Six weeks had passed sense Nanashi and Hiei had wed. Nanashi found it different with living with him in her rooms now, albeit exhausting most nights and sometimes in the mornings. When she could keep him at bay for just a night to sleep, she sometimes found herself preferring that.

They had sunk into a bit of a routine with a few changes here and there. Haruto had gone home, but only for a short leg to sell his restaurant and inn with plans to move up to the capital and set up a new business here instead. Nanashi also finally picked up on the more than friendship growing between Asa and Haruto, liking the idea of it more than not. While she had no clue until recently he was her father, she could not fault him seventeen years after her mother, whom he only spent a night with really, passed away for moving on with another woman. The sight of the two of them together actually brought a small smile to her face.

The routine of the six weeks was shattered however when an emissary from Alaric came to the castle in Lord Mukuro's name. King Hayate and Queen Minha met with him in private at first with Kurama in the room to stand as king's advisor. Nanashi knew Lord Mukuro was looking for an heir to his territory as he did not have a child or family member of his own. Yasha had teased her about her going for it, but she had heard that two people had died trying.

So it was must to her chagrin that Hiei and herself were called in to the meeting with the other four. Nanashi entered in front of Hiei, seeing the four sitting at the table with the king at the head and the queen and Kurama by him across from each other. The emissary sat next to Kurama, looking around the room in bored curiosity. His grey mask covered all but his eyes, with a point coming out of the top of it. Queen Minha beckoned the two of them over to the table, telling them to sit on the same side as her. Hiei led forward, no emotion shown on his face. He sat down across from the emissary without so much as a curious look.

Nanashi had followed after Hiei, planning to sit down next to him. Yet when she got close the emissary, her wind dragon reacted unexpectedly. It rose up in its compact form around her neck, hissing and snapping its jaws at him. The emissary rose up swiftly to his feet, facing her head on. She gasped, trying to figure out how to get her wind dragon to calm down. Her hands were on it on her neck, mouth moving quickly and silently as she tried to get it to go away.

'Go away,' she mouthed, thinking to the wind dragon.

'Demon,' the wind dragon growled testily.

'He hasn't attacked me,' she countered. 'He's a guest of the king's right now.'

'Demon,' the wind dragon focused only on that fact. 'If you moved fast, you could kill him by catching him off guard.'

'No,' she stated.

'Mistress,' the wind dragon wanted her permission to attack.

"I said go away," she stated out loud in frustration.

'As you wish,' the wind dragon grumbled, disappearing back under her neck.

She sighed in relief, blinking at the scene around her. All eyes were on her. The emissary had some kind of peculiar energy culminating around him. It disappeared suddenly after she got her wind dragon to stand down.

"My apologies, sir," she fumbled out politely. "The wind dragon... it's... um... protective," she explained pathetically.

"An angelic weapon," the emissary stated, inclining his head towards her. "So the rumors of an angel at the king's court are true."

"Yes sir," she said. She rushed her steps to walk over to the other side of the table without meeting anyone's gaze. She sat down next to Hiei in a rush. She felt the temptation to reach over to him for the comfort, but she resisted the urge with the emissary's eyes on her.

King Hayate cleared his throat. "This is the emissary from Alaric, Kirin," he introduced, nodding towards the emissary. "Lord Mukuro requested I send him someone strong enough to prove him to be his heir to Alaric when he is gone. I am interested in sending the two of you, as well as Yasha and Kurama for a chance to apply to be Lord Mukuro's heir. The four of you are strong enough for it. He could pick one of the four of you when you get there and go from there."

Nanashi thought it over. The king was putting up the four of them for a chance at a lordship of the Northern territory. While Yasha and Hiei were nobles, they were also bastards who would not be allowed to inherit anything from their families. Even as a part angel, Nanashi was not from any important bloodline down south. Nor was Kurama from where he was from. The chance for a either of them inherit a lordship was a phenomenal chance that either of them could not pass up. Nanashi wanted it, was surprised by the desire to go for it. A year ago, this would never be even a daydream for her.

"How would he chose between us?" Nanashi ventured, looking from King Hayate, Kirin, and back again.

Kirin turned to her. "The four of you would come back to Alaric with me in two days time. Lord Mukuro will chose out of the four of you from there," he explained.

"Whomever he chooses, stays there? Becomes his heir?" Nanashi asked.

Kirin gave a soft chuckle under his breath. "Whomever he chooses must then prove himself or herself worthy by going through intense training and survive it."

Nanashi blinked at that. "How long is the training?" she pressed.

"Months," Kirin answered.

Nanashi took a steadying breath. Months. She would be separated from Hiei for months if she got the chance to be Lord Mukuro's heir. She wondered how the two of them would handle months worth of separation after being married so briefly.

"I want to go," she answered. "I want to try."

Queen Minha spoke up. "So are Kurama and Yasha. What about you, Hiei?"

Hiei had been silent the whole time. He nodded.

"Then the five of us leave in two days time," Kirin said.