AN: I want to apologize again for the delay on this fic ^^;; But it wasn't really my fault, since I broke my finger. And believe me, it wasn't done intentionally… after all, you don't know the amount of pain and frustration I had to go through writing exams with a broken finger, and on top of that, starting to play volleyball again the week after I broke the finger. But on the bright side, I learnt how to spike with my left hand, and know how to spike with my right without breaking anything. Be prepared for a LONG chapter ^_^ Anyways… enough with my senseless chattering, this chapter, along with the next seventeen chapters will each be dedicated one of the people who responded to my notice ^_^
Dedication: To Mingming-chan *hugs* What will I do without you? You're always there, every time I turn on the computer ^_^ Not a bad thing trust me ^^;; I can talk to you about everything, and you always listen so patiently to my ramblings. Thank you so much for being there, and this is the first bribe, don't forget ^_^
Thanks to : Megami ( Thank you for all those reviews ^____^ But since I'm so lazy, I'm just going to reply in one message. Wai!! I'm really happy that you like my story enough to review four times ^^; I always have a title for my fics… they don't feel right without one. And your reviews are cut short because of . faces. For some reason, FF.net cut off after the bracket), Ami (thanks ^_^, and yeah, a Hoto/Usa fic), Ashlee Campell, Blue Moon (thank you! Say hi to Karuma-chan for me too ^_^), Odangoed one, Bunnicula03 (Well, in the series, they did show a part where Nakago was only about 10, lying naked in the Emperor's chamber. And one of the concubines commented that Nakago was a very pretty toy. You haven't seen the series? O.o), Lilyusagi-san, Dream Blaze (*hug* Thank you so much for caring. I feel much better now ^_^ But aren't you satisfied? I already have two Nakago/Usagi fics), Ivory-chan (*hides in den* I swear Ivory-chan! This time isn't my fault. I broke my finger, so I couldn't type anything ^^;; But here's the Hoto/Usa moments that you wanted ^_~), Bunni V (you're forgiven ^_~), MoonGodess444 (sorry... But this is going to remain a Hoto/Usa story), Akiko-chan (I love you too ^_~ Did I tell you that I'm going to have some special plans with your favourite carrot top?), Mistress 90, Tenshi no Nozomi (You can always believe me when I swear upon my kitty ^^;;), Akizuki Nauru (*pouts* I thought I was -chan ^_~), Bunny Winner (Thank you for leaving the response. I was so sweet of you ^_^), Bluejello (someone cares about me!), themoonmaiden ( you don't know how lucky I feel to have a great fan like you ^_^ Nope, no Suzaku no miko. There's only Usagi ^_~), Mingming ( ^^;; I didn't notice that you died on me… after all, we chat like everyday almost ^_~), JLSCORPIO78, Gakkuri Naishinnou ( Sorry that the chapter was late, but yeah the finger excuse again ^^;; Chat with you later ^_~), and SweetKawaiiAngel
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Chapter 4
It was truly an impressive sight. The young emperor thought to himself as he surveyed his army in pride. It has been at least a hundred years since Konan had voluntarily declared war against another country. But that didn't mean that his soldiers forgot how to fight. On the contrary, every man who were present on the battlefield, stood tall and proud from long years of training and strict discipline. Their armour and red uniform shinned under the sun, giving the illusion of a calm fire read to dance into life anytime.
"Your Majesty?"
The young emperor clothed in a brilliant red cloak turned towards his companion, who like him, was also a Suzaku seishi.
"The Kutou army is approaching sire," Chichiri said, even though they still couldn't see anything across the bare plane.
"And…" Saihitei hesitated, biting back the question that he desperately wanted to ask.
"She's with them Your Majesty," the blue haired monk smiled as the emperor let out the breath that he has been holding unconsciously.
Finally, after eighteen years of longing, he would be able to meet her face to face. He had to force himself from laughing out loud in sheer happiness, it surely would scare his soldiers to see their emperor loosing it at such a crucial time. "How can you tell Chichiri? I still can't sense anything, especially if she's the Seiryuu no miko right now, as the reports claimed."
