Chapter 42

When Tsunade heard about Airi's adventures from lady Cao she was overwhelmed with satisfaction. Of course she did not plan on telling the Emperor himself, but the Empress. Momo was shocked to hear of her daughter's doings. Knowing her character well, she thought that it was a misunderstanding. Maybe Kira truly was her teacher and nothing more. She started paying close attention to her daughter and followed her to the stables one day. There she saw everything.

Kira's looks towards her daughter were not as innocent as she wished they were. Airi's smiles and laughter also revealed that she truly had a crush on this man. Momo couldn't believe her eyes. Her daughter and Kira – her once best friend, who was so much older. She was frozen in her spot, when she saw Kira grab Airi by the waist to help her down. They were dangerously close for a moment and Kira had s strange look in his eyes.

"Airi!" Momo called out and her daughter quickly looked in her direction, shocked.

"Mother." She stepped back and looked at Kira worriedly.

Momo quickly came closer. Her expression was unusually cold and serious.

"Airi, wait for me in your room."

"Mother, please…"

"Airi!" Momo raised her voice and looked at her daughter with disapproval.

Airi obeyed and walked away. Kira moved closer to Momo, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"What were you thinking? Have you lost your mind?" She shook her head.

"Your Majesty, I had no bad intentions."

"No bad intentions? Do you realize that she is in love with you?"

Kira was quiet.

"You must have seen it. You are so much older."

"I just wanted to treat her nicely. She is a child. She does not know what love is."

"She is a child. That is true. But I saw how you looked at her! You are feeding her false hopes."

"Momo…"

"Don't call me that!" There was something fierce in her eyes. "You are captain Kira and I am the Empress."

He smiled.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I forgot that I stopped being your friend long time ago."

Momo sighed and looked away. Both of them were quiet for some time.

"I know that you are a good person, Izuru. But I also know that the one you see when you look at Airi is not her, but me. And this will break her heart one day."

"Is it that impossible for me to make your daughter happy?" He asked and Momo looked at him with disbelief. "You rejected me all these years ago because you had no other choice, but the situation now is different."

She thought that he had truly lost his mind.

"I rejected you, because I loved Toushiro."

"Oh, please…We all know what you did just a few months later."

His cold smile infuriated her.

"No matter what you say, you know just how much I love him and how much he loves me. That kind of love is destined for only a few people. I don't expect you to understand it."

This conversation had gone into a really wrong direction. He bit his lower lip, trying to suppress his own anger.

"Stay away from my daughter from now on!" She said seriously and turned her back to him.

"Your Majesty!"

She stopped in her tracks.

"The great love you are talking about is only an illusion. The Prince might have loved you that much, but the Emperor accepts presents in his tent late at night when he is away from home."

These words stabbed her like a knife. The intonation of his voice, his carefully chosen words were meant to hurt her and she knew it. There was no way for her to believe that. Toushiro never took another woman in his bedroom. Never. She just walked away, refusing to give in to his provocation.

When Momo came inside Airi's room she was even angrier than she wanted to be and strictly forbade her daughter to meet Kira anymore. Even Airi's tears and claims to love him sincerely did not have any effect on her. She left her daughter crying in her room and spent the afternoon in her bedroom, thinking about how to solve the problem before it reaches Toushiro. Luckily for her he had gone to see his father for a few days.

Tsunade was more than happy about the outcome of events. Airi's sullen expression told her everything she needed to know. Her happiness even allowed her to look at her daughter with other eyes. Now she found her cute and realized that having a daughter was better than having no child at all. So she used the baby to rekindle her relationship with Hideki and it had a positive effect. He spent some nights in her room.

A week later Toushiro came back. The next day the Omaeda family also followed. Tsunade was more than happy to be united with her family again. All of them were happy to meet the baby. Only Soifon showed disappointment that it was a girl, but then encouraged her daughter to take good care of little Eri and make sure to get pregnant again soon.

The door of Toushiro's room opened without any notice and he looked up annoyed, to see his sister's smiling face.

