Castles in the Air
Every cloud has a silver lining
Title: Castles in the Air
Author: Kanata Saionji.
Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Family
Story Line: Is it possible for love to sprout after you get married? And what if your partner for life is a completely different personality with dreams of their own? What if all this happens in Royalty? What if a deadline is given for your dreams? What if…? What if…? Why don't we play this "What if?" game with our most favorite pair—Kanata Saionji and Miyu Kouzuki—in this fantasy filled adventure set in the 12th century?
Disclaimer: The Author does not own the characters. Everything is the sole property of whomsoever it was created by. However the story, in the general version, belongs to the Author.
Story…
Episode 10
The King Falls Sick
The spring was closing in on the Saionji Kingdom and the entire Kingdom looked alive in its morning works. Workers and pedestrians were out on the streets opening their shops and women, busy with their children and their household jobs. The Palace, standing in the middle of the kingdom with its many turrets and towers gleamed in the morning sunlight. Its many windows were opened letting the sun shower its greatness not only at the outside, but also into the castle as well.
But inside the castle, in a room of the greatest grandeur and beauty slept an even beautiful blonde on the azure covered bed with her hair spread throughout the bed. She opened her emerald eyes and surveyed the room. She yawned and stretched whilst getting into a sitting position on the bed. She looked around the room and her heart sank a little seeing that it was empty of any other living soul except her. She got up from the bed and looking around, sighed.
Just as she was about to get into the bathroom, she heard the door open behind her. Without looking back, with a small smile she said, 'how many times do I have to tell you to knock—uh Nozomu?'
The blonde with one of his hands rested on the door knob, said with a small smile, 'I'm really sorry… I thought that you might be asleep… and just for the record, I don't remember you saying anything about knocking to me…'
'That… its Kanata… he always enters without knocking,' said Miyu shrugging. Nozomu smiled and proceeded towards the drawers going, 'I was asked to pick up a few papers of Kanata's…'
This surprised Miyu a great deal. Kanata almost never lets anybody do a work for him. That's so unlike him. She looked at Nozomu confused and a little worried. Her feelings must have shown on her face because Nozomu said, 'don't worry, there's nothing wrong with Kanata,' and with a small shrug of his shoulders said, 'at least not yet…'
He turned to move when her voice stopped him, 'is he planning to eat or sleep at all?'
Nozomu turned and gave her an uncertain look and said, 'I really have no idea… Mikan's really worried. She tells him to get some sleep but he hasn't slept like in two to three days. The last time I remember, he was forced into the bed by Mikan when you were out at Kunimitsu-sensei's class'
Miyu nodded. But that still doesn't explain why he's doing this. She gave Nozomu an assuring smile with which he left the blonde alone in the room again. She went into the bathroom and after nearly a quarter of an hour later returned clean, but not happy. She changed into her uniform dress. Yes, Tezuka had to introduce a uniform for the three for their classes. It included a sky-blue shirt with black borders and long white skirt which reached below her elbows. Miyu sighed looking at her reflection.
'I look like a school kid,' she muttered to herself.
After combing her hair for another five minutes, she got out into the corridor with her books and some papers in her arms. She was not at all happy about going to Kunimitsu's class after he had docked off nearly twenty points from her just because twenty of the letters that he had given her was not answered. She could still remember the session in her mind, vividly.
'Good…,' Tezuka said eyeing her replies from behind his spectacles. Miyu flushed with pride. Nanami and Aya were giving her cheerful looks and then Tezuka spoke again, 'I'll give you twenty-five points for all the replied you gave'.
'That places me in the positive line,' thought Miyu but her heart dropped when Tezuka said, 'but since you failed to answer to twenty other letters, I'll dock off one point for every letter that you didn't reply to. So, where does that put Kouzuki, Tenchi?'