"I didn't sense her ki, no da. For some reason, her ki is masked, and that it doesn't feel like the normal ki of a human. But I can feel the ki of three of the Seiryuu seishi. Kutou wouldn't send three of their celestial warriors just to fight in a battle, unless it was to protect someone or something very important, no da," the monk explained.
"Let's just hope for your sake that it's true. If she's not here, then you'll have to go all the way to Kutou's capital while I distract them here," the silver haired emperor answered jokingly while scanning the empty horizon excitedly again. "That reminds me Chichiri, if you can sense the kis of the Seiryuu seishi, won't they be able to sense us too?"
The cheerful mask dropped its cheerful grin as the blue haired seishi pondered seriously. "I did detect a very powerful force from one of the Seiryuu seishi," What the monk didn't reveal was that even if he combined his power with that of the emperor, they still wouldn't be enough to defeat this Seiryuu seishi. But he didn't say anything to the his fellow Suzaku seishi, knowing how much the miko meant to the emperor, not only for protecting Konan, but also for his own personal reasons.
~*~*~*~
"Nii-chan!" the blonde girl whined out squirming on her horse. "Are we there yet?"
"Why are you so eager for the battle imouto?" Nakago chuckled turning to see his miko half standing, half sitting on her horse. Not that he blamed her, for someone who wasn't accustomed to horse back, sitting on a horse for a whole day was pure torture.
"Because all I want to do is get this thing over with so I'll be able to walk on solid ground again!"
He couldn't help but laugh out loud at the annoyed declaration accompanied by a little pout on the bunny's face. Soi and Suboshi stared at him in shock. It was the first time they have seen Nakago laugh so carefree before. Normally, the shogun only laughed in battle or when he held the life of an enemy in his hands. And even then, the sound of that cruel laughter was enough to haunt its victims to hell.
"Consider yourself lucky to have a horse to ride on Usagi-sama. There are thousands of soldiers behind you who has to walk from the capital to the border."
A pensive expression appeared on her face before Usagi stopped her horse.
"Usagi-sama, what are you doing?" Suboshi asked in confusion. Nakago's decision still baffled him. Why did the older seishi choose him instead of his aniki? Surely Amiboshi was far more skilled, not to mention more experienced in battle.
I'm going to walk for a while," the bunny winked at her companion before jumping down from her chestnut stallion.
"Usagi-sama, this isn't the time for your games. Please get back on your horse," Soi called out to the miko, before she could get away.
"But Nii-chan," the bunny whined, looking at Nakago pleadingly. "Everyone is walking, as their miko, the least I can do is walk with them for a little while, and cheer them up. It must be so boring walking this long and not be able to talk to anyone. Please?"
"It's okay Soi," the blond seishi held up a hand to stop the red haired woman before she could object. "Just make sure that you come back here before we reach the Konan army. And take Suboshi with you, and be careful okay?"
"Thank you Nii-chan!" Usagi bounced up happily to give the shogun a quick peck on the cheek for gratitude, before dragging a groaning Suboshi off of his horse and back towards the body of the army. Poor Suboshi, just because his energetic miko didn't like her horse, that didn't mean that he didn't mind being forced to walk all the way to Konan.
An amused little smirk tugged at his lips as Nakago watched a blonde blur skipping next to the soldiers, trailed by a less than happy Suboshi.
"You've changed," Soi observed quietly from beside him.
"How so?"
"You smile more now ever since Usagi-sama showed up, and they are happy smiles, not like the way you used smirk at others."
That's because I can't deny her anything, even my own happiness. He thought quietly to himself before spurring his horse ahead.
Behind him, the sound of a clear sweet voice floated to his ears, singing a new song, blended with the voices of soldiers laughing and singing along.
~*~*~*~
The sound of drums could be heard from both sides as the leaders of the two respective armies rode to the middle of the battle field followed by their soldiers. It was like the clash of water and fire, as men dressed in red and blue mixed on the field, that was slowly stained with red. Two figures stood out proudly from the rest of the fighting mass, one in a red cloak, the other in a blue cloak. Even though the two were fighting on different sides, their thoughts were on the same person.
The two men circled each other slowly on their horses, carefully judging each other's skills.
