[I haven't actually read/seen Akatsuki no Yona yet, for those wondering. Also, this chapter has a creepy Maki and if it makes you uncomfortable, just don't read it.]

Chapter Nine

Once Shinya opened his eyes, he couldn't help but smile. Akane was curled against him, legs twisted up in his own, her head resting at an angle along the bottom half of his shoulder whilst her cheek was pressed against his chest. The entire length of her body was melded into his own. He frowned slightly at the fact he had forgotten to put a sheet over the two of them, but since she wasn't shivering, it must have been okay. Next to him, her face was contented and peaceful, even, her left arm flung over his chest so it rose and fell with each breath he took, while her right arm was awkwardly stuck between their bodies before wrapping around her abdomen, just beneath her breasts.

His eyes stopped in their 'Akane appreciation', and lingered on her breasts for a little longer than was necessary. He raised an arm from around her to skim his fingers on her skin. She was beautiful. If anything was perfect she had to be it. He pressed a finger against her nipple before pulling away and watching it harden of its own accord. He looked away again with a sigh- hopefully he hadn't been too rough with her nearing the end of their activities the previous night. Surely if he had, she would have said something without pleasure lacing every syllable. Seeing how she hadn't, he guessed not.

Just remembering all those different moans with their frequency and varying amount of pleasure that kept raising with each following action were enough to make his head spin again. Little gasps, her breath going short for a moment, even her whines of frustration- he'd heard them all with her mouth positioned directly next to his ear. He'd done that on purpose. There had been a little mewl, if memory served, since he'd felt her nails biting into his back as her body trembled against him. The amount of times he'd imagined having Akane beneath him, calling his name, didn't come close to the real experience.

Bringing his hands up, he ran his fingers over her face, watching her eyelids flicker for a second. He leant down to kiss her forehead as her eyes finally opened to look at him fully. Her face broke into an expression of joy, her eyes shining up at him. "Good morning, Shinya!" her voice came out soft, as she stretched. His grip along her waist tightened, making her press closer to him, and he moved a leg over her own when it started to slip from him.

"Morning, beautiful."

"Huh?" Akane's shoulders rolled back and she visibly flinched, but her arms settled back onto the bed, and grinned almost childishly at the compliment. "Oh, that's me." She raised a hand to wrap along the back of his neck, her face turning up, and he leaned down to kiss her softly.

Shinya pulled away soon after the simple kiss, knowing if he continued he wouldn't be able to stop and would be doing something more than a gentle touch. Her body being naked and pressed against his wasn't helping either, as much as he liked the sensation of Akane being close to him. He used the excuse of her flinching as a distraction. "Are you okay?" he traced a finger down her shoulder to her hand, the same one he had kissed last night.

"Hm," she pondered his question, before smiling, "I feel fine!" She blushed and looked away. "Actually, I still feel pretty great." He smirked at that comment, despite already knowing that she had enjoyed it- hearing her saying made her feel so much better. "I am a little sore though- I don't usually sleep on my side."

He sat up, pulling her with him. "Turn around." She complied, trusting him completely. As he set his hands on her shoulder and applied a bit of pressure, she sighed softly. He massaged her shoulders for a few more minutes, before asking, "It was just your shoulders, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," she turned around to face him, but he gently guided her chin to its original position. "Why'd you ask?"

He finally admitted his worries to her. "Was I hurting you at all last night?" When she faced him again, he didn't stop her.

"You were worried about me?" she placed her hands on both sides of his head, and he nodded stiffly in reply. She gripped his shoulders and leant in so her face was inches from his. "I didn't feel anything if you were. I was a bit preoccupied." Their lips connected, and they stayed like that for a few more minutes, and Shinya became aware of her breasts pressing against his chest, and moved his own hand to ghost over the flesh, making her shiver.

He finally distanced them (though it could hardly be called a distance), and told her. "Go take a bath. I'll make us some breakfast, okay? And some of the rose tea you enjoy so much." He slid off the bed with a wink and got dressed in record time, before departing. Otherwise, he would have been pushing into her within minutes, and he didn't want her thinking he was only interested in her for sex. Even if it was really amazing sex.