'Um…' stuttered Nanami standing up and referring to a note and after a thought said with a low tone, 'nine points sir… negative'
'But I answered to nearly 2956 letters… I didn't even sleep all night…,' protested Miyu standing up. Tezuka just gave her a serene look and replied with his eyes closed, 'it's easy to give happiness to someone, but really difficult to make a person, saddened by you, happy'.
Miyu sighed as she walked along the flower beds marching towards the Internal Affairs Ministry. She walked with her eyes on the ground and her mind in the clouds. She had never felt so uneasy and lost in her life. As she thought about it, getting married to the Prince hadn't been bad, but getting to be Tezuka Kunimitsu's intern wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. Well, being the Queen wasn't a walk in the park as well, especially to a person like Kanata, who was really difficult to read and understand.
She still didn't understand why he was trying to avoid sleeping in the same room as her. It's not as though she didn't have any guesses. She had made the ridiculous of the guesses as to why he wasn't willing to share a room with her. The most ridiculous of that was: he was allergic to long hair. Miyu still chuckled when she thought of why on earth she wondered something like that. Finally deciding that he just wasn't ready to share a room with a girl, she contended herself.
'Why am I even wasting my time thinking about all this?' thought Miyu, shaking her head, 'I have enough on my plate already with Kunimitsu asking me to reply to at least twenty useless letters, seeking for advice or fan-mail for that "Ooh!-He's-too-Handsome" Kanata…. Kanata… what's wrong with you? Ugh! Whatever I think, I end up with him in my head! Bad thoughts Miyu! Bad thoughts!'
She slowed down and finally stopped right before the office to the Internal Affairs Ministry. She looked down and with a determined look in her eyes muttered under the breath, 'Miyu, you are a nice person, that's why you are worried about the King and not for any other reason… well, acting as a third person with no personal interest in the matter, I'll just drop by his study and see what's getting him to skip sleep all these days…'
'Achoo!' sneezed a brunette from behind his study which was almost completely covered by papers with official signs on it. He had a handsome face with shaggy and unkempt brunette hair and once-very-sharp auburn eyes were now dazed and unfocused. His face, especially his nose, was deep red and looked as though one good squeeze with finish his face off.
As another sneeze found its way into his nose, he shook his head violently as though trying to shake his fever off. He never succeeded of course. He grabbed hold of some papers and going through them found it really hard to keep focus. He knew he was trying too hard and he knew that he was never going to live if this keeps on, but the fact still remains that he just refuses to go to sleep, especially in the same room as her.
'Achoo!' he sneezed again, making a couple of papers on the desk fly about and land all around the already messed up study of his. Just then, the door to his room opened and a purple head entered, closely followed by a blonde teen, looking at him maliciously. Kanata gave her one look and tried to return to his work but—
'What on Earth are you trying to do KANATA SAIONJI!' shouted Mikan placing her right hand forcibly on the table making some more papers fly out of their place. Kanata looked up at her and bending to his work again muttered in an oddly heavy voice, 'doing my job of course…'
Mikan glowered at him and said in a slightly lower voice, 'Kanata, I think that you're pushing yourself too hard'.
'Then, stop thinking,' was his reply. This greatly pissed the "Arts and Literature" Minister off.
'If you carry on like this,' she said with her hands at her hips, 'the kingdom will just have to function without the King'.
Kanata looked up at her and said in the same heavy voice which seemed to have lost the confidence and warmth that his usual voice has, 'I have to finish all these works… that good-for-nothing old man just left everything hanging before he left… I can't really believe he was at all responsible'.
'Just give yourself a break! At the least,' urged Mikan and with a softer tone added, 'go to bed Kanata'.
Kanata simply shook his head. Mikan looked back at Nozomu who shrugged. Then, Nozomu smiled and placing his hands lightly on the table said to Kanata, 'hey Kanata…' Kanata looked up at him and Nozomu continued with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, 'your wife is really worried… at least for her sake, get some sleep'.
