imayoshi since the glasses wearing guy always grins like he has something super dark and evil up his sleeve. Call it gut instincts or cowardly paranoia, but he isn't taking any chances of being alone with such a creepy guy. The blond knight huffs in not-so-subtle annoyance, but complies anyways in hopes of not disrespecting the husband of the emperor. The two traveled through the marketing square, Furihata fell in love with what he saw. Stands and stalls covered by silky and colorful tapestries with ornate fabrics used as roofs to provide cool shade from the harsh sunlight. There was a vibrant amount of fruits from the tropical forests and pretty stones from the white beaches of Touou. Some stalls had jewelry made from clam shells and tiny beads strung together so beautifully that he couldn't believe that they were made from such simple materials. It smelled so good too, like grilled meat with a hint of coconut and vanilla wafting through the streets. The brunette buys a lovely necklace for his mother to send as a gift, the shells are a pale lilac color and have white pearls in between each one. It didn't cost much, but he thought it was really pretty. He also got a nice dagger holder for his brother, it was made of brown leather with some intricate designs woven in by black and blue string. Satisfied by his choices, Furihata wonders if he should buy something for his husband. No, that's a silly idea. Akashi has money and riches and god knows what else. Would there really be a point in getting a brooch for him? Why would he care about some present that the brunette got for him? Surely, Akashi has jewelers that could make something just like it simply because he could with a snap of his fingers. It wouldn't make much of a difference if he bought the stupid thing. But, it would be nice if his gift was appreciated at least. Then again, lots of the wares at the market place were rather simple and not very lavish. The auburn eyed dragon speaker glances at the jewelry again with more determination and courage than ever before. He decides to ask Sir Wakamatsu for his opinion on the matter, he doesn't care if it makes him look foolish for doing so. Oh well, he can deal with the embarrassment later.

"Do you think I should get something for My Lord?" he questions while gesturing to a different jewelry booth, full of gorgeous pieces that a bit pricier compared to the other stalls.

"For the emperor? I don't know, why are you asking me?" the knight gave him a shrug and a flippant answer as if it solved everything.

He bites the inside of his cheek to hide his mild irritation, "Because I want to know your opinion Sir Wakamatsu….I may be married to the emperor, but we can be friends here…just call me Furihata or Furi, I don't mind."

If he caught the blond by surprise, he surely didn't show it, "Furi, huh? Well, that ruby brooch looks really nice and so does that sapphire pendant too. I'm sure Emperor Akashi would be pleased no matter which one you choose."

"Hmm….Those are really nice, but I really like this rose quartz brooch much better. What do you think?" Furihata points to the piece he's been eyeing ever since they approached the stall.

"That one is really beautiful, I think you should get it for him." Is all the knight said and the auburn eyed male hums in approval.

And so, he ends up purchasing the rose quartz brooch. It costed quite the pretty penny and his money pouch feels a bit lighter, but he thinks he made a great choice in the gift he got for his husband. The brooch itself is very exquisite and quite elaborate for a piece of jewelry in the market place. The gem is a gorgeous, dream like rose toned color that nearly faded into an off white pink shade that swirled into an endless cloudy effect. The clasp is a deep golden color, intricately shaped almost like a flower, with smaller rose quartz gems embedded into it that make a rather eye catching accessory. A small smile slowly appeared on his face when he gets a better look at the present he bought on a whim for his husband. It's very pretty, he feels somewhat content that he got it. Maybe it might placate the emperor a little bit? No, that's not possible. Either way, Furihata leaves the market place happily with Sir Wakamatsu confusedly following after him. That was when everything went wrong. He didn't mean it, he swears! It was something that had to be done no matter what the blond haired knight might claim.