"Your Majesty, congratulations on your first grandchild!"

Toushiro smiled and stood up. The siblings shared a tight embrace.

"May she bring peace and happiness to the family."

"May she be one of many grandchildren to follow." Soifon added. "How are you, brother?"

"You know how. I met with father. He won't come, but he also shares my opinion on the matter. I am waiting to hear what you found out."

Soifon's expression darkened.

"This Yhwach is real. He has gathered an army and plans on taking back his lands."

Toushiro cursed in his mind.

"But he is still far from reaching his goal and he plans on starting from the north lands in the Hella Empire. Mashir has to prepare first. Of course his main goals are our northern and western districts, which were once his own lands."

Toushiro was quiet for a moment.

"It will take more than a year before he summons an army big enough to attack."

"This makes me no less worried. He has the protection of the Natses. If they reach an agreement with Mashir it will be the end of us."

"Not if Hueco Mundo comes to fight with us." She said.

He had not met with Haribel since their affair almost 20 years ago. He knew he could not count on her friendship anymore.

"I will invite Mashir here. We have to win him on our side."

"How will that happen? You will give him the northern districts or what?"

"Never." Toushiro shook his head. "Father has other suggestions."

"Arranged marriage." She guessed correctly.

"He has a little unmarried daughter. She is 11. In a few years she can wed Masaru."

"Oh God, he won't be happy. And forgive me, brother, but why would he give his daughter to your youngest son, who won't inherit the throne?"

"He is still a Prince."

She raised her eyebrow.

"He will most likely ask for Airi."

Toushiro felt his blood rush to his head.

"I will never give my daughter to these men. His son already has two wives."

"Indeed. But they can have four official wives."

"I don't care." Toushiro's hands clenched into fists. "If someone will become a prisoner in a foreign land, it will be his daughter, not mine."

"Nice logic. I am sure he follows it too." Soifon moved closer to his desk and they both focused their attention on the map.

Airi's mood also brightened up when her cousins came inside her room laughing and rushed to embrace her. She had also liked Sachiko, who was much more positive than Tsunade and had none of her arrogance. As for her youngest cousin – Kiara, she was almost like herself – joyful, adventurous and even braver and bolder. When they were two years younger they used to go to the soldier's barracks and Kiara picked up fights with the young boys. She always won. Airi never participated, but she always cheered from the sidelines. Of course it all finished pretty fast, when Momo and Soifon came one day. Momo was scandalized by the sight. Soifon was quite proud of her daughter, but she also wanted to turn her into a proper lady. Of her three daughters, Kiara was the most like herself and she had high hopes for her future. "If she was born earlier, she should have been wed to the future Emperor." This is what she told herself.

"Airi, why are you so sulky?" Kiara asked.

"I am not." Airi raised her voice, feeling offended.

"Tell that to someone who does not know you so well!" She playfully pushed her shoulder.

Airi smiled, then started laughing.

"Where is Deiji?" Sachiko asked. She was used to hanging out with her.

A smirk appeared on Airi's face.

"Takashi took her as his concubine!"

The other girls widened their eyes.

"I have always told you that still waters run deep!" Kiara remarked. "Who would have thought she would seduce him?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it that…" Airi started wondering how exactly Deiji had won her brother's attention.

"Wow, I am going to miss her." Sachiko said. "But she can officially become part of the family if she gives birth to his child."

"Can you imagine this?" Airi's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Oh, please, they are both so dense and reserved that a lot of time will pass before they even sleep together!"

"Kiara!" Sachiko scolded her sister, but Airi and Kiara had already started laughing again and were pretending to be Deiji and Takashi.

