RUKA

Ruka gazed around the room and pursed her lips. There were so few women in attendance at this war council. Yuki and her troops, or rather Hanabusa's troops, had arrived that morning and left in their wake so much fanfare and feasting that Ruka felt a little sick. She hadn't eaten so much in a long time, but she supposed a celebration was in order before they marched off to their potential deaths. Now noble lords, ladies, and highest ranking generals were gathered together to discuss their next move.

It had been months since Ruka had last seen Yuki Kuran, and time had not made the other girl more beautiful, but there was a certain maturity to her features that hadn't been there before. Or perhaps it was merely that her shorter haircut better suited her face. Either way, she wasn't quite the annoying adolescent that Ruka remembered her as. Nevertheless, it was reassuring to know that she, Ruka Souen, was still the most beautiful woman in the room. Not even Hanabusa's bride, pretty as she was, came close.

In the past, Ruka would have entirely devoted herself to inspecting the other women and comparing herself to them. Today, however, was a momentous occasion. At long last, Akatsuki had invited her to their war council; the final council, in fact, before they marched on the capital. Battle was of course not her forte, but at the very least her voice would be heard. It seemed there was some value to her opinion, after all.

"As my future bride and a Souen, you have a right to attend this meeting," Akatsuki had informed her, and she had agreed. Yes, she did have a right to be here. That was why she had attended in her most flattering gown, one of frothy cream silk. The way the fabric caressed her skin was nothing short of the finest luxury. Naturally an outstanding occasion required an equally outstanding gown.

"We shall send in the advance troops tomorrow morning," Kan was saying, and abruptly she was brought back to the moment. What had they been saying? Right, something about breaking their forces in two and sending the first part ahead.

Now it was Yuki who spoke, her tone far more authoritative than the high-pitched tone Ruka recalled from their days back in Ashgate. "I'll do my best to ensure the right people are in place. One of our generals will take over the command when we arrive later. Don't worry, any information we gather will be shared with you."

"And Shizuka?" Hanabusa murmured. Strangely enough, the blond lord seemed to have changed for the better since they'd last spoken. At least, he appeared more grounded, older.

"I will be the one to capture her," Yuki replied. "I don't want you to get involved with anything bad when you're a newlywed, Hanabusa. I don't want anyone else to, either."

"No," Akatsuki negated.

At the same time, the Aidou was already shaking his head. "Whether I'm a newlywed or not doesn't matter. If you don't let everyone do their part, it will feel like you don't trust us."

Yuki's eyes fell for a moment before she answered, "I just...we mustn't throw away lives carelessly."

"Yours included," the princess' Bloodguard murmured from beside her. For a moment, Ruka almost forgot his name before her mind supplied it-Zero. Ichiru's brother. Such a shame that the lovelier, more refined twin had been the one to die…

"There's also the council to think of," Hanabusa cautioned. "With the amount of power they wield, they could make things very difficult for us whether we win this fight or not."

Ruka gave a derisive sniff, choosing now to at last enter the conversation. "Are you really afraid of those old geezers? We have nothing to fear. The council is indeed the highest governing body of the kingdoms, but they are not the sovereign. Anyway, Yuki can replace them. Her armies will have control of the city, after all."

"That is...a valid point," the blond answered, seeming surprised.

Hmph. Just because she was beautiful on the outside did not mean there was nothing inside her head. Having said her piece, she folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"Actually, I have given this much thought, and I would like to take charge of the advance troops once we arrive on the front lines." Akatsuki leaned forward in his seat, voice filled with soft determination. "I believe that Kan will be better left leading our cavalry, and Hanabusa, your tactics are best employed in breaking through the enemy lines and infiltrating the castle itself."

Several pairs of eyes glanced at the redheaded knight with concern.

"The frontlines will be dangerous, Akatsuki," Lady Akira warned. "Especially after taking the brunt of the battle for several days before we arrive."

"My strength is in my fighting arm. I will be the most useful there, protecting our soldiers and defending the healers behind the lines."

"I have to agree with your mother." This was the first time that Hanabusa's new wife had spoken. What was her name? Sayuka? "That line is going to be the worst place to be until Hanabusa breaks through to the castle."