Kanata smirked, which in his present condition turned out just like a small smile, though strained not at all giving the effect he would've wanted. He shifted in his place and bending down and only half-concentrated in his work muttered in a voice that was barely audible, 'she should worry about herself… it's because of her I'm in this state…'
'Excuse me…' said Nozomu bending towards Kanata, 'I didn't quite catch the last few words…'
'Achoo!' Kanata sneezed throwing back a little. He looked a little shaken but not as much a Mikan, who had worry lines all over her face. She got near to Kanata and attempted to touch his forehead, to see how bad it was.
'Don't touch me, Mikan!' he exclaimed before she even attempted to place her hand on his forehead. She looked irritated and said, 'you are impossible… your wife will be able to solve this'.
Kanata scoffed and said, 'you've been the mean old governess of me for nearly fifteen years and a silly little girl, whom I know only for a couple of weeks will be able to do a better job than you?'
Mikan smirked and said, 'we'll see about it when she actually gets here'. Then, with a swish of her robes, she left the room leaving a bewildered Nozomu and a very sick Kanata alone. Nozomu looked at Kanata shrugging and turned to leave when Kanata actually spoke and what he asked made Nozomu sure that Mikan might just win.
'Was she really worried?'
'Wha—what did you just say?' asked Nozomu turning to see Kanata turn a little redder, which he was sure, had nothing to do with his fever. Kanata turned and with a shrug of his shoulders said, 'nothing… nothing at all…'
A few minutes later, Mikan and Miyu were standing outside the King's study and looked like the two were having a slightly heated conversation. Mikan who was already head over heals over Kanata's health, looked like she would burst any moment.
'You're not making any sense Miyu!' she was shouting at the sixteen year old blonde.
'You said, he wasn't even letting you touch him,' said Miyu, 'and how could you actually think that he would let me?'
'Ugh!' shouted Mikan and pushed both her hands in her hair and looked like she was going to burst any moment. Miyu looked at her shocked and then Mikan calmed down, finally.
She took a deep breath and said in a calm voice, 'look here Miyu…'
Miyu looked up at her and staring right into her eyes, Mikan continued, 'Kanata… he's an impossible kid… I was only seven years old when his mother passed away and left him with me. He was just two and he had no idea why his mother was taken away and buried. He never cried and the reason was simple: he just didn't understand. He never understands anything, especially if it happens to him'.
Miyu looked at Mikan with her eyes screwed and thought, 'where is she going with this?'
Mikan was continuing and something about the way she told it made Miyu kind of feel that it might be true, 'he never understands… when he was ten, he had Claret Fever, you know the one that almost everyone should have had at least once in their lifetime?'
Miyu nodded. Yes, there was such a fever. But, unfortunately or fortunately, she had never had it. She had read that the fever lasts for exactly twenty four hours and if it doesn't disperse after that period, then it means that its there to stay for at least another two months or even more. The fever, just like any other fever, renders the person unable to stand without support, eat without help, hold anything that's too heavy or try to think complicated stuff. The only thing that the person would be able to do without a problem or any help from others is: sleep.
'Actually, we didn't even know that he had that fever…' continued Mikan and Miyu could've sworn that her eyes looked a little watery, 'we let him ride his horse and do whatever he wanted like any other day and then late that evening, he was brought home by the guards saying that he collapsed somewhere and his horse Sandy had dragged him to a home in the Kingdom…'
Miyu's eyes slightly widened. 'What the…?'
'His fever, without ending with the twenty four hours, extended for nearly three months and each and every day looked worse than the day before,' she said, 'he would end up doing something stupid… especially if he wants to help someone… he just doesn't understand that his health is also important… he's just so…'
A tear dropped down Miyu's cheeks as she saw Mikan breaking down. Miyu patted Mikan's shoulders lightly and said with a determined look in her face, 'I'll get him to bed, if it's the last thing I do!'
'Achoo!' Kanata sneezed again just in time as the doors to his study opened and the Queen entered closely followed by Mikan. Nozomu smirked and Kanata raised his eyebrows and the former left the room with a small bow to all the three present in the room.