Meanwhile in District 9 Deiji was a subject of mocking from all of the concubines, when she returned to the common room and it became clear that the Prince had not touched her. Fei watched the scene with delight from the upper floor, where her room was. Deiji did not fall asleep until late at night and in the morning they woke her up early, throwing cold water on her face. She was wondering how she will survive all of this tormenting, when in the afternoon the governor of the harem came and announced that Deiji will be moved to a separate room. Everyone was surprised, including Deiji herself. She was sure that Takashi will never look at her again, but he gave her a separate room, which meant that she could eat alone and lock her room at night. She was extremely happy. The others looked at her with hatred and started believing that she had actually slept with the Prince. Another thing which was allowed for her was to visit the library so she started spending her whole day there, reading various books.

One afternoon a few days later she met Takashi again there. When he came inside she immediately stood up, feeling nervous in his presence. He was looking at her carefully without saying anything. Wondering what to do for a moment, she bowed politely.

"Excuse me, Your Highness!" She tried to leave, but he caught her hand.

"Wait!" He said and she stopped. "What were you reading?"

She showed him the book titled "Empresses in the Palace". He smiled.

"Interesting choice. I thought you did not want to be here."

"I didn't. But I am here now. And I wanted to know the stories of the women, who had lived in the Palace."

"Of the Empresses." He corrected her.

"Well, history is written by the victors. You can't easily find full information about the numerous nameless concubines." She tried to oppose him.

"You are ambitious." He smiled again.

"I am not. In fact, I want to be invisible. I want to live calmly, without being noticed, until I just get released from the Palace." She said sincerely and looked straight into his eyes for the first time since their meeting in Airi's room.

"No. A woman like you can't be invisible. You are the smartest and the most polite out of all the women who trained together with you according to your teachers." She was surprised he knew that. "But you are just scared. You want to shine, but you can't handle the consequences!"

These words hit her right on the spot.

"Why did you take me here?" She asked suddenly.

"Because you had one quality I had not seen in any of the girls around me."

She was expecting to be praised for her brains again, but his answer was different.

"Innocence."

These words felt strange coming from the mouth of the man, who had made Fei his favorite. When she thought about it carefully, she realized that the thing which made her doubt him the most was precisely that.

"Thank you for giving me my own room." She said next, feeling the need to express her gratitude.

He nodded his head. She turned her back to him, then looked back. He was smiling at her.

"Why did you do it?"

"Who knows? I might want to visit you one of these nights."

His smile made her anxious. Without answering she hurried to the door.

"Don't you want your book?" He asked after her, but she was already out. Finding it all amusing, he opened the book himself. He had never really paid attention to the private lives of his ancestors.

While she was walking back into the common room, Deiji hit someone's foot and fell to the floor. When she picked herself up, she found Saiko laughing above her.

"I am sorry! I did not see you."

"It is not your fault, Saiko. It is just that she is invisible!" Ryu said spitefully.

Deiji was burning with anger inside. Who was that Ryu even? She was not even pretty, she was just a servant under Fei's protection, busy cleaning the floor. But she was also against her for no reason. She got up without saying anything. A few steps away stood Fei with a devilish smirk.

Later, when she was alone in the infirmary, cleaning her wounded knee, one of the midwives came to talk to her.

"Why do you let them treat you like that?"

"It is because I am a coward. They are strong and I am just too weak to face them." Deiji looked down.

"That is not true. They are the cowards! They attack in a group, but never alone. They are mad jealous. They won't ever forgive you that our prince only has eyes for you!" The midwife smiled at her.

"I am just the new girl here. He will get over me and turn to Fei again after he gets what he wants." Deiji arranged her clothes back to normal and stood up.

"I don't think so. Our prince is smart. He was with Fei, but he never wanted to go deeper with her."

"What do you mean?" Deiji asked, confused.

"The reason she did not get pregnant, when she spent months with him is that he did now want her to. That is her biggest weakness. He does not like her personality and does not want her to be the mother of his child and the woman who will climb up the ladder of success."

Deiji was surprised to hear that, but it made sense. Fei had come here three years ago and she had no child.

"He does not call her in his room nor visit her for a long time. It is obvious that his feelings for her are over."

Still, Deiji was not convinced. Fei had always been quite seductive. She had seen her with a few soldiers in intimate moments when they were barely 14. The fact that she was still the only one known as a favorite, spoke a lot. Then she remembered that her separate room also made her a favorite.

