The Long Wait Ends
The deep voices of the cheering warriors echoed through the city as they celebrated the end of one age and beginning of another. The joy in their voices stood in stark contrast to the rubble and mangled bodies that littered the streets around them.
After taking in the perplexing scene Yuya exchanged a confused look with Benitora. She noticed a sly smile on Yukimura's face as he stepped forward to speak with the leader of the men surrounding them. Before long a stretcher had been brought for Kyo's unconscious form and they were escorted to an opulent suite of rooms in the central palace. When they started to carry Kyo inside the servants objected, looking shocked and dismayed.
"What's the problem?" Hotaru asked.
"The king can't stay in a room for guests. He should be in the royal suite," the man in charge said stiffly.
"By himself? I think not," Yukimura replied, a hint of steel in his voice.
"Are you implying we might hurt him? He is our king!" the man said, clearly offended.
"I'll keep watch, I'm not injured badly," Sasuke said. Yukimura gave a slight nod of approval.
"Thanks Sasuke," Yuya said gratefully.
The young ninja followed the men who carried Kyo down a long hallway while the rest entered the room designated for them. Yuya turned to the rest of the companions and quickly determined that Benitora was in the worst shape and went to his side. After an hour of working she sat back and let out a tired sigh, looking around the room and confirming that she had done everything she could for her friends.
"Here, Yuya, you need to eat," Bontenmaru said, holding out a large plate of food.
She took it, though she had no appetite. The flavors were unfamiliar but quite delicious. Before long the plate was empty and her eyelids were growing heavy. Looking around she noted with some happiness that most of her friends were sleeping soundly. Yukimura sat next to the window with a bottle of sake. He glanced away from the moon, his eyes found Yuya's, and he nodded toward the door.
Yuya felt her cheeks warming but stood, unable to resist the urge to check on Kyo. She found a servant waiting outside the door and asked to be shown to Kyo's room. When her question elicited a blank look she said the king and the woman smiled in understanding. It was down a long series of hallways. The carpets and wall hangings grew more luxurious as they went.
As she progressed through the quiet hallways Yuya couldn't help but remember her words during the fight. She felt her cheeks heating at the realization that she'd voiced the feeling she'd been denying for so long. A worm of fear wriggled in her belly as she wondered how Kyo would react to her when he woke up.
She wasn't sure if he would push her away or try to escape. The thought of him taking a different route made her throat feel suddenly dry. Just as she was re-considering visiting him a large pair of double doors loomed ahead and the attendant told her that they had arrived.
After a moment of hesitation Yuya firmed her will and marched forward resolutely. The door opened to reveal a spacious room with Kyo sleeping in the center on an enormous futon. Sasuke sat beside it and looked up at her as she entered.
"I'll take over. You should make sure Yukimura doesn't drink too much sake with those injuries," Yuya said to the boy.
Sasuke glanced at the serving women standing in the corner and seemed to decide that Yuya could handle them herself. He rose and headed for the door. Yuya walked to Kyo's side and sat. For a moment she just looked at his face. His brows were drawn slightly together in a mildly annoyed expression even when he was sleeping. She noted with approval that someone had removed his blood soaked kimono and wiped clean the skin that wasn't covered in bandages.
Leaning forward she put a hand on his forehead to check his temperature and was surprised when his eyes snapped open. She began to retract her hand but he caught it and pulled, tugging her off balance so that she had to put a hand on the futon next to his shoulder to avoid falling on top of him.
"Kyo! What are you doing?" Yuya said, trying to escape from his grip.
"Something I've wanted to do for a long time," he replied, pulling her inexorably closer.
"W-wait- Stop! You're injured!" she protested, feeling her cheeks burn.
"Not badly enough to stop me," he murmured.
"There are people standing right there, watching us!" Yuya shrilled, managing to pull her hand free to point at the tittering handmaidens.
"Get out," Kyo ordered, not even looking at them.
The maids hurried to the door, one of them giving Yuya an encouraging smile as she closed it behind her. Yuya watched them go, feeling somehow betrayed. Kyo chuckled at her expression and she turned back toward him with a frown, ready to scold him. Before she could begin he had pulled her off balance and rolled on top of her. She was suddenly on her back. Looking down at her, his eyes glimmered in a way she had never seen before.
