It was an abysmal struggle for Minha to keep Hayate calm throughout the next day. He kept wanting to attack the few idiotic men who got too close to her and kept saying he wanted Hiroto dead. Minha was not sure how she felt about that feeling. The ceremony making Hayate VIII the the Gunju, the first in command on the clan leadership, Minha the Gunjuneun, the second in command of clan leadership, and his boy cousin Jiro the Doje, the third in command of the clan leadership. The ceremony was made difficult because they had to keep the men from the clan at a distance from Hayate VIII. Minha felt uncomfortable through out the ceremony. She had wanted the power yes, but it was too much, too soon. It should have been one of the best days of her life. She had not expected to have such power for years. Both her and Hayate VIII likely need months or even years for them to watch Hayate VII's leadership and learn from him before he died. To have all that had happened seemed like hell for Minha and was likely an even worse hell for Hayate VIII. They managed to get through it with any hiccups thankfully.
Then tragedy had struck again for them. Hayate VII had killed himself the day after the ceremony, driving Hayate VIII into a terrifying rage followed by an equally terrifying depression. Minha struggled with him daily just to get him to take care of himself when all he wanted to do was sleep and be alone, so getting him to step up and lead the clan was impossible. The best she could do to get him to make decisions was to bother him until he gave her some semblance of an answer to a problem. Mainly he told her to do whatever she wanted. By virtue of being his mate, she was essentially forced to lead the clan two nights after he had mate claimed her. It was either she lead or Jiro, who was too young and dealing with his own depression at his uncle's suicide, to lead. She could not put that pressure on such a child when just because she did not want to do it. It was her or no one at this point. There was no other definitive person after Jiro in the clan who could lead. It was a mad whirlwind of events. Her father was no help, trying to pressure her into doing what he wanted done rather what Hayate VIII or she herself wanted done. Yasha helped with what he could, mainly trying to care for Hayate VIII, to help share her burden. When it seemed like it could not get any worse, Mukuro showed up four weeks from when he and Hayate VII made the blood bond treaty on the dot.
Mukuro came in through the main gate, unchallenged. All the clan knew he was coming and to let him come to the castle unharmed as he was considered under Minha's protection because of the blood bond made with Hayate VII. All those who crossed his path realized just how powerful and dangerous he was. He waited in the presence chamber for Hayate VIII to meet with him in his father's place with what seemed like a great deal of impatience. He warned that if he waited more than a half hour, he would start killing the first people he came across until he was met with.
Minha was with her father and brother when a servant informed of Mukuro's arrival and request to meet with Hayate VIII, much to her own terror. She felt like she would rather face Raizen, the murderer of her ancestors, then Mukuro. Or Yomi instead of Mukuro for that matter. Mukuro had the reputation for being the cruelest of all three.
"This has gone on far long enough," Hiroto told her after the servant had left. "Get him up and out of bed. Mukuro might take as an insult and attack the clan if he doesn't meet with him."
Minha felt panicky, looking up at Yasha pleadingly. "I can't," she whined. "I've tried."
"You're not trying hard enough," Hiroto scolded her, making to strike her.
Yasha stepped between them and took the blow instead. "Give her a break. He's grieving. All this has happened too fast for him."
"If you can't get him up, then you'll have to go in his place Gunjuneun," he bit harshly at the last word.
She shook at very idea in fear. "Yasha?" she whimpered.
Yasha took her hand and they went into Minha and Hayate's bedroom. He was still laying in the bed asleep. She dropped her hold on Yasha's hand and moved over to Hayate, shaking his shoulder until he woke up. "Leave me alone," he huffed at her.
She bit her lip and looked at Yasha, shaking her head. She knew Hayate would not even listen to her when he started off huffing at her. Yasha came over to stand behind her, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Hayate, you need to get up. Mukuro's here for the formal treaty. You must meet with him." Hayate rolled away from them, uncaring. "Get up. You're the Gunju. He'll start killing people soon if you don't. Making your father's actions pointless."
Minha put a steadying hand on his hand on her shoulder. "Too harsh. You're too harsh." Hayate continued to ignore them. "Hayate, please," she pleaded for real. "I can't do this. It's too much pressure," she took a deep breath to keep her voice from going any higher pitched. "I need you. The clan needs you." He had not even bothered to respond to her. "Please," she said, shaking his arm. He took her hand off of his and continued ignoring them. She looked up to Yasha, shaking her head. She led the way out of the room.