"Saihitei, Emperor of Konan I suppose?" Nakago smirked mockingly and nodded to the leader of his enemy kingdom.
"No," the young man in red replied, looking over the Seiryuu seishi's shoulder at the other blonde head, who was sitting rather impatiently on her horse. "Right now, I'm just Hotohori, another seishi like yourself."
A harsh laugh came from the Kutou general. "Like me? You must be more naïve than I thought. Unlike you Suzaku seishi," Nakago drawled out lazily, "I have a miko to serve."
"Not for long if I have any say in it. This isn't a come first serve type of thing. I don't know what kind of lies your emperor fed her to make her agree to be the Seiryuu no Miko." the silver haired man replied heatedly, sparing another glance at the golden head in the midst of the Kutou army. "But I swear that I'll get her out of your control!"
An amused smirk appeared on Nakago's face as he listened to the Emperor of Konan. "Let me ask you this. What makes you think that I forced Usagi-sama into becoming the Seiryuu no miko?"
Usagi… the name was gently repeated in his head. So that was her name. How adorable. A warm smile unconsciously spread on his face, as the young Suzaku seishi momentarily forgot that he was in the middle of a battle.
A surprised Nakago stared at the enemy emperor silently as the silver haired man didn't respond to his jab. Instead, Saihitei seemed to be daydreaming. Idiot. Didn't the stupid boy realize how easily it was for him to be attacked like this? Maybe he was giving the boy too much credit, the Emperor of Konan didn't seem to be much of a threat after all. But still, it puzzled the blond man a little to see the sudden change in the Suzaku seishi. It was when he said … a smirk appeared on Nakago's face. So that was it.
~*~*~*~
Across the battle field, amidst the safety of the rest of the Kutou army, a blonde head peeked out above the thousands of helmets.
"Su-chan! Stand still!" the Seiryuu no miko complained, giving a little stump on the shoulders that she was standing on.
"Usagi-chan, why can't you sit on your horse?" the young man panted out, wiping the beads of sweat on his brow. His whole body was shaking under the weight of his miko, who after whining that she couldn't see Nakago, 'insisted' Suboshi to help her.
Help my ass. the sandy haired seishi complained, his definition of help didn't include being treated as a ladder. And as if Usagi wasn't heavy enough, try to imagine how much she would weigh in armour. True, the few pieces of metal was just for decoration, since the miko wasn't going to fight, but gold and silver weren't exactly the lightest metals on Earth.
"What are they doing?!"
Suboshi winced as Usagi moved on his shoulders, almost making him loose his balance and fall onto the ground.
"Is something wrong Usagi-chan?"
"I can see Nii-chan. He's with an enemy. But they aren't fighting. They're just sitting there, talking on their horses!"
"At lease he isn't blasting the poor soldier to ashes," Suboshi mutter under his breath, shuddering as he remembered the last time Nakago decided to take out his anger on a poor soul.
"What did you say?" the bunny didn't seem to hear him since her attention was glued to the tall blond man on the battlefield.
"Nothing. How's Soi doing?" the younger seishi still couldn't forgive the red head for abandoning him to baby-sit again. Just when he thought that he could finally be able to prove his skills to the older seishi, it was cheated of him yet again. It wasn't as if there weren't enough soldiers protecting their miko. More that half of their forces were still in reserves, watching their comrades in battle. Suboshi was sure that it was more than enough for fifty thousand men to look after one little bunny, so why did he have stay again?
"She's doing pretty good. No injuries," Usagi answered, before she jumped off of her companion's shoulders. "This is so unfair!" the miko complained out of the blue.
Damn right it is. the young man agreed quietly as he rubbed his sore shoulders.
"Why does Nii-chan and Soi-chan get to have all the fun, while I'm stuck here with you?"
Well at least the feeling is mutual, the seishi shot back in his head. But he didn't dare to say it out loud. "It's for your own safety Usagi-chan." He tried to calm down the annoyed blonde. But in reality, why did he even bother trying? He learned long ago that when the blonde was in one of her moods, nothing could persuade her otherwise.