"Are you afraid? Want to run away?" he asked, his voice low.
Yuya's heart was pounding so hard she didn't trust her voice, so she shook her head. Holding his gaze with her own she put her determination to never run from him into her eyes and hoped it was enough. His lips curled into a smile and she knew that it was.
The fluttering in her belly was consumed by burning heat as his mouth closed over hers. Unlike the time in the ruins this kiss was unhurried, almost leisurely. When he pulled away to look down at her with a fiery gaze Yuya was surprised to note that his breathing was as ragged as her own. But there was no unsteadiness in his hands as they loosened her kimono and began to explore her body. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd felt his touch, but he'd never been so gentle before. All the demanding roughness was gone as he massaged and caressed every inch of her, seemingly as fascinated by the firmness of her muscles as he was by the softness of her curves.
Yuya lost track of time as Kyo's attentions brought wave after wave of pleasure to her. When they had finished he lay on his side, watching her with his lips quirked in a crooked smile. Looking up at him she was struck again by the beauty of his eyes, their color so deep and luminous. She realized for the first time that it wasn't blood that they resembled, but rubies. She felt her heartbeat quicken again at the thought and attempted to distract herself by talking.
"How long?" she asked, tilting her head to one side curiously.
"What are you babbling about?" Kyo replied, his words gruff but his voice warm.
"You said you've been wanting to... um," Yuya cleared her throat nervously and Kyo's smile widened into a grin at her discomfort, "you've been wanting to do that for a long time, you said. How long?" Yuya finished quickly, feeling her face heating with every word.
"If you hadn't acted like such a child when we first met I'd have done it then," Kyo replied without hesitation.
Yuya's eyes widened in outrage and she prepared to let loose a tirade. He stopped it by placing a callused finger on her lips, his eyes smoldering.
"But after the fight with the old man in the forest it grew into something more than casual interest. You knew the worst part of me and you didn't turn away. That was when I started to want you," Kyo said, his fingers caressing her lips before trailing down her jaw to her neck and then working into her hair.
Yuya wasn't sure what surprised her more, the length of time he had been harboring such feelings, or the fact that he actually admitted to having them. She'd never heard him speak so openly before. It left her at a loss for words so she ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
"It took me a lot longer to feel that way about you," she said plainly.
Kyo threw back his head and laughed.
"Because you're such a child," he chortled.
"Not throwing myself at you makes me a child?" Yuya asked, incensed.
"Yeah," Kyo replied with a shrug.
He looked back down at her and his lips twisted into a cocky smile. She could tell from his expression that it had been said without a hint of sarcasm.
"Do you really think that every woman you've met has wanted to be your lover?" Yuya asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. Most of the men too," Kyo replied with an arrogant smirk.
Yuya felt her mouth fall open at the man's unbelievable ego. As she began to unleash a series of insults Kyo stopped her with a kiss. She put a hand on his shoulder and tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. In spite of herself she responded to the touch of his lips. Try as she might she couldn't hold on to her anger, and before long she forgot what it was she was supposed to be angry about.
Benitora woke with a feeling of unease in his chest, looking around the room at the sleeping forms around him. He couldn't see Yuya anywhere and was suddenly reminded of the fact that she was an enemy in this land. Fear banished tiredness and he stood to seek her out, wondering if the smiling servants who had been so accommodating were capable of murder.
He began searching the halls and rooms, not caring if he disturbed people by intruding on them. He had to find her. She had to be there somewhere. Eventually he saw an enormous door being guarded by a pair of men and forced his way past them into Kyo's room.
"Kyo! Yuya's missing..." Benitora's words died on his tongue as his brain processed what he was seeing.
Kyo lounged with his back against the wall drinking sake and looking unusually relaxed. Yuya lay sleeping soundly on his futon, her tousled hair spread around her like a golden curtain and her naked body barely covered by a blanket. Noticing the smug grin spreading across Kyo's face Benitora snapped his mouth shut and slowly turned from the room. As he shut the door behind him it felt like his heart was breaking.
Yuya woke from the best night of sleep she'd had in ages and stretched languidly, wondering where she was. Looking around the chamber she noted unfamiliar decorations of very high quality and idly calculated how much they were worth. It took her a moment longer to realize that she wasn't wearing any clothing and she sat up with her eyes going wide.