The thing is, he really was going to return to the Touou palace since his shopping was finished. But, then, he heard a distressed cry of pain in the forests that stretch beyond the center square of the island country. The various amount of trees were leafy, broad, ridiculously tall, with twisted vines and roots implanted on the ground and full of some sort of mysterious darkness that lurks in the shadows. The brunette couldn't ignore the sound that he heard. What if someone got really hurt? Or worse? But, what it it's poachers trying to lure in dragon speakers like Furihata? He doesn't know what to do. After all, he's in a country he doesn't know and he's not much of a fighter. Sir Wakamatsu may be one of the highest ranking knights in King Aomine's army, but he's still only one man. How long will he be able to fight of poachers or enemies? What if it's some sort of dangerous creature that hurts him badly? Without other knights to help them, it would be a really stupid idea to enter the forest. Then again, the brunette isn't exactly known for making the smartest decisions if he's stubborn about helping others in desperate need. So, ignoring the angry yells of Sir Wakamatsu, Furihata ran into the shadows of the trees. He could hear some hurried, slightly heavy steps full of not-so-hidden fury behind him…the auburn eyed male sighs in relief knowing the knight had followed him inside the dark forest. The wail grows louder as he walks more and more into the abyss. His pale green kimono that he's wearing for the day gets dirtied rather quickly from the amount of mud and dead leaves on the ground. The cries got louder and louder and he spots what was making the pained noises in the first place.

He briefly heard Sir Wakamatsu breathe out in complete shock "Holy shit…" when they see a really large and beautiful dragon caught in a trap. It was such a pretty thing, it doesn't deserve the suffering it's going through. The dragons itself was bigger than a house with a slim and lean body that nearly glowed despite being so deep inside a dark forest. Its scales were a translucent royal blue color from the top of its head that faded into a pure white at the end of the tail. It didn't have horns or feathers, the scales are nearly too fish like for that. The wings were rather small, transparent and practically paper thin that he could see thick green veins intertwining on the skin. He noticed some gills opening and closing harshly on the dragon's narrow neck. It didn't have sharp fangs, the teeth were actually blunt and short. Its head was elongated and it had large, cloudy gray eyes that seemed to stare straight into his soul with their blank gaze. The brunette realizes that this dragon doesn't even belong in the forest, the fish like scales and gills is evidence of this. It's most likely a river or sea dragon, but why is it so far off from its home? This particular dragon belongs in the water, he can see that it has a difficult time breathing in the open air of the forest. The trap had caught its leg and it has a hard time getting out. There was some blood seeping from the wound and he decided to help it get free. With the help of the still bewildered Sir Wakamatsu, they got the trap off the dragon's leg. The knight had some medical supplies on him in case of emergency, it's for humans, but it's good enough for the most part to at least clean up and close the wound. Furihata quickly wiped away the blood while disinfecting the wound which earned him another cry of pain from the dragon. He laid a hand on it, noting that the scales were really dry and almost flaking off, trying to convey comfort or reassurance. That seemed to calm the dragon down as he tried his best to stitch up the cut on its leg. He wasn't very good at sewing, but it got the job done. The brunette smiled when he finished up by wrapping a simple cloth around the dragon's leg.

"Thank you kind human, I would have been stuck here or died from blood loss if it wasn't for you." It said in a calming and gentle voice that sounded chillingly haunting, almost like an echo from the vast sea waters.

"No problem, but why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the water? You're a river dragon aren't you?" he replied in mild curiosity.

It looked taken aback that he answered and understood its language, "Ah, a dragon speaker. How rare. Yes, I am a river dragon. I was trapped here because I thought I heard the sound of my fellow kin, but it was poachers who mimicked their cries to capture me."

Furihata exclaimed in horror, "Oh my god! That's horrible!"

"That's why I am thanking you for freeing me from a terrible fate. What is your name dear dragon speaker?" the dragon sat down and leaned in closer to him, eyeing him with a mysterious gray eyed stare.

"Oh! My name, right? Um…..my name is Akashi Kouki, husband of Emperor Akashi. What's your name?" the brunette supplied to make it more comfortable.

The dragon's blank irises turned into predatory slits at the mention of his husband's name, "Oh…the grandson of THAT man, I did not realize that there is a dragon speaker who became the emperor's spouse. But, I will tell you my name young one. It's Sirena."

Auburn eyes quickly glance at the blond knight who is still recovering from the surprise and decided not to question anything about the mention of his husband's late grandfather who died many years ago, "That's a wonderful name Sirena. This is Sir Wakamatsu, he's the head knight of the Touou kingdom's army."

At the mention of his own name, the blond gasped out as if being awoken suddenly, "Y-Yeah, nice to meet you."

"I owe you a great deal dragon speaker, tell me…what do you wish for?"