"It is where I belong," the younger Kain asserted once more.

Seeing that the others were prepared to argue further, Ruka said, "He is right. Akatsuki knows himself best. And as a noble lord he is already protecting all sorts of people at all times."

When the redhead turned to look at her, his eyes were filled with a warmth that made her cheeks heat. For a brief moment, she considered leaving. How dare he affect her like that, especially in the middle of an important meeting!

She still hadn't forgotten the kiss he'd sprung on her out of the blue. And how she should hate it and be angry with him, but… But then...his lips were soft, warm, and full of the love that he had made no secret of.

In a few short days he would be gone...and might never return. Quite suddenly, she didn't want to be left behind. She was much more than a simple wallflower, after all. Couldn't she ride better than most men? Surely there was something she could do, some part that she could play, if only to prove that she wasn't the empty-headed beauty so many thought of her as. Besides, she had just been thinking about things that she could do, causes to stand behind. Wasn't this one of them? Surely the future of the kingdoms was worthy of her time.

"Why don't we share this burden together?" she asked suddenly.

"What are you thinking, Ruka?"

"I will go with you," she stated rather than asking for permission. "I am one of the fastest riders here. At the very least I can carry messages and the wounded."

"The battlefield is no place for a noble lady," Kan interjected.

"Oh? Then who are they?" She gestured to Akira, Yuki, and Hanabusa's wife respectively. "I won't get involved with any of the actual fighting, so you needn't worry. There, see, it's settled," she finished with a decisive toss of her head.

"Nothing is settled," Akatsuki sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I don't see why she couldn't come," Yuki said after a moment. "She should be fairly safe, unless...unless Shizuka breaks through our ranks..."

"But then we're all dead anyway," Hanabusa added cheerfully.

If it was possible, Akatsuki's sigh intensified. His words contradicted his pained expression, however, as he answered, "I'm not saying I won't let her go. But...if any of you cause her any unhappiness or injury, I will never forgive you."

Across the table, Zero's lips crinkled up very slightly as he replied, "I understand you well. There's nothing more hateful than failing to protect the one you love."

Ruka glanced away, feeling flustered once more. Geez, how many times a day did she have to be reminded of how besotted Akatsuki was with her? She knew it already. She'd known it for years! Wasn't she marrying him? There was no need to continue to bring it up at every opportunity...

Or...was she just feeling sensitive about it now? Ugh. To occupy herself with other things, Ruka decided to compare her nail polish with that of Akira, Hanabusa's wife, and Yuki. It wasn't much of a comparison, though, since only she and Akira were wearing any. How dull...

"Perhaps we should wait to strike until we have a larger force," Kan suggested.

"When will we have a larger force?" Hanabusa immediately rebutted. "We've pleaded with every house. Battles have been won at greater odds. We attack with what we have."

"It's growing late," Akira said before anyone else could speak. "Let's adjourn for tonight and reconvene tomorrow to discuss the final details."

As this was said, the doors swung open. Ruka didn't recognize the pair that entered, although Yuki and Zero immediately stood. The young man and woman who passed into the room had a strange aura; something that crackled and pulsated around them, reflected in the almost ethereal blue of their eyes.

"Rima, Senri!" Yuki exclaimed. "Are you going to help, too?"

The man, who Ruka judged to be Senri, glanced around with an almost bored expression and told the princess, "You decided everything, I see. You don't need us at all... And we just got here..."

"That's not true!" Yuki protested at once.

"These are the mages who helped us before," Zero explained to Hanabusa and his wife.

"We will definitely need your aid to defeat Shizuka," Yuki added.

"Hm..." The woman, probably Rima judging from her name, considered this. "Shizuka... Compared to Kaname, I wonder who is more frightening?"

"We have something that may be of use," Senri murmured vaguely.

"Ruka." The touch on her shoulder startled her. "Let's go. They will likely talk a while longer. I thought we could dine together." Akatsuki smiled.

He really was handsome when he smiled, she thought. Smiling eroded his rough edges, made them incredibly gentle. And of course, even back at the capital, she had always thought both his smile and his eyes were lovely...

...Wait! No!