"I thought you were going to sleep all day," Kyo said, his voice amused.
She pulled the blanket up to cover herself and he cocked an eyebrow at her.
"What, you're embarrassed now? Last night you-" he cut off as he caught the pillow she lobbed at his face.
She needed to get dressed in order to leave, but that would require letting go of the blanket. Narrowing her eyes she flung it toward him and grabbed her kimono to slip it on quickly. She turned back triumphantly to see him watching her with an annoyed expression.
"You said you weren't going to run away from me," he said, the smugness gone from his voice.
"I'm not," Yuya said with a frown, noticing the tension in his shoulders.
To prove it to herself as much as to him she deliberately walked over to sit next to him.
"Just because I don't want to leave your side doesn't mean I'm going to prance around naked while you leer at me," she said, resting her head against his shoulder.
As she leaned against Kyo she could feel the tension in his muscles ease. His arm slipped around her waist to slide her onto his lap. Wrapped in his embrace Yuya experienced a moment of astonishment that he actually returned her feelings. After all that they had been through, she had never expected this turn of events.
He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up toward his. She let her eyelids slide closed as he kissed her, wondering how a man who was so rough in so many ways could possibly have such soft lips.
Yuya's eyes snapped open when a polite knock on the door was followed almost immediately by its opening. Kyo looked up and tensed as a group of men entered the room.
"Your Majesty, your presence is requested in the royal audience chamber," the leader of the group said.
Yuya recognized him from the gathering the day before. He appeared to be quite high ranking judging by his fine clothing and the respect the others showed him.
"What?" Kyo growled.
Yuya tried to slip off of his lap but his arm tightened around her. She was going to give him an earful later.
"You are the heir to the throne and you are the man who killed the previous king. By both of those standards you are the new ruler," the man said.
"I'm not your king. Go find someone who wants the job," Kyo said, turning his attention back toward Yuya, to her mortification.
"You have to be the new king! The Kingdom of the Sky is doomed without you!" one of the men said.
"I don't care," Kyo growled, starting to get annoyed.
There was a booming laugh just outside the door and a hardened warrior with iron grey hair and a scarred face entered the room. When his eyes fell on Kyo a happy smile broke out across his grizzled features.
"You haven't changed a bit, Young Master. Sorry, it's Your Majesty now, isn't it?" the man said.
"Who are you?" Kyo growled, looking irritated by the familiarity.
"You don't remember me? I'm Hachiun, I was your attendant for six years," the man said, taken aback.
"Don't remember," Kyo said bluntly.
"How is that possible? You were nine when you left, how could you have forgotten everything?" Hachiun said, concerned.
"We both lost our memories of our childhoods. It was probably something that Muramasa did," Yuya volunteered, feeling the need to relieve the man's fear.
"Is that true, your Majesty?" Hachiun asked.
"My earliest memory is waking up in Muramasa's care with a headache," Kyo said, his tone indicating he was not willing to say any more.
"Then there is much you will have to re-learn. You must know your people if you are to lead them," Hachiun said.
"You're not listening. I'm not your king. Now go away, I'm busy," Kyo said, once again turning his focus to Yuya.
"Producing heirs is an important part of your job, but you need to meet your people. They are terrified that with the Crimson King dead our land will fall to the Golden Empire. We need a leader for the coming war," the man insisted.
Yuya's eyes widened and she felt her face going hot at the casual mention of heirs. She hadn't yet considered the implications of Kyo's change in behavior. It surprised her to realize that she didn't object to the thought of having a baby who was a small version of Kyo. Her musing was interrupted by a growl of anger rumbling in his chest. She saw the faces of the gathered men pale as they backed away, all but Hachiun. He crossed his arms and looked down at Kyo with the countenance of a strict parent dealing with a stubborn child.
"You have run away from your responsibilities for long enough," he said firmly.
"Get out," Kyo grated, his tone conveying that he was done with the discussion.
After a long stare Hachiun finally sighed and relented.
"I will tell them to wait until the afternoon, but you must present yourself at some point. Even if it is only to announce your intention to hand the throne over to someone else. You need to help with the transition of power," Hachiun said.