"Nothing really. I just want to free you before those poachers did something awful to you and you can call me Kouki!"

"I see….well, it might be sudden Kouki, but I wish to befriend you and hopefully become your companion."

"WHAT?! But…you belong in the river! I can't ask you to be like my pet!"

"Not a pet darling Kouki, but a life partner that you come to for aid and support, I can see kindness and compassion in your eyes…I would like to stay by your side if you let me."

Furihata gets what Sirena is trying to say here, really, he does. He's heard stories of dragons choosing very special people to become their life partner, like a one true companion sort of deal. It's a dragon way of being platonic soulmates. The person is tied together with the winged beast until one of them dies. There were tales of past dragon speakers who conquered lands and gained treasure with the help of their life partners. Normally, since dragons are such isolated creatures in the first place, those tales are just fairytales told to children. They barely trust humans as it is and dragon speakers are only tolerated. The beasts prefer to keep to their home and kin than interact with people. With a shaky alliance between the dragons and human along with illegal poaching and killing, he's surprised that the river dragon would even offer such a thing. He heard Sir Wakamtasu disbelievingly utter "What the hell? It wants to be your pet for life? Emperor Akashi will NOT like that, hell, King Aomine won't enjoy it either." when he explained the situation to him. What the blond knight is saying is true, he can't exactly bring a freaking dragon along their journey to the other kingdoms out of nowhere. Then again, he can't exactly bring himself to truly care. At least he'll have someone, even if it's a dragon, to talk to whenever he feels lonely. So, he accepts Sirena's offer to be its life partner. Furihata ignores the irritated groan from his companion when he did this. And, that, is how he ended up with a dragon as a pet to keep him company. He's not complaining like Sir Wakamatsu is, he actually likes the river dragon. Besides, when he talks to it, no one can actually understand its language unless they know it like he does. His mother and his brother Karou will totally lose their heads the moment they find out he became life partners with a dragon. It's one thing to befriend the spouses of the kings, becoming sort of like a master to the winged beast is another.

Furihata feels a strong sense of victory when he returns to King Aomine's dark and ominous castle with a river dragon in a tow. The guards standing in front of the large entranceway looked so confused and downright scared at the sight of it. Sir Wakamatsu jumped right in and explained to them that it will not harm them or anyone along with allowing them passage through another gateway on the side of the palace that suits Sirena's large size better. Lady Satsuki was walking by when they entered the castle, she seemed surprised to see a dragon in Touou. Fair enough, he supposes. Mostly because majority of the winged beasts are mountain or forest dragons, not many live in rivers or oceans like Sirena. Her magenta eyes scan his own auburn ones as if asking permission for something. Oh, she wants to touch it. He gives her a smile to wordlessly tell her that it's okay to pet the dragon. When she did, her face lit up and broke into a large smile that overtook half of her pretty face. Great, at least she likes it. He's not really sure how her husband will react though. The pinkette reassured him that she's going to make sure that he won't get angry at the sight of the dragon and she'll keep him from trying to kill it too. His wish was granted the next day when a mildly annoyed King Aomine told him that he could have Sirena within the palace, but has to take care of it. Of course he will, no one else will do it. Oh well, Akashi can deal with having Sirena around for the rest of his days. The brunette then decides to write letters about this along with the presents he bought to his family.

Dear Mama,

I am in the kingdom of Touou right now! It's so beautiful here and so colorful too! You would love it, I know Nii-San would as well. I got you a present in the market place there and it's very pretty. It wasn't very pricey, but I thought you would like it. Can you believe such a gorgeous necklace is only made out of shells and pearls? Anyways, I'm doing very well now. King Aomine and his wife, Lady Satsuki have been very nice to me since we came here. Seijuurou-San has been busy with helping King Aomine out with some stuff, but Lady Satsuki and I keep each other company. Also, don't get mad, but I became a life partner of a river dragon. It's very pretty and mysterious, its name is Sirena. Don't worry, Sirena won't hurt me and I like it very much. Say hi to the book club ladies for me! I love you!
Love, Kouki

To Nii-San,

Hey stranger, it's been a while! I'm in Touou and it's really great! There's lots of beaches and a market place full of stuff. If you decide to settle down, maybe you should bring your spouse here for a honeymoon. I have been getting closer to Lady Satsuki, the wife of King Aomine. She makes me a little anxious since she stares at me like she can see my soul, but she's really nice! The palace is super dark and creepy while the island is pretty and colorful! Weird, huh? Anyways, I got you a dragger holder at the market place here since I know you've been wanting one for a while. Also, I became a life partner to a dragon. It's a river one named Sirena, it likes to get scratched underneath its gills. I've been doing a lot better these days, but I still miss you guys! Hopefully, I see you again!