'What do you—Hey? Hey! Get your hands off of me!'
Well, I would be a little confused too if I had heard that. Just so you know, as Kanata had started to speak, Miyu had seized hold of his front robe and pulled him from behind the table and had dragged him to the middle of the room, with all the papers on the ground. Kanata looked sorer than before and he was unable to stand steadily.
'Kanata, are you nuts?' asked Miyu finally letting her hands off from Kanata's robes, but that proved fatally wrong as he staggered to stand still. He finally found enough ground and said in a hoarse voice, 'I'm fine… just go, Miyu…'
Miyu breathed down on him like a mini hippo and finally sighing said, 'I never wanted to resort to such methods, but you leave me no choice, Kanata…' Kanata looked at her confusedly as she clapped her hands and two well-built guards entered the room. Kanata raised his eyebrows as Miyu said to them with a smile, 'could you two just escort the Highness to His room?'
'Hey! Hey! Hey!' exclaimed Kanata as the two guards easily dragged Kanata out of the room and within seconds he found himself being forcibly laid down on his bed. He tried to stand up from the bed but Miyu pushed him back lightly and in his high fever he fell with a small thump.
Mikan smiled at the two and said, 'I'll go get him something to cool off that fever… why don't you, by the time, see how high the fever is, Miyu…' With that, she left, with the two guards following her wake. Miyu looked at Kanata and saw that he had his eyes closed, but definitely not asleep cause his lips were moving in what Miyu remotely guessed as curses directed at her.
She pulled a chair and placing it near the bedside, she sat down. Kanata opened his eyes and said, 'you are such a pain, you know?' She just smiled and extended her hand to touch his forehead but then stopped inches away from his skin.
'He didn't let Mikan touch him,' Miyu thought, 'how would he let me?'
Her right hand just inches away from his forehead, Miyu's emerald eyes lost their focus as thought after thought raced her mind. Her eyes bowed a little and her hand lost their grip and she was about to pull it back to her side when she felt something warm touch it. She looked up and saw that Kanata had leaned forward and actually touched her hand with his forehead.
Miyu lost sense of presence at that exact moment as she saw the brunette looking at her worriedly. He looked at her expectantly and asked, 'is it really bad, Miyu?'
Miyu snapped back to reality. She just realized how much hot his forehead was feeling. She touched his forehead with a tighter grip and a loud 'Oh my god!' escaped her. She stood up straight and screamed, 'you IDIOT! You're burning with fever… you are so stupid!'
Just then, Mikan entered closely followed by none other than Tezuka Kunimitsu himself. Tezuka looked placidly at Kanata and sitting in the chair previously occupied by Miyu, he grabbed hold of Kanata's wrist.
'Let go, Tezuka,' cried Kanata weakly, his eyes closed.
'Shut up,' said Tezuka serenely, making Miyu flinch, 'you've done enough damage already'.
He then touched Kanata's forehead and after a minute of silence, turned to the two women in the room and said thoughtfully, 'it's just normal fever… he's just overworked… or we could simple say that, since he had never been awake all night working for nearly seventeen years, this sudden change had put his body out of order… it wouldn't last long, if you know what to do…'
Mikan and Miyu exchanged looks. Mikan finally sighed and with a smile said, 'well… I, for one, know exactly what to do…'
'You all are gonna ask me to sleep, aren't you?' asked Kanata smiling weakly.
Miyu came forward and pulling the bedspread over him, said with a smile, 'do you even have to ask?'
End Chapter 10
Love
A smile on your lips
Cheers your heart
Keeps you in good humor
Preserves peace in your soul
Beautifies your face
Induces kindly thoughts
Inspires kindly deeds
Love gives itself
It is not bought
A/N: Well, finally I've entered February. That isn't much as I have till December to go. Readers, reviewers and fans, just so you know, every month their will always be something to look forward to. I can always guarantee that.