Once she and Yasha had left the room, she threw herself into Yasha's arms, shaking. She felt grateful their father was no longer around. "You can do this. You have to," he comforted her.
She shook her head. "I can't. I just can't."
"If you don't, Jiro will have to. He'd practically eat Jiro for breakfast."
She gripped his tunic top in the balls of her fists. She could not let Jiro do it, no matter what. The boy was too weak and who knows what Mukuro would do to him. She had to protect him. "Please go with me," she begged. "As an adviser. I can't face him alone," she whined.
He put his arms around her tightly. "If he'll let me." He let her go, pulling off his gloves and then her gloves while explaining suggestively "if we can, one of use needs to get our hands on him." She bit her lip, nodding. "You can do this. Just don't get mean or snappy. Be respectful. Be submissive even. And mind your tongue." She nodded again. Together, both walked down the hall, passed Hiroto with a begrudging nod each, and to the presence chamber to meet with Mukuro.
Yasha opened the door carefully and Minha took a steadying breath, trying to fake confidence as entered the room regally, Yasha falling in step behind her. When she reached the low table Mukuro was kneeling in front of, she stopped and went down to kneel across from him and bowed to him deeply. Yasha came down next to do and repeated her gestures. She raised her torso up and pressed her shaking hands hard into her legs to help steady them. She looked at Mukuro and noticed he had no skin showing, so either one of them touching him and either blessing him or taking control of his will was out. She looked at the table, noticing that Mukuro had already been served tea and a few samplings of food. The tea and food sat on the left side of the table and paper, brushes, ink, and a small knife were sat on the right. He had left everything untouched.
"Who are you?" Mukuro asked in his deep, electric sound voice that sent involuntary shivers down Minha's spin as he stared at her. The voice sound unnatural for a man. It was unnerving that she could only see one of his eyes under his lens, bandages, and scrolls.
Minha forced herself to look him in the eye and answered "Minha, the Gunjuneun. Hayate, the Gunju's mate."
"That old man took quite a young mate. The bite on your neck looks like he did it recently," Mukuro responded, tilting his head to get a better look at her neck. The gesture seemed slightly unmasculine to Minha. Minha resisted the urge to cover her mate bite from Hayate VIII.
She swallowed thickly. "The gunju you fought with is dead," she said, trying not to let her emotions into her voice. "His eldest son is now gunju." She paused and added in "sir."
"Then where is he?" Mukuro asked harshly, hand slamming down on the table. Minha flinched and felt Yasha next to her do the same.
When there was too long of a silence, Yasha spoke. "Sir, he is unwell. In times such as these, the Gunjuneun can step up and take the Gunju's place in anything he or she needs of them. He or she is second in command of the clan so long as his or her mate is still alive. Please understand the treaty you make with her is equal to any treaty you make with the Gunju," he explained truthfully.
"This clan has strange politics," Mukuro commented. "Putting such trust in a mate. Even if she does look like demon royalty. Even you both do. Raizen must have missed one." Minha gave a small gasp at the comments. "So if she's the one who parley's with me, then why are you here boy?"
"Sir, I am here as her adviser. If her mate was here, he would be sitting in front of you with her as his adviser," he lied. In reality, the gunju would meet with someone like Mukuro alone, no mate or adviser would be necessary. Yasha was just trying to convince Mukuro to let him stay because Minha did not want to be alone with Mukuro. Minha looked at Yasha nervously, praying he would get to stay with them. She could not begin to imagine what would happen if Yasha was not here.
Mukuro pointed to the door. "Leave boy," he ordered. Minha shook her head, feeling like she was having trouble breathing.
"Sir, this is how we do politics here-" Yasha began to counter.
"You're lying," Mukuro accused him, pounding his fist on the table. Minha struggled not to let herself cower before the man who defeated Ran, Hayate VII, and the others with ease. "Get out." Yasha hesitated, trying to think how to convince Mukuro to let him stay. "Get out or she dies," Mukuro threatened. "And then your gunju will have to meet with me, sick as he must be to put someone like her in front of me."
Yasha stood up slowly and unwillingly. "No," Minha whimpered before she could stop herself. She watched him walk towards the door, unable to take his eyes off of him, shaking her head. She turned her head away from him and looked down at her hands on her knees, willing them to stay still. When the door shut behind him, she closed her eyes and gave a small whine. 'I can't do this. I wanted power, but not in this much or in this way.' She willed herself to look up at Mukuro, blinking away at the building wetness in her eyes. She hated the man before her. Hated Yasha for leaving her alone with him. Hated Hayate for not facing him like he was supposed to. Hated that she could not bring herself to let Jiro face him instead. "I'm sorry for that Lord Mukuro. He meant you no insult. I asked him to be here with me." She bowed her body low, trying to pacify Mukuro. To take her eyes off of Mukuro now made terror swell up in her as if to choke her. She sat back up, straight backed. "Would you like to begin sir?" she asked submissively, nodding towards the papers, ink, and brushes.