From, Kouki

Emperor Akashi Seijuurou can tolerate many things. Being told he was not perfect from his impossible and stubborn grandfather, getting taught strictly how to rule a kingdom from his father, taking over the Teiko Empire at a very young age, becoming an emperor of a dynasty he wasn't fully prepared for, letting Tetsuya go just for him to marry some grubby commoner, handing out fresh laws that are much more reasonable for his people and even marrying someone he doesn't actually care about. But, what he can't tolerate is his husband showing him some vile dragon he saved in one of the forests in Touou. What on earth is Kouki doing? This is not some game that he is playing here. He can feel some annoyance and a large amount of impatience unpleasantly gnawing at the back of his throat when the brunette happily showed him Sirena, a river dragon he rescued from a trap with the help of Sir Wakamatsu. How did this happen? The dragon speaker was meant to be kept in the dungeons, hidden from sight, where no one can see him. The only exception he made was when the other kings came to visit. But, Kouki was meant to be put back into the prison when they leave. His plans were foiled in the form of Aomine Daiki who asked him to come with him to Touou for some help in reforming some of his laws and routing out new sea routes for trade. So, he made an exception once again for his husband by allowing him to accompany him on the journey. He noticed the way the shivering, sniveling brunette talked more to Satsuki than to either of them. That suited him fine, he does not need anyone. After the aching hurt Tetsuya left him by falling in love with that god forsaken Kagami Taiga, even now the name leaves a dark burn in his heart, he realizes he does not need companionship or love to be on top of the world. Seijuurou does not need anyone or anything, there is no such thing as happiness for him.

He finds himself perfectly fine with that.

Being feared, not loved.

He can do everything just fine on his own. He has been ever since his dearest mother passed away when he was very young. All he could remember was her gentle, loving smile when she held him in her arms. Her scarlet red hair that he inherited. And, the subtle smell of camellia blossoms since she always spent most of her time in the royal gardens and it was also her favorite flower. Seijuurou does not fully comprehend why in the world he would give her hair clip to someone he barely knows. It did look rather…nice on Kouki, he can admit to that. That's besides the point. But, when he showed up with that creature, he cannot begin to understand why he accepted their new life partnership so easily. For the very first time since they have been married, he finally knows what his husband looks like when he's really happy. An excited grin bloomed on his face, threatening to spilt it in half from how wide it is. A rosy flush formed on his cheeks, his auburn eyes sparkled in a rich honey color that it nearly made his entire being turn completely upside down. He ignores it, that smile means nothing. Kouki is just someone he married because he could speak to the ancient winged beasts, there is no passion or love between them. Sometime later in the night when the brunette brought in the dragon, he catches his husband looking out the window of the bedroom they are resting in. He's intently watching Sirena float silently on the water asleep at the lake inside the Touou palace gardens. A thorny, evil feeling overtook him within that moment. Seijuurou hurts him, more deeply and violently than ever before. Auburn irises flash with that familiar emotion that he has become quite friendly with over the years he's been emperor: fear. He takes his hands off of Kouki as if he burned him and went off the sleep while trying to ignore the soft cries of his husband. He takes notice of a glimmering object that the brunette was clasping in his hand earlier, with a claim that it was a gift for him. No one gave Seijuurou presents...that was not something people did. It as a beautiful rose quartz brooch, it's soft pink mist swirling within the gem. Such a magnificent thing, it almost weakened his heart at the thought that Kouki went out of his way to choose this gift for him…a tyrant. None of that is important anymore, the brooch is completely wasted on a man like dictator Emperor Akashi Seijuurou.

It does not matter anymore, he does not love Kouki.

After all, it had always been Seijuurou alone against the world.

To Be Continued