"I'm going down," the bunny announced casually, and before Suboshi could process what was going on, the miko had already jumped onto her horse, and was rushing into the thickest fighting area, sword drawn out, looking like an angel of war.
Cursing wildly, the young man grabbed the reins of his own horse and chased after his miko. Damn, if Nakago found out about this… Maybe if he got to the bunny fast enough, he could still be able to get her back. Even if he would have to tie her up with his ryuuseisui and haul her across his shoulders.
But if only things were that simple… In the sea of fighting bodies, it only took a few seconds for the miko to be totally swallowed up in the deafening cacophony of clashing metals. Even the brightest armour would be stained with blood and sweat, either that of your own, or of your enemy's. There was no sign of the rabbit.
~*~*~*~
Adrenaline rushed through her veins as anther opponent fell down at her feet. Who knew that fighting could be so exhilarating? The moment she jumped into the battle, she was immediately swarmed by enemies everywhere. Now the Konan soldiers all backed away as the fresh blood dripped down from her sword.
Usagi grinned. They thought that just because she was a girl, she was an easy target. How stupid of them to judge a book by its cover. A devilish smirk appeared on her face as she lunged at her next prey, who fell with a single slash across the chest. The new blood sprayed on her armour, adding more of the sticky crimson liquid to the already drying brown crust.
Stepping over the bodies… they weren't dead. She would never kill, they were just unconscious from the lack of blood. She made sure that none of the cuts were deep enough to be fatal. But that didn't stop her from enjoying the excitement that she was experiencing for the first time as she defeated man after man with the confidence of a master swordsman. If there was a mirror in front of her, she would've seen that the expression on her face was exactly the same as that of Nakago's.
Silently, the blonde girl looked at the man in front of her as she pushed back her long hair away from her face. Her helmet had been knocked down a long time ago, by an arrow that was meant to take her out.
This one looked different from the rest of the Konan soldiers. For one thing, he wasn't wearing any armour, and by the look of his clean neat clothes, he appeared to be a monk. A monk with an annoying little smile that seemed to be pasted onto his face.
"I'll be your next opponent, no da," the blue haired man said cheerfully as if he was just discussing how beautiful the weather was.
The miko gave a silent nod, and carefully seized up her new opponent, who stood with the same cheerful smile. This man didn't seem so dangerous at all, but she knew better than to jump to conclusions.
Without giving any warnings like her previous fights, she lunged at the monk with the silence and speed of a panther, hoping to catch him in surprise.
But that was not the case. Her attack was easily blocked with a long metal staff that just suddenly appeared in the blue haired man's hand, like magic. Keeping her surprise and frustration carefully masked, Usagi continued to exchange blows with the monk tirelessly.
They were equally matched, or almost. The sun was hanging low in the fiery sky, and the two fighters still haven't made any injuries on the other. A fact that irritated the Seiryuu no miko to no end. They've been fighting for what seemed to be hours. While she was tired to the bone, and was being roasted alive in her armour, the mysterious monk still looked as fresh as he did at the beginning of their fight. And it also didn't escape her notice that he was only fighting half heartedly, as if he was playing with a child.
"It's almost sun down, no da," the monk commented lightly as he blocked a swing to his head. "Why don't you go back and rest, and we'll fight again tomorrow, no da?"
Usagi stopped a moment in surprise, leaning heavily on her sword panting. Her eyes hardened when she heard the proposal. Go back and rest? Was she so weak that even an enemy was beginning to take pity on her? Why can't you do anything right?, Don't you dare come home with that kind of grade!, You are too weak Sailormoon! She dropped her sword and clutched her head in pain as familiar voices taunted her in her mind. Was this part of her past? Was she really as weak and pathetic? She would prove to them, that she was stronger than them all!
"We are going to finish this now," the blonde said in a commanding tone, looking up to see a concerned expression in her enemy's eyes. This only served to fuel her anger even more. She was not going to give up.
Not answering, the monk turned and began to walk away.
Usagi quickly located her horse and grabbed the reins just as the blue haired man began to run. She could faintly hear someone calling her name in the background. It was probably Suboshi, but she was too occupied to care as she started to chase after the monk.