A stony faced Akane was now glaring up at Makishima, Toko on her right, and a nervous and shaking Hinakawa on her left. In front of her, Sasayama was telling Makishima how he had no interest in helping a woman sworn to another man (when that had been suggested to him, he nearly punched the person who had in the face), and that he had returned her to him, as he was rightfully hers (again, that was one broken nose too close). She gritted her teeth together and scowled at the golden eyed man, who was ignoring Sasayama and was glancing directly at her. Once Makishima had decided he'd heard enough of Sasayama, he silenced him and thanked him for returning 'his beloved Akane' to him- Akane had wanted to punch him in his stupid smug face, or at least wanted Sasayama to.

Her mind flickered back to that breakfast with Kogami, the memory of it giving her enough strength to keep a straight face. That had been a week ago, and she hadn't seen Kogami since the day they had departed Sasayama's palace- whilst she was headed directly to the palace, he had to loop around the back with the remainder of Sasayama's army. The plan had gone ahead, and she knew she had to survive just one day. Just one more day and then she'd safely be in Shinya's arms again.

She blocked out the conversation the two men had, and didn't speak until she was forced to her feet by Sakuya Togane, who was glaring maliciously at Toko and Sho, probably recalling how they were the ones who made him fail in his duty. With a slight sense of alarm, Akane noticed how he had a bandage wrapped the whole way up one of his arms, and prayed to whatever gods still acted in the world that they had been on before her escape. Judging from the state of them, that wasn't likely. She'd protested heavily and loudly, only half-acting, but Makishima had silenced her. "Togane-san, take my dear Akane to my personal quarters. I will be joining you within the hour," he ordered the older man. "Meanwhile, Hinakawa and Kirino can be escorted to the dungeons. Togane will question them later." Akane felt her heart plummet- now Sho and Toko couldn't open the doors for the army! Had… Makishima figured out their plans? If so, his face didn't show it.

Togane dragged her along the corridors, and when she adamantly refused to move, he roughly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her along like that, and the sudden sting made her eyes water dangerously, but she didn't cry. She wouldn't cry. In Makishima's personal lodgings stood Mika, as iron-masked as ever. Togane left them with threats of killing Mika if Akane escaped, and Mika nodded meekly, before glaring down at Akane. "Ugh, you had to go and anger him, didn't you?" she sniffed.

"He killed my parents!" Akane protested.

"And somehow you cried no tears for them," Mika responded with equal ice. "Now, with all due respect, shut up, Princess." Akane was silenced after that, and listened to Mika's complaints. "What did you do to your hair? It's terrible now." She frowned at the cropped style. "Well, there isn't a lot I can do about that now. I suppose you'll have to do." Akane felt calm as she listened to Mika rambling on and on, almost as if she had travelled back in time to before Makishima arrived into her life and ruined everything for her. She tensed up when Mika suddenly stood up straight and glanced steadily at the door, which had now opened. Akane focused on her feet, curling her toes and trying to hide her fear.

"Dismissed, Shimotsuki," Makishima commanded, and Mika hurried the room. Like Kogami, he grabbed Akane's hand and gave it a kiss, before letting it fall by her side again. "Hello, Akane," his tone sounded sadistic, and Akane balled her fists.

She didn't move her head until a switchblade under her chin pushing it up, so she could truly see the terrible expression etched on features. "How I've missed you." He pocketed the knife again, so he had both hands to stroke her face and her hair; Akane shuddered when his cold fingers wrapped around the back of her neck. "Now, I have you, Princess Akane- flower of the Tsunemori clan." He was eye level with her now, his face devoid of any expression other than twisted delight. "Wasn't it such a shame that your poor father didn't have a son?" He was mocking her now- he'd picked up on the fact Emperor Tsunemori had been disappointed about his child's gender. "Alas, he adored his wife too much to remarry or have a mistress on the side, and I suppose I'm thankful to his traditional values- it worked out in my favour, after all." His hand moved from her back of her neck to her throat, where he added a bit of pressure, making breathing harder than it was a few minutes ago. "However… I didn't expect you to be this much of a handful." His grip lessened after that, and went back to stroking her hair, and his tone turned loving, almost. "Having the emperor's daughter in my bed and under my control… isn't that a lovely picture, Akane, darling?"