After a quick mental scolding, Ruka allowed herself to accept the knight's invitation and followed him out into the hall. As she did so, she couldn't help but think that this may very well be one of the last times the two of them walked here together again. Akatsuki was strong, yes, but battle was barbaric and unpredictable. One of his own men could accidentally bash him over the head, and she'd never see him again... Or a stray arrow could pluck her off the back of her horse...

Well. Perhaps that was unlikely and a tad dramatic, but Akatsuki would certainly be in danger. If they both made it out safely, then she supposed they would finally plan the wedding... If they survived...

Unthinking, she blurted out, "I want to have our wedding ceremony back home in the Arcadian Gardens."

Somehow, Akatsuki's features softened further. "Got it," he chuckled.

She could already imagine it. The flowers, the vibrant colors... "I'll have a dress with a soft train sparkling with the blue of the the sea and the green of the hills... And there will be the sound of bells echoing on the horizon..." Yes. It would be a far grander wedding than the one she had originally envisioned for herself. Far grander than Shizuka's, even.

"Have you been planning this a while now?" the knight asked, corners of his mouth crinkling with amusement.

She started. Now it sounded as though she was looking forward to it! "Of course not!" she denied quickly. "I made these plans as a child! I definitely didn't take anything new into consideration, especially not with you!" She could already feel her face warming up, a small betrayal of her own body. Truthfully, perhaps she was looking forward to it, just a little. At least she would be home for a while, in finer gowns than the ones she had been wearing lately, as a multitude of guests fawned over her and onlookers watched jealously...

"I seem to remember you wanted to get married in a mansion. In the summer, in the capital..."

"N-No... You misremember..." she muttered, although in fact the redhead had a frighteningly good memory of her former plans with the late Lord Kaname.

"Mmhmm," he rumbled, and she bristled.

"Shut up," she hissed. "Just grant me this. It's with you so I'm happy."

Akatsuki stopped and the full impact of her words crashed over her. She really was going crazy here in this place. To say such a thing... To even begin to get invested in her wedding... She shouldn't forget that this was Akatsuki, a barbarian and a Kain!

"I'm happy, too," he told her sincerely. "I'm looking forward to it. Particularly, seeing you in a wedding dress..."

To counteract her red-hot embarrassment, she snapped, "I won't wear one, idiot. Not for you."

The knight chuckled. "Is that so?"

"It is! I won't let you see such a thing!"

"How is it that you become so much cuter with each day?" he asked.

"W-what?! I'm not cute, I'm beautiful," she protested, flustered beyond words.

"That is most certainly true." He approached her and took her face between his hands. "You are simultaneously the most beautiful and the cutest woman I have ever met. I'm intensely grateful to have you in my life, and I swear that I will protect you no matter what."

"Of course you will..." she muttered, shifting her weight back and forth from foot to foot. She couldn't look him in the eye for long. Not with so much emotion staring back at her. Not to mention, the way the torch light turned his eyes to glittering fire and gold...

"I can't stop you from coming with us, but... Is this something that you must do?" he asked, tone turning serious.

Now she met his eyes. "Yes. I'm tired of doing nothing. And anyway, who will scream to distract your opponents at key moments if I'm not there?"

"Who, indeed?" He sighed with resignation and then leaned his forehead against hers. "Just promise to be careful, Ruka. I can't stand the thought of losing you."

Perhaps she was just caught up in the moment, in the tide of the coming battle, but instead of pulling away the honey-haired noble reached up and touched the knight's cheek. "I suppose I want to protect you, as well..."

Akatsuki's eyebrows raised a centimeter. Then he smiled and said, "We will protect each other, then."

Before she could gather herself and move away, his lips had already met hers. It was a gentle, sweet kiss that took her by surprise. In spite of herself, she did enjoy the way his mouth fit to hers, how he made her feel so warm and secure and completely loved... He had always been that way. But to taste it against his lips was another thing entirely. He really knew how to love her best, didn't he?

So when he broke away, she pulled him back for a second kiss. One that was a little less chaste than the former two. One that she not only initiated, but returned without reservation. Later she'd be mortally embarrassed, cheeks burning red, and stomp ahead in her heels to avoid seeing his expression. But for now she lost herself in the moment.

AN: Rukain has a lot of catching up to do with Aidori and Zeki