Funny, was it only her, or did it seem that the blue haired monk was able to run faster on his own legs than her horse? She has been chasing after the man for almost half an hour. They left the battlefield long ago, and was now in a forest. No matter what, the man always seemed to be a few steps in front of her. When the distance separating them became larger, he would actually slow down and wait for her to catch up.
Usagi grinned smugly to herself as she saw where they were heading. A cliff. Her prey was cornered, this time, they would settle this once and for all.
So concentrated was she in her thoughts of winning, that she didn't even notice the changes in the surroundings until it was too late. As she approached the blue haired monk, she didn't hear the rustling noises in the trees above her. If she did, she would've probably noticed the two men that jumped down with a net in between them, neatly catching the Seiryuu no miko in their trap.
"What the hell?!" Usagi swore loudly as the hard landing onto the ground from her horse made her a little disoriented. But it didn't take her long to notice that she was ensnarled in a web of fine silk threads. "How dare you swing this low, you fake monk!"
"Fake monk, no da?" the blue haired man blinked and pointed to himself. "Why am I fake no da?"
"Of course you're fake! Monks are suppose to be nice, gentle, and HONOURABLE! You're none of those things if you pull such a dirty trick on a girl, you have to be fake under that mask of yours!" the bunny accused angrily.
"So, you can tell," the Suzaku seishi replied gently, before removing his mask and staring down at the empty smile. "I'm sorry about my actions, but I have to do this. Forgive me."
A strange incantation was quietly uttered by the monk, and the last thing Usagi thought before she drifted to sleep was on how worried her Nii-chan would be.
~*~*~*~
"She's what?!" Soi cried out staring at Suboshi in shock. The moment she saw the younger seishi waiting for her in front of their camp, she knew that something must've happened. And judging by the paleness of Suboshi's face, it could only mean something bad.
"She… she said that it was unfair that she had to watch while the others fought… so…" the young man stuttered, shaking under Soi's glare. "So she rode into the battlefield before I could stop her. I tried to look for her… but all I saw was when she chased a blue haired monk into the forest behind the Konan army. I was about to follow her, but I couldn't because a group of Konan soldiers stopped me."
This was bad. The red head thought to herself running a hand through her tangled hair. How was she suppose to tell Nakago now? The shogun entrusted his most important person to her, and now how could she face him and break the news that his long lost imouto was gone, lost somewhere in the enemy's country?
Faint flashes of lightening sizzled in the air around her. Suboshi flinched slightly and backed away, thinking that he would be punished for the disappearance of their miko. Poor boy. Soi thought looking down at the younger seishi in pity. He was covered from head to toe with grim and blood, not to mention the bruises and cuts. It was obvious that he was miserable and scared of the consequences. She couldn't really blame him for what happened, since she knew as well how whimsical Usagi could be at times. And Suboshi had already suffered enough just on his own. "I guess there's nothing that we could do except to tell Nakago-sama."
At the mention of the shogun's name, the young man became even more paler.
"He's still at the battlefield, taking care of the causalities, but he should be back soon," Soi informed Suboshi gently. "Go back and rest. I'll take care of the rest."
He was about to object before she stopped him in a commanding tone. "Go rest, so you'll have strength to rescue Usagi-sama and correct your mistakes."
After the young man left to clean up, Soi paced around in the dark nervously, waiting for the blond man to return. Part of her wanted him to return, so she could get it over with, but the other part of her dreaded the consequences. After what seemed to be forever, faint sounds of horse hoofs reached her ears, and she could see the dark shadows in the night.
Soi waited for all the foot soldiers to pass before she made her way to Nakago's horse, taking his helmet and cloak. It was a mystery to her how he could always remain so dashing and fresh no matter how hard or long he fought. For a moment, she forgot about the problems, as she stared at his handsome profile, outlined by the moonbeams.
"Let's go back to the tent Soi. Is there something you want to tell me about?" Nakago broke the peaceful moment, walking across the camp to their tent.
Dread filled her up like lead in her stomach. From the tone of his voice, it felt like he already suspected what had happened.
"Nakago-sama…" the red head hesitated, didn't know how to continue. She looked at the blond man helplessly.