"You're fucking sick," Akane growled, the need to punch him in the face intensifying. However, she couldn't block the deft slap he laid across her face, forcing her head to one side. Smarting, she turned back to glare at him, and he laid a kiss on her cheek. Her mother used to kiss her injuries, Akane remembered, and she used to say she was kissing it better.

"Now, Akane, that isn't a very nice thing to say, is it?" he smiled gently. "I don't appreciate that kind of language, especially from you. I don't think it will help us work as a team, to be honest." He looked away from her, his hand never once leaving her face. "Well, I shouldn't worry about it too much. You won't be much use to me once you've produced an heir." For a split second, Akane forgot how to breathe, but she kept calm all the same. One day, and then Kogami would come and kill him. "I just want you to be my lovely, wedded wife to show off to the world, but…" he broke off and leant dangerously close to her ear. "Unfortunately, you smell too much like dog." He knew; he definitely knew. Despite the sheer terror that seemed to punch her in gut, externally, she gritted her teeth and glared at him, making him laugh. "Now, rest, my sweet. And smile," he laughed, as if they were talking about anything other than Akane's terrible future. "You'll be my pretty, happy, clever little wife soon- how exciting, no?" He stood up, towering over her. "Just keep in mind, my dear, that it really wouldn't be good for you to try anything funny… unless you want that dog of yours completely out of the picture. And even then, if you continually defy me, I can't make any guarantees about the fate of your friends, your personal bodyguards and your handmaiden. And then, after that, and they're all gone, I suppose the only person left is yourself. And, oh, the things I would love to do you," there seemed to a pale pink smudge across his cheeks. "But, I shan't for now- I do need you to be perfect."

"Perfect for what?" she tried to sound commanding, and in power, but her voice came out as a pathetic whimper.

"Well, when I get around to enjoying you," his golden eyes gazed at her. "Just as Shinya Kogami enjoyed you." Akane felt like being sick. Surely he didn't mean-

He smiled before leaning down, as if he was going to kiss her, but she turned away. He grabbed her head and held her fast, and she felt like sobbing the nearer he got to her. Makishima inwardly laughed with delight when he saw her reaction, knowing that she didn't fear the moment he used his knife against her, but the moment he captures his lips in hers. She did, and good heavens, she hated it. And when he pressed his tongue again her lips, she nearly punched him; however, she kept her lips sealed, until the point he pinched her skin, so she gasped and accidentally opened her mouth. She wanted to spit, to vomit, and to remove him from her system; but he had invaded, touched and tainted every crevice of her mouth. His stench filled her nose and drowned her lungs, and Akane wanted to cry, but didn't- she had been taught not to cry, to not reveal the merest shed of defeat during times of despair. He finally parted from her and pulled her by her collar to her feet, before dragging her to the window.

"Your father tried to keep this kingdom stable, yet I always knew that it was doomed to fall apart, which was a shame for such a prosperous country," he laughed. "Now it all belongs to me." He threw her back in the chair again. "I think you should call me a huge hypocrite, Akane. I want you, and the rest of the world, to have free will, but at the same time, you're all trapped in my cage." He looked to the distance, flicking his knife out again, trailing it over her bare skin, yet not once making the slightest incision. "One day, you will all understand the fear, the fear that drives everything we humans do- even murder." His knife paused at her throat. "In Western society, this is known as Thanatos, which is Greek for 'death'. And I have high hopes for you- I want the Thanatos, the spirit of death and killing, inside you to truly shine." They fell silent for a while, as the blade began to caress her neck, but no blood was spilled. He stopped and lowered the knife, and lovingly stroked her stomach. "I'm sure you'll give birth to a strong heir that'll listen to every single word his father says, and take it as gospel truth…" the razor edge was jabbing at the place where his hand at once been. "If not, I'll kill it, and get another one."

Akane couldn't stop her teeth from chattering together, and she was thankful she was sat down, since she would have collapsed from how hard her legs were trembling. A solitary tear made its way down her cheek and onto Makishima's blade. She knew that all of what he suggested would never come to fruition, but he really did have her terrified in that moment. Any moment now, Shinya would arrive and help her kill this bastard. He stood up after that, the smile never leaving, and headed to the door.

Before he opened it, he cast one more look at Akane, and the sarcasm in his tone was clear to hear. "Sleep well, my pure princess."