I can't decide what to write after this story. I have three ideas so far. Maybe I'll just start them all... Congrats to me. I have the 2nd most reviews for maid sama fanfics! Only one person has more... :/
Chapter 29: A Personal Message
Misaki prayed that Usui would be alright and that everything was going to be fine. She had sent Kanou to deeply investigate the Marquess. He has been gone for a day thought Misaki expected him to return any minute. The trip should be easy for Misaki handed them a household seal. Kanou was representing them in everything he did...
"My lady, the Duke has fallen into a trap!" Kanou yelled, bursting through the door. "Marquess Igarashi is going to frame him in front of the king. They are planning to attack!"
Misaki jerked up, trying to support her heavy weight. Erika held tightly onto her mistress.
"Send word to him!" Misaki exclaimed, things were going downhill. "His troops must pull out immediately! We can not let Tora attack him in the false name of defending the crown!"
"I have tried..." Kanou said frantically. "He is refusing to see anyone"
"What a fool..." Misaki muttered. "Have you tried personally going?" she demanded. Her worst fear was coming true. For once...why did she have to be right!?
"I have personally ridden to the camp grounds" Kanou told her. "The Duke won't see me"
"Hurry" Misaki said patting Erika's hand. "Prepare a carriage"
"What for?!" Erika said wide eyed. "My lady...you are not going to try to reach Duke Usui, are you?!"
Misaki nodded. "I must..." The entire household was at risk now. She had to stop Usui.
"My lady, you are with child and in your ninth month! You can not possibly ride in a carriage or walk any amount of distance! Think of both your children!"
Kanou agreed. "The Duke will have our heads if we allow you to leave"
"Usui will not have a head either if he stays!" Misaki yelled. "The King will try him for treason!"
Misaki kept one hand on the small of her back and the other under her bulging stomach. "Prepare a carriage or else I shall do so myself!" she ordered.
Sakura and Shizuko burst into the room.
"What news?" Shizuko asked, her eyes wide.
"This is all a trap" Misaki said icily. "I must go stop the Duke"
Sakura gasped. "Are you going to send a message?" she asked.
"No" Misaki said shaking her head. "I must personally go. Surely he will not reject me"
"No!" Sakura cried. "You can't do that, Misaki! The trip will kill you!"
"I must" Misaki said. "The Duke will see no one."
"Can't I go in your name?" Erika begged. The bumpy roads will surely hurt the children. Erika couldn't let Misaki go to her death.
"He won't even see Kanou" Misaki told everyone. "He will stop for me though"
"Please, my lady!" Erika said clinging to her hand. "Please don't go"
"Prepare a carriage" Misaki ordered again. "We have no other choice"
Erika dropped to her knees. "I'm begging you!" she cried. "You cannot travel. The Duke would rather die than lose the children!"
"I would rather die than lose him and the thousands of lives in war"
"Please Misaki!" Erika begged again. "You could miscarriage. You'd be losing two children!"
Misaki just shook her head. "Erika..." she said blinking back tears. "You do not understand. If the King sees Usui with his troops after all these rumors. Usui will be executed along with his family. I have to try"
Sakura grabbed Misaki's other hand. "Don't go! The Duke is intelligent! He will figure it out!"
Misaki shook her head. Sakura dropped to her knees also. "Please don't do this!" Sakura sobbed. "For once just listen to me!"
Shizuko followed and sank to her knees. "You are going to your death" she exclaimed.
Erika wiped her eyes. "Why must we be pushed so thin!" she cried.
"Is no one going to prepare me a carriage?" Misaki demanded. "I shall saddle my own horse if you do not move" It broke Misaki's heart sounding so harsh. She couldn't look anyone in the eye. All her friends were on their knees begging her yet she could not comply with their wishes. Never in her life have Sakura and Shizuko gotten on their knees before her. They were her friends...
Misaki blinked back her tears and tried to find her voice. "Tis not a time for tears" Misaki said slowly walking to the door. Erika scrambled up to support as much of Misaki's weight as she could.
"Kanou...PREPARE A CARRIAGE" Misaki ordered in her most authoritative voice. Kanou reluctantly turned on his heel and left.
"Shizuko!" Misaki called.
"Misaki?"