"Go on, I won't punish you," he prompted in his usual cold voice.
"Usagi-sama left by herself to chase after an enemy. We think that she is in Konan right now, and we fear that the enemy may have taken her…"
The shogun didn't say anything, as he removed his armour and boots. "And what about Suboshi?"
"He went after Usagi-sama, but the Konan soldiers prevented him from saving her…" When Nakago didn't answer, Soi feared the worst for the younger seishi. "Please don't punish him Nakago-sama. He tired his best. The poor boy is beating himself up to death already."
"I didn't say anything about punishments, did I Soi?"
The red head stared at the shogun in surprise, not believe how easily they got off.
"I met the Konan emperor today on the battlefield. He hinted to me that something like this was going to happen. There was nothing that you or Suboshi could've done to prevent it from happening," Nakago said lightly.
"But what about Usagi-sama? What are they going to do with her?" Now that she knew Suboshi was safe and the miko's disappearance was all planned, the weight suddenly dropped.
"They won't do anything to harm her. She'll actually be safer with the Suzaku seishi than if she is with us," the blond man replied snickering.
"Suzaku seishi?!"
"The Konan emperor is actually one of the Suzaku seven. Since we found Usagi-sama already, our Suzaku counterparts are a little impatient to find their miko too. So they decided to steal ours instead, and make Usagi-sama into the Suzaku no miko," Nakago explained to the astonished Soi. "They would do anything to make sure that Usagi-sama will be safe, especially from Kutou and the Seiryuu seishi." He chuckled humourlessly.
"But wouldn't that make it even harder for us to rescue her? And what if they are able to persuade her to be the Suzaku no miko? And what are we going to tell the Emperor when he knows that we let the Seiryuu no miko get captured?" New worries rose with her new knowledge.
"I've thought about all those things Soi. We have all our seishi already, while the Konan empire has only found two. We have all the time in the world to get her back while they look for the rest of their members. I doubt if they can persuade her to be their miko. Usagi-sama's loyalties lie with us… with me. As for the emperor," the shogun frowned as he thought about the old fool. "I want you to check on Suboshi later. Tell him to send a message to Amiboshi. Tell him that I need to see Tomo and Amiboshi as soon as possible."
"I'll go see him right now. He will be very happy to know that you won't punish him for Usagi-sama's disappearance," Soi replied, before she left.
Alone in his tent again, a new plan began to take shape. It would be a great gamble. The outcome could either be disastrous, or they would be able to gain back everything that was taken away from them in the past.
~*~*~*~
The soldiers posted outside the tent cringed as another cry echoed in the night, followed by the sound of shattering glass. A few seconds later, the unfortunate man who brought dinner for their blonde captive scrambled out of the tent (serving as a prison), covered in rice and sporting a large bruise on his forehead.
The guards sighed. This was the thirteenth time that this happened. Every time someone went into the tent, he was immediately driven out by the blonde girl, and always with some new bruises or cuts. The two guards were extremely glad that their duty was only to watch out that she didn't try to escape. But truth to be told, they had no idea why their emperor chose to take this girl. Sure, with her rare golden hair and blue eyes, she rivalled their emperor in beauty… but her manners were just horrendous, completely not fit of the harem.
~*~*~*~
Usagi pouted and resumed her pacing in the tent. She glanced at the spoiled meal on the ground, regretting her thoughtless actions. If only she was clam enough to see that the last soldier brought food, then she wouldn't have flung the whole tray at his face. Her stomach growled in response, but it was too late to change that now. And she was certainly not going to ask her captors to bring more food. If only she could leave this miserable place. But every time she tried to even step near the tent flaps, a barrier stopped her from fleeing. No doubt it was created by that dishonourable and fake monk.
So deep was she in her internal ranting that she didn't even hear the tight tent cloth being cut open from behind her. The gentle whispers of the wind warned her of an intruder.
Swirling around, the bunny grabbed the nearest object, which was a chair and stood ready to fling it at the intruder. The newcomer stood frozen beside the large hole he made in the tent, staring at the Seiryuu no miko in surprise.
