Disclaimer: Watashi no ja nai.
Warnings: ...........upcoming shounen ai!!! ^^;;
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6. Resolution (I)
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Nuriko was not at dinner and, irrationally, he was worried.
Houki knew; he could tell from the slight downward twist to her lips, the twinge of concern in the blue of her eyes--most of all, though, he could tell from the fact that her hand continued to rise up from its place on her lap and wrap comfortingly around his own, give his larger fingers a tight squeeze. She said nothing through the entire meal, merely sat there beside him, listening attentively to all that was said and occasionally giving a slight smile or a nod--but, every time their eyes met, something like understanding passed between them. And, finally, when Miaka's forced cheer and Chiriko's preoccupied silence was becoming too much to bear, and when he was seriously considering standing up and just leaving before he went insane...it was Houki who rescued him.
"Sumimasen," she murmured, ducking her head demurely towards the table. "Heika, I'm not feeling well. Would you excuse me?" Her eyes lifted from the table, very briefly, and again, the understanding flickered between them.
It was all he could do to keep the flood of relief from showing in his features. Nodding slightly, he pushed back his chair and drew himself to his feet, then walked to Houki's chair and pulled it gently away from the table. "Miaka, Chiriko," he said formally, "I apologize, but I should walk Lady Houki back to her room. Please, finish your dinners. Someone will bring you your desserts when you're ready."
The two gave equally-unenthusiastic nods, and returned to their meals. For a moment, he regretted leaving them--they were both obviously struggling with something; Miaka had barely touched her meal, and Chiriko was eating with the kind of dull fervor that rarely belied anything good. But, then, Houki's hand had slipped neatly into his own, and he was leading her out of the dining hall and, at length, outside.
The night air was cool--it was nearing late autumn, after all, even in the far south of Konan--but, there was a freshness to the breeze, and the scent of jasmine and river salt swept into their nostrils with each long, clean breath. Houki's hand was warm in his own, and although she took the short, shuffling steps of most of the demure young ladies in the Imperial Harem, she moved with a grace and strength that even Nuriko would have envied.
Something heavy thudded into his stomach with the thought. Nuriko...
His face was bathed in shadow, but somehow, Houki picked up on the sudden plunge in his mood--perhaps it was the tensing of his fingers, or the sudden break in his breathing. Whatever the case, her fingers folded more deeply into the groove between his index finger and thumb, and when he glanced at her, her face was tilted towards him.
"They seemed surprised to see me," she said
softly. "Especially
Miaka-sama."
He smiled slightly.
"Well, you do look a great deal like him. And, I'm sure that the fact that I introduced you as my future
empress most likely had something to do with their reactions."
He couldn't see her, bathed as they were in the
darkness of the moonless night, but she seemed to be smiling. "I doubt they expected it."
His lips bent more fully upwards. "I'd say it's safe to say that no
one expected it, least of all my advisors.
They thought I was joking."
Houki laughed, a light, musical laugh that rang for only a moment before being muffled by a hand. "Iie, they didn't think you were joking--they were more concerned that you'd chosen someone who wouldn't be able to give you an heir. Miyama-san hired one of my maids to spy on me in the bath, as a matter of fact, to be sure that I really was a woman."
Despite the twinge of pain that the thought dredged up
in him, he laughed--and, strangely, it felt good. "They found everything in order, I take it?"
They were passing beneath one of the many glowing torches that lined the walkway; he turned his head just in time to see Houki blush. "H-Hai, Heika."
They walked in a comfortable silence for a short time, moving down the walkway at little more than a stroll. They were just passing the path that led down to the Imperial Gardens when Houki sighed, drew back her fingers, and came to a slow halt. She turned towards him; warring flickers of torchlight and starlight bathed her features in alternating reds and silvers, and he found himself thinking once again just how lovely she really was.
And, she looks so much like...
"Heika," she said. She blushed again.
"H...Hotohori. I...think
that there's something we should discuss."
He knew what it was even before he saw the look in her eyes, even before the words passed from her lips. He wanted to tell her not to bother, to dismiss whatever strange thoughts she might be having and just let things remain as they were...but, his tongue seemed leaden in his mouth; his vocal chords were frozen.
Houki leaned her back lightly against the railing of
the walkway; the elegant reds and browns of her dress rustled with the movement
like dried leaves. "Do you
remember the day we met?"
Some things, you don't ever forget.
"Hai," he murmured. "You were in the garden, sitting
beneath the...the willow tree."
The young woman smiled, very softly. "Hai.
And, you were out for a walk.
You were very upset."
"It was the night Nuriko died," he managed
huskily. "I was...not
myself."
"I was staring up at the stars when you came, Heika. I was staring up into the sky and feeling as if...as if a part of me were missing. And, then, you came and called me by his name, and that was when I knew that...he was dead."
Her voice changed with a suddenness that startled
him. One moment it was as it always
was--soft, polite, and formal...and, then, the next, it was hard, firm--strong. "It was Nuriko who brought us together,
Heika. It was because of him that you
noticed me, and because of him that we grew...close. You must realize what that means."
He blinked.
"What that...means?"
Her lips bent upwards, and despite the firmness to her voice, it was a gentle smile. "No, of course, you don't. Men are notoriously bad at noticing the truth of their own feelings, even when they're as glaringly obvious as this."
The realization jolted into him like a shock. She...she can't mean...
As if sensing his thoughts, Houki nodded. "Hai. It all makes sense, doesn't it, Heika? We met because of him. We grew close because of him. You proposed to me because of him. But, he's alive, Heika." She gripped his hand, clutched it between hers and held it close. "Hotohori. He's alive. How much time are you going to waste before you admit that you love him?"
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Notes: Ehehe, I'm reaaaaally sorry to do this chapter-splitting thing again, but I'm being thrown from the computer, and so I must post now or forever hold my peace. -_-;; This fic is almost over, though! Can you believe it? *gasp* There will, however, be a sequel, which I already have allllllll planned out, wahahahahaa. ^_^.