Misaki slipped off her ring and placed it in Shizuko's palm. "My seal..." Misaki whispered. "I leave you to take charge"
"Misaki..." Shizuko said sadly.
"Be brave" Misaki consoled. "Courage will triumph. Good will win"
Misaki and Erika slowly walked outside to where a carriage was waiting. Kanou and Erika helped Misaki in. The simple trip from Misaki's room to the carriage already exhausted her but she didn't dare complain.
Erika dabbed at the sweat on Misaki's forehead."Please rest" Erika said.
The carriage began moving. The road was mostly smooth except when they hit a bump Misaki cried out. Her hand flew to her stomach.
"Misaki are you alright?" Erika cried as she watched Misaki hold her stomach and wince.
"I'm fine..." Misaki said weakly. Her face was pale and nausea plagued her. Her heart was pounding so hard that Misaki thought it was going to burst.
The carriage hit another bump and Misaki threw her head back. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming out in agony.
"We can only go this far by carriage" Kanou called from up front.
"I understand..." Misaki wheezed. Erika grabbed her arm and helped her out. Each step for Misaki was laborious and painful. Misaki simply supported her own weight and continued walking. She sucked in sharp breaths and kept her head held high. The walk was long though. Walking over hills felt worse than walking on knives.
"Misaki we should rest for a moment" Erika said. Misaki's face was completely drained of color and strained with pain. Erika noticed her steps became smaller and smaller until they were barely walking.
"We must hurry" Misaki said in a barely audible voice.
Erika slung Misaki's arm around her shoulder trying to take off some of the weight.
"Almost there!" Erika exclaimed as they saw the camp.
Misaki nodded. Her vision was getting blurry and the camp started to tilt back and forth.
"Who goes there?!" a guard demanded near the camp.
"Duchess Usui!" Kanou called. "She seeks the Duke"
"The Duke isn't seeing anyone"
"Tell him the Duchess is here!" Erika said. "He will see her"
Misaki placed a gold ring in the guard's hand. "Please just announce for me..." she wheezed. "All of you are in grave danger."
The guard turned on his heel and disappeared.
"Lean on me" Erika urged. "You look faint"
Misaki nodded and leaned against her. "Please save us all..." she prayed. Usui would not refuse her. Misaki only hoped that she was not too late.
"Duke Usui" the guard called. Usui looked up from his map. His armor clinked when he moved.
"What is it?" he asked curtly. His nerves were worn thin.
"Someone wants to see you-"
"Have you not heard that I am not seeing anyone?!"
"Tis the duchess!"
Usui dropped the map. The paper fluttered to the ground. "The duchess?!" he exclaimed. "Are you mad, man?"
"No sir. She is standing outside the camp with a maid and Kanou"
What in heavens name was Misaki doing here. In her state, she shouldn't even be out of bed. What was going on?!
Usui sprinted to the gate, almost hoping he had been lied to. He gasped when he saw his wife leaning against her maid, her face pale and sickly.
"Misaki!" he yelled rushing over. "Are you mad?! Have you lost your wit?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"It's...a trap..." Misaki panted.
Kanou quickly launched into the story. Usui listened, his eyes widening.
"Take care of her" he ordered and raced back.
"Pull out!" he yelled. "We've been played! Pull out immediately!"
No one dared disobey. Tents were quickly torn down and weapons stored. The troops began leaving. Usui quickly conversed with his fellow commanders, leaving them orders. He then got on his horse and rode out to Misaki. Misaki looked worse and worse. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open. Her breathing came in pants and sweat dotted her forehead.
"Hold on" he begged her and he picked her up and carried her back to the carriage.
"Drive carefully" he told Kanou. Kanou nodded.
Usui set Misaki down and swung open the carriage door. Misaki groaned and Usui snapped his head back around. A puddle of water was under her feet.
"We must hurry" Erika shrieked. "Misaki needs a midwife!"
Usui helped the whimpering Misaki into the carriage.
During the entire ride Usui had his arms around her. "I love you" he kept saying over and over.
Misaki felt like she was drowning in murky water. She feverishly clenched onto Usui's arm.
"I think... I'm going to die..." she cried softly. Misaki had never felt this way before. She felt like she was suffocating and getting lost in all the darkness.