Kyo frowned darkly until the men all left the room. Once they were gone he seemed to push them from his mind entirely as he turned his attention back to Yuya. Her half-hearted protests and attempts at scolding him were ignored as he lifted her up to carry her back to the futon.
An hour later he was sleeping soundly enough for her to slip out of the room. Her first priorities were bathing and eating. She quickly found some servants who showed her to the bathing area. Feeling much better she sought out the rest of her friends to check on their recovery and hopefully share their breakfast. She paused outside the door to take a deep breath and school her face to its usual cheerfulness.
"Morning everyone! I just couldn't drag myself out of bed..." Yuya began brightly, but trailed off as every eye in the room locked on her.
The first thing she noticed was the dark circles under Bontenmaru's eyes. Her mentor gave her a single anguished look and then turned away. Benitora's eyes were red and puffy, as if he had been crying, and he couldn't even look at her. Mahiro sat at his side, rubbing his back comfortingly, she gave Yuya a wryly amused smile.
Tokito was scowling at Yuya with a mix of anger and jealously, her eyes occasionally darting to Akira, who was sitting next to her and failing to pretend that he wasn't devastated. Okuni and Akari openly glared, practically vibrating with envy. Even little Antera was looking disgruntled.
Just as Yuya was starting to feel like she'd turned the entire group of companions against her she noticed Yukimura smiling like a cat with a mouse.
"I bet it was hard to get out of bed this morning," he said with a wink.
Yuya could feel the blush rising in her face and briefly considered running away to hide. Shinrei nodded to a spot at the table, his face impassive, and Hotaru cocked his head to one side as if pondering why she hadn't taken a seat yet. She took a deep breath and marched into the room, doing her best to pretend like nothing had happened.
"Never mind that, how are your wounds doing? Does anyone need their bandages replaced?" she asked, trying to sound businesslike.
"That was already taken care of. The servants here are very accommodating," Yukimura said, seemingly the only one willing to hold a conversation.
"Oh," she said, at a loss for what to do.
Sasuke loaded a plate with food and set it in the empty spot next to him before motioning for Yuya to sit. She smiled at him gratefully as she did so and then hungrily set upon her breakfast.
"Any news about this king business?" Yukimura asked.
"A group of men came to talk to him this morning and he made them go away. He doesn't want to do it," Yuya explained between bites.
"Of course he doesn't, but we can't let him turn them down. This is far too good an opportunity to let it go to waste," the lord replied, a crafty glint in his eye.
Yuya wondered just what sort of schemes the general was cooking up. They hadn't seen any sign of Muramasa and the trail they were following appeared to have gone cold again. She frowned thoughtfully but then jumped when the door burst open to reveal Kyo standing in it with his brows drawn together and mouth turned down in a fierce frown.
"There you are, woman. Who told you that you could sneak out of my bed?"
"What!? I go where I want, when I want, and I don't need anybody's permission!" Yuya retorted, anger momentarily outweighing her embarrassment.
"Don't wander off alone. There are people here who want you dead." His brows remained lowered but his voice moderated to its usual level of gruffness.
"What are you talking about? Everyone's been perfectly nice to me."
"Stupid girl, you're the enemy here."
"Enemy?" Yuya asked skeptically, remembering how excited they all seemed at the prospect of her producing an heir.
"He's right. You're not safe in this place. They've lost their god king and are in turmoil. Their greatest fear is that the Golden Empire will conquer them now. As a child of the Golden Emperor you are a potential threat," Yukimura said.
"But I don't want to have anything to do with him. I don't want anybody go to war," Yuya protested.
"Doesn't matter. You should be very careful until we're out of this land," Yukimura insisted.
"Fine, I'll be careful," Yuya said grudgingly.
Kyo stalked over to her and she watched him apprehensively, wondering what he was planning on doing. He held a bottle of sake out over her lap and let it fall. She dropped her chopsticks and caught it before it could break or spill. He then sat and held out a cup expectantly. Yuya felt her blood beginning to boil at the arrogance of the man.
"You'd better not let that king business go to your head," Yuya said with a glare.
"Ha! I don't give a shit about being a king. I just expect my woman to pour my sake," he said, returning her glare with heat.
"Yours? Since when do I belong to you?"
"Since last night when-" Kyo cut off when her hand clapped over his mouth and she gave him the most furious glower of her entire life.