Holding up both of his hands in peace, he carefully approached the blonde, as to not alarm her. God knows that the last thing that he needed right now was to have a chair in the face to ruin his perfection.
Usagi watched cautiously as the stranger walked closer. He was wearing a long cloak that reached the floor, and a hood covered his head. Could it be? Maybe it was someone from Kutou sent to rescue her? "Who are you?"
Instead of answering, the stranger pushed back his hood, letting the moonlight shine on his long unbounded hair, and caress his beautiful face.
The miko couldn't help but stare. In her shock, she almost dropped the chair onto her own foot. Gorgeous. Was the only world in her mind as she continue to stare at the person in front of her. Was the persona a woman or a man? The stranger was too beautiful to be a man, but was too flat to be a woman.
"I'm here to help you," a sensual tenor voice brushed over Usagi's senses, melting her from inside out. The man smirked to himself as he saw the familiar effect he had on the girl. This was the first time he saw her so close. Not even the tennyos of the legends could compare with the beauty of this girl. Indeed, at first, he couldn't believe that she was mortal as she stood posed, silvery rays spilling down her slender figure, a goddess of light.
A man, oh lord, definitely male. The bunny thought gleefully to herself. But how could he be so beautiful? It almost seemed sinful to be so stunningly gorgeous when you are a male. Not that she had anything to complain about. "Who are you, and why are you helping me?"
The man looked a little startled. In his excitement to meet her, he didn't think that she could be so curious. But it was reasonable, she was in enemy territory after all. He winced at the last thought, would she think of him as an enemy too? "My name is Hotohori. Let's get out of here first, then I'll answer our questions. We don't have much time, since they are changing guards right now," he held out his hand.
The miko hesitated. "And how do you think that we'll be able to escape? I can't just walk my way out of here you know." She commented sarcastically.
Damn, he hadn't thought about that either. Obviously as the emperor, he could do whatever he wanted. But if she knew that he was the one who ordered her capture, then everything would be ruined. "Here, take this cloak," he winked and threw the heavy garment over her head, making sure that she couldn't see. "Don't make a sound okay?"
"I still don't know how you are going to get me out of here," Usagi blushed as her hand was held in Hotohori's and he led her across the tent to the hole he made.
"Magic," he replied teasingly, before the night air gently swayed the cloak.
Magic? The blonde girl thought cynically. Even though she was covered by his large cloak and couldn't see a thing, she could sense that they were walking in the wide open. It would be so easy to be spotted by the soldiers…
"Who's there?!"
Jinxed. There goes that great escape plan. They took like what? Five steps before getting caught? She groaned inside the cloak.
"Your Mag…" One of the soldiers who came to investigate immediately dropped to his knees before his emperor.
Hotohori quickly held up a finger to his lips, signalling for the soldiers to be quiet. He waved his men away an started to mumble a string of nonsense, as he lead Usagi out the Konan camp. All the soldiers stared wide eyed as their emperor walked out through the centre of the camp, leading the blonde captive covered in a cloak.
~*~*~*~
"That was close!" the bunny cried as she threw the cloak off. "I thought that we were going to be caught for sure!"
"I told you, as long as you're with me, you'll be safe," the young man smiled, brushing back strands of long silver hair.
"I still don't know how you got use out after they saw us."
"Magic," Hotohori teased when an adorable pout appeared on the blonde's face. "Did you hear me chanting?"
"Well, thank you for your help then. Do you know how to get to Kutou by any chance?" Usagi asked, getting up from the cool grass.
The young man became silent. "You can't go back there…"
An alarmed look crossed her face, as she backed away from the beautiful man. "You… You're not one of those… are you?"
Hotohori blinked in confusion, before he blushed. "No, no! Of course not! I would never take advantage of a young lady like that. It's just that when the Konan soldiers know that you escaped, the first place they'll look is the rout to Kutou. You'll easily get recaptured.
"Then… where am I suppose to go?"
"You can stay with me if you want. We can go to Konan together, those soldiers will never guess that you will stay in the enemy's country. After a while, when they give up looking for you, I'll take you back to Kutou, is that okay?"
Even though all she wanted to do was to see her Nii-chan right now, she had to grudgingly admit that he was right. "