"You are a pretty and a smart girl. You look kindhearted. Our Prince is also a good man. Use this opportunity that so few women get. Do not push him away because of fear."

With that said the nameless midwife patted Deiji on the shoulder gently and left.

Momo was reading a book, when Toushiro came inside her room and kissed her lips softly, then moved next to her on the bed. By his expression alone, she knew he had something to tell her. Actually she had something to tell him too.

"Who will start first?" He asked, making her laugh. He knew her just as well.

"You start first, Your Majesty." Sometimes she liked calling him that way. "My matter is more personal."

"No. You say it. I want to hear something personal."

"I have decided that marrying Airi to Teru is a good idea."

Toushiro moved into a sitting position and looked at her, surprised.

"Why this all of a sudden?"

"Well, you are right. She is not that little. And he is s good boy. Besides, you saw how happy she is with little Eri."

"Then why does she look so depressed after I came back from my father?"

He had surely noticed that.

"She is not depressed, but she probably misses Deiji. They were very close."

"Deiji is a good girl. Where did she go?" He asked.

Momo looked at him in disbelief.

"Takashi took her as his concubine. He told me he asked you to."

Toushiro could not remember that at all.

"Well, he asked for a girl that serves his sister and I told him to ask Airi. I never knew it was about Deiji."

Suddenly Toushiro started laughing. Momo giggled too.

"He looked really…infatuated." She said.

"For three years he did not find a woman to like in his many concubines and now for three days he takes this girl, who is older than him. If I could understand him…"

"Can't you? I am also older than you." She pretended to be offended.

"It is much different between us." He whispered and pulled her in for a kiss.

She caressed his neck.

"How are your father and Rangiku?" She asked.

"They are fine. Father enjoys every moment in his garden. She takes care of him." Toushiro made a pause and his face darkened. "His limping has become worse again. He does not want to come."

"He broke his leg so badly. The most important thing is that he is alive."

"It is difficult for a man like him. He had to give up his throne."

"No. He gave it to you. He could have stayed and ruled even in that condition, but his pride and his nobility allowed him to make the right choice." Momo smiled reassuringly.

"My sister writes letters every week. Her husband is getting worse."

"Poor Masami. He must have inherited captain Ukitake's illness."

"Ukitake lived like that for a long time, before his condition worsened so much. But this Juushiro won't have that luck."

"God forbid!" Momo exclaimed and put a hand in front of her mouth. "He is so young!"

"I have invited an important guest. I hope he will arrive in a few weeks. We have to prepare well." Toushiro changed the subject.

"Who is that?" Momo was surprised. "Harribel?" Sometimes she asked him about her and why they don't meet anymore.

"King Mashir."

"King Mashir? I thought you were old enemies?"

"Indeed. But now I need him as an ally."

"Why?" She was getting worried. For months already she knew that something was troubling him, but he kept it from her.

"We have a common enemy."

"An enemy? Who is that?" She moved up.

"Don't worry, love. He is someone who has great ambitions, but not the means to achieve them."

"If it was like that, you would not call that man here. Please, Toushiro! Tell me the truth!" She looked at him with determination.

"I am just taking precautions, Momo." He rested his forehead against hers. She pulled away.

"Who is it?"

"Yhwach."

"Yhwach…I have heard that name." She was deep in thought.

"The former King of the Sternritters."

"Impossible! He must be dead!" She stood up and started pacing around her room. "Toushiro…There must be a mistake. I am sure that Ginrei killed that guy 50 years ago."

"There is no mistake, Momo. He is alive and ready for revenge."

Toushiro stood up and pulled his wife into his embrace. She was trembling.

"But I will crush his plans and ambitions. I will stop him for certain." His hands tightened around her body. "Even if this is the last thing I will do."

The new chapter is here! It seems that Airi's romance with Kira is over. But the family has much more serious problems to face! Enjoy and review! :)