"Not another word!" Yuya hissed.
His eyebrows raised in surprised amusement as he reached up and pulled her hand away from his face.
"That's the fastest I've ever seen you move. If you could do that in a fight you might not be useless." His patronizing smile was infuriating.
"You make me want to punch you in the face," Yuya told him flatly.
"Try it," he said with a smirk.
"As fun as it is to watch your little lover's quarrel, there are more serious matters we should discuss. This business about you becoming the king isn't something you can just brush off," Yukimura broke in.
Yuya felt her face redden as she remembered that they were in a room with all of their friends. Kyo swung his head around to frown at Yukimura in annoyance.
"Who says I can't? We're going after Muramasa as soon as our wounds are healed," Kyo said.
"So you're perfectly happy with destabilizing one of the most powerful empires in the world? How irresponsible!" Shinrei said disapprovingly.
"Why should I care?" Kyo replied indolently.
"Because it's your fault! If you make a mess you should clean it up!" Shinrei said, his disapproval growing to exasperation.
Kyo leveled a glare at the priest that conveyed his utter contempt for cleaning up messes.
"It's useless, Shinrei. You can't expect an irresponsible scoundrel like him to do the right thing," Bontenmaru said, scowling at Kyo.
Kyo met the large warrior's dark glare with a self-satisfied smile, seemingly enjoying the discomfort he was causing everyone.
"Very few people will do something just because it's the right thing to do. You have to understand what motivates them. In this case Kyo wants to find Muramasa and discourage anyone from attempting to kill Yuya. Both of those things can be accomplished easily if he agrees to accept the role of king for a short while," Yukimura said in the tone of a patient teacher.
"What tricks are you planning, Yukimura?" Kyo said.
"All you have to do is sit on the throne and let Shinrei and me act as your advisors. We'll take care of everything," Yukimura said with a smile.
"Do what you like, I'm leaving here in a week."
"That should be enough time," the lord said pleasantly.
He sat with his head bent next to Shinrei as the two of them went over his plan. They were still talking when the door opened to admit Hachiun, looking around with a worried expression until he saw Kyo.
"There you are, Your Majesty. I was afraid you'd left without a trace again," the grizzled warrior said.
"What is it, old man?" Kyo demanded rudely.
"You must take the throne. Even if it is only to abdicate," he said, looking like he was getting ready for a long lecture.
"He'll do it, but only on the condition that you allow this young man and myself to act as his advisors. Prepare the assembly and we'll be there," Yukimura broke in.
Hachiun blinked in surprise, then looked at Kyo questioningly.
"Just do it," Kyo said, not sounding pleased.
The grizzled warrior bowed to hide a smile and left quickly. Everyone in the room looked at Yukimura and wondered what the cunning lord was planning. As he began to lay out his plan Yuya felt her face turning increasingly red and she noticed deepening scowls on the faces of Bontenmaru and Akira. Benitora was apparently too upset to even engage in the conversation at all.
An hour later as she followed Kyo toward the royal audience chamber she found herself grinding her teeth and wondering just how Yukimura had convinced her to be part of this scheme.
"Remember to smile, that murderous glare will have the opposite effect from what we need," Yukimura bent to murmur in Yuya's ear as they drew close to the chamber.
Yuya gave him a spiteful look and then plastered on her best vapid smile, swearing to get her comeuppance for this humiliation some day. They entered the chamber and proceeded to the raised dais. Kyo flopped onto the throne and beckoned Yuya with an infuriatingly arrogant wave of his hand. She simpered and settled herself in his lap, grinding her teeth as she looked up at him with what she hoped would pass as an adoring expression. Yukimura and Shinrei took up positions on one side of the throne while Hachiun stood on the other.
"Our Divine Prince has returned to us to vanquish his father and claim the throne, all hail our new king!" Hachiun declared in a booming voice.
The men gathered before them roared their acknowledgement, not bowing but instead raising their swords in a salute. Yuya noticed a smug smile growing on Kyo's face and hoped that he wouldn't decide that he liked this ridiculous act. Then she turned her attention back to the crowd and put her mind to the task Yukimura had set for her.