"I'll decide when we start girl," Mukuro snapped at her. Minha looked steadily at him, resisting the temptation to bicker with him. She passive observed his body language and noticed he seemed slighter and curvier than his clothes made him out to be. After five long minutes passed, Mukuro finally spoke "let's begin," as he picked up a piece of paper and put it in front of him. He then picked up a brush and dipped it into the ink.
Mukuro wrote the treaty as they discussed, with Minha conceding with most of his demands, not wanting to risk arguing with him in case he got too upset with her and killed her and went after everyone else. It was a terrifying idea for her to be the clans' last line of defense against Mukuro. It seemed like Mukuro was just making the Hayato clan would not be able to ally with Yomi primarily. Minha gathered that Mukuro felt Yomi was a bigger threat to his kingship claim on the Demon World. It must have been true that Raizen would not do much more than maintain his hold on roughly a third of the Demon World. She wondered what would happen if Raizen lost his hold on the Demon World, destroying the war's balance, and it would be left to Yomi and Mukuro to fight for control. The only point Minha could manage to keep out of the treaty completely was that if the war did escalate, that the clan would not go to war with Mukuro, arguing the clan would remain neutral in those kinds of conflicts. Once the treaty was done, both looked through it, Minha trying to do so as carefully as she could, so to insure Mukuro had not slipped in anything she had not agreed to. Surprisingly, everything they had agreed on was in the treaty and nothing else. Once that was done, Mukuro wrote a second identical treaty.
When Minha was done reading over the second treaty, she set it and the first treaty down before Mukuro, words first. "My Lord," she said tensely, picking up the small knife and holding it out in her palm. "Would you like to sign first or should I?"
Mukuro took the knife from her hand and quickly cut it along her index finger. Minha wince and gasped at the pain. She resisted the temptation to heal the cut immediately like she usually would whenever she was injured. Mukuro grabbed her wrist so she could not move her hand away. He turned the treaty around to face Minha. "You can sign first," he said. Minha looked at his hands briefly, noticing a fraction of a gap between his gloves and his sleeve where his skin was exposed. She was tempted to grab for it and give him a curse to die, but decided against it as it was too risky. If she messed it up, he might kill her for being so impetuous. When Mukuro let her wrist go, Minha brought her finger down and signed both treaties in blood. She turned the treaties to face Mukuro and then healed the cut on her own finger.
Mukuro slashed his own index finger through his glove, signing the treaties next. "A healer," he commented, holding out his finger to her to be healed. "I could tell you're not a fighter, but a healer has her uses."
Minha healed him unwillingly, wishing that he had taken his gloves off and then she could have tried to curse him before he could stop her. His hand seemed slim under his glove.
Mukuro took his hand back, gave a soft laugh, picked up one of the treaties, picked the knife up, and stood up. Minha hesitated and then bowed to him. Mukuro took a few steps over to her and stood over her. Minha looked up at him curiously. "How is it you birds show your courage? Outwardly?"
"The length of our hair my lord," she responded evenly. She wondered what Mukuro must think of such a cultural norm, but would not risk asking it. She swallowed thickly, eyeing the knife Mukuro held in his hand nervously. He was fiddling with it in a haphazard manner.
"From what my spies have told me, your old leader was named a coward for surrendering to me. Your council had him cut his hair to prove he was a coward. And then he killed himself in shame. I wonder if anyone will see you signing a treaty with me as equally cowardly." Minha could not take her eyes off the knife in his hand, scared at what he might do. "Let's save them the hassle, shall we?" he asked before twisting his hand around her hair at the base of her neck.
"Please no," Minha entreated him before he drew knife across the back of her neck, removing her most of her hair and cutting the back of her neck. Mukuro dropped her cut hair in front of her on the table with a cruel laugh. Minha looked away from him,trying to will herself not to cry in front of him as she stared at the locks of her own hair in front of her. She brought her hand back to her neck and healed the cut there. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold back her desire to yell at him and to cry in front of him.
"I can't wait to meet the hostage you send to me. Be sure they're not a coward like you."