"No" Usui said. "No. You'll be just fine. We still have two children to nurture and care for" he reminded her. His heart was racing. Surely Misaki wasn't going to die...no she couldn't die.
"Ta...kumi" Misaki whispered. "Take care of them..."
"No" Usui said, patting her cheek trying to keep her awake. "Don't close your eyes! Both of us will take care of them!"
The carriage hit a bump and Misaki screamed. Her eyes were wide in fear.
Erika pointed to the blood that was bleeding through Misaki's dress.
Usui's heart was breaking. "Kanou!" he yelled. "How much longer?!"
"The mansion is in view!" Kanou called back. "I have already sent a man to send for a doctor and midwife along with the Duchess's nurse"
"Satsuki..." Misaki murmured.
"Yes Misaki!" Usui said trying to keep her distracted. "Your friends are coming to care for you! Just hold on..."
The carriage wasn't moving fast in fear of hurting Misaki even more. Usui shuttered every time the carriage was jostled. Misaki has her eyes tightly shut as they rattled down the road.
When they finally pulled up to the mansion everything became chaos. Usui carried Misaki inside, hollering orders.
"Where's the doctor?! Satsuki!"
Misaki's loyal nurse was already waiting in the room. There were basins of steaming hot water, towels and other things.
Usui gently laid Misaki down on the bed. He immediately went to work pulling her gown off.
Misaki looked down and saw blood on the front of her chemise. She felt like she was going to be sick and faint.
Satsuki did her best to clean Misaki up. She dabbed at Misaki's brow with a damp cloth.
"Duke Usui..." Satsuki said. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave"
Usui saw how frightened Misaki looked. "I'd like to stay" he said.
Satsuki shook her head. "Tis a woman's work now, my lord. Just wait outside for the good news"
Usui left very reluctantly. He sat in a chair by the door listening to Misaki cry out in pain.
"Argh!" Misaki screamed. She has never felt such pain in her life before. Sakura wiped her forehead with a cool towel but it did little to soothe.
"It's alright" Satsuki consoled. "Every woman goes through with childbirth"
Misaki shook her head and let out another scream. Shizuko winced at how hard Misaki was squeezing her hand but did make a sound. Surely it was nothing to what Misaki was feeling. Misaki rarely cried out in pain which made this birthing even more frightening. Shizuko has never seen Misaki to vulnerable.
"Keep breathing" Satsuki said sweetly. "Tis smoothly so far"
"The blood..." Sakura breathed. The dozens of towels laid out on the bed were quickly being stained with red.
Misaki released Shizuko's hand and clamped it tightly over her mouth. Her pain moans echoed out into the hall. Satsuki had Shizuko try to feed Misaki some broth but it wouldn't stay down. Misaki pushed the spoon away.
"No more..." she pleaded.
Usui paced back and forth in the hall. Why was this taking so long?! Surely it had been hours since they returned. Usui kicked over a chair cursing himself. Why couldn't he have seen Tora's plan?! If he had realized it sooner Misaki wouldn't be suffering as much.
Another scream came from the bedchamber.
"Is she alright?!" Usui hollered. "Honoka? Honoka!" he bellowed. The maid was rushing upstairs with another basin of hot water.
"My lord?" she asked.
"Get in there and tell me what's going on!"
"Yes my lord" Honoka said bobbing her head and entering the bed chamber.
Misaki twisted and and screamed on the bed. Satsuki kept a firm hand on her arm.
"Misaki..." she said calmly. "Try to relax. It will be less painful if you stop moving"
Misaki clenched a bedpost. Her face pale and damp with perspiration.
"S-satsuki..." Misaki whimpered. "I think I'm going to die...I can't go through with this!"
"No no" the nurse said gently. "It will all be fine. Trust me"
Honoka set the basin down. "The Duke is worrying" she told Satsuki. "His lordship wants to know the progress"
Satsuki lifted up the blanket to check. "No news yet" she told Honoka. "But so far the bleeding isn't threatening"
Honoka nodded and returned to the hall.
"Is she alright?!" Usui demanded.
Honoka nodded. The Duke looked like he was going to charge into the bedchamber any moment.
"The Duchess is doing fine. The babies have yet to come though"
"How much longer?"
"Tis no scheduled time, my lord" Honoka said with a small smile. "They come as they please" It was sweet how doting the Duke was.