Taking a deep breath and trying to focus in spite of Kyo's wandering hands, Yuya spread her will through the room with the intent of influencing the men there to be amenable to Yukimura's orders. As she did so she could feel the strong will, pride, and independent spirits of the men gathered there and understood immediately that they would be a difficult group of people to influence and lead. She could sense one overwhelming concern that unified them - fear of the Golden Empire and their god king. As the cheering finally died down Yukimura stepped forward.
"As your new King, Kyo's first order is for search parties to be sent out to find the man Muramasa," he declared.
There was a rumble of discussion and Yuya detected a current of approval and encouraged it to grow. She noticed a satisfied look on Hachiun's face and determined to ask him about Muramasa when she got a chance.
"Second, let it be known that this woman is the King's favored concubine and no harm is to come to her," Yukimura said, pointing at Yuya.
She felt her eyes widen in shock at the unexpected announcement and she automatically tried to jump up and yell at him. Kyo's grip tightened to hold her in place.
"Calm down, you'll ruin it. You'll be safer if they think you're here to provide and heir," his voice was pitched low so only she could hear.
"I'm going to make you pay for this," she said through her brightest fake smile.
"I look forward to it." His smirk spoke volumes.
Resolving to ignore him Yuya turned her attention back to the assembled leaders of the clans of the Kingdom of the Sky. Yukimura was laying out his strategy for protecting the kingdom against an attack from the Golden Empire, which included immediately sending delegations to the Middle Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Sun.
Yuya's attention on the political maneuvering was eventually broken when she noticed how angry Bontenmaru looked in the crowd. She then became aware of just how miserable most of her companions were looking. She had managed to ignore what Kyo was doing but they weren't, and he was smirking at them while he did as he pleased.
Her anger returned hotter than ever. She slid one of her hands up his arm, across his shoulder, to his neck. Her fingers slipped into his silky hair and then gripped tightly to pull his head toward her.
"Stop torturing our friends!" she hissed into his ear.
Kyo turned toward her with a heated gaze. Yuya swallowed nervously when she realized the heat was not from anger. His arms tightened shifted to lift her up and he stood abruptly and began striding out of the room.
"Your Majesty! Where are you going?" Hachiun said, concerned.
"Out. Just do whatever Yukimura says. I've had enough of this," he said, not slowing.
Yuya caught the horrified look on Bontenmaru's face over Kyo's shoulder and felt terrible that her attempt at making things better had only made them worse. He probably thought she'd told Kyo to carry her off or something. Her face turned unbearably hot and she buried it in Kyo's shoulder in mortification.
Some time later as she lay with her head resting on his chest, his callused fingers began to trace across one of the scars on her back.
"Stop it. I don't need to be reminded about those," she murmured, cringing at the thought of how ugly they were.
"Why not? They're the proof of your strength. Strength gained through surviving many battles." His fingers continued their gentle exploration of her skin.
Yuya looked up at him in surprise. She'd never heard him speak so thoughtfully. His hand slid up her back to brush the hair away from her neck and reveal the fresh wound from the fight the day before.
"How can you trust me when I came so close to killing you?" he asked suddenly.
"That wasn't you. It was your bastard of a father," Yuya replied, frowning.
"It was my sword, wielded by my hand."
"And it stabbed him through the heart, not me." Yuya frowned stubbornly.
His eyes held hers for a long moment, before suddenly shifting to the door. He pulled his kimono over them as it opened and Hachiun entered, completely unbothered by their state.
"Your man Yukimura is a gifted politician and general. I think his scheme might actually have a chance of succeeding. It would help if you didn't walk off during the next meeting, your Majesty," the grizzled warrior said, somewhat reproachfully.
Kyo said nothing, only frowning at the man who sighed, "A meal has been prepared for your friends. Yukimura said you might want to join."
After the door he had withdrawn and closed the door Yuya hopped up and started to get dressed. Kyo just lay on his back watching her with his fingers laced behind his head and a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Are you coming?" Yuya asked once she was ready, tapping her foot impatiently.
He rose smoothly, his injuries from the fight with his father already healed to the point they no longer impeded his movement. Yuya found herself admiring the hard planes of his body and felt her face warm, he smirked and held out a hand imperiously. Irritated that he'd caught her staring as much as at his arrogant attitude, she stooped to pick up his kimono and threw it at him. Then she turned with a flip of her hair and marched out of the room, trying to think of a strategy to take him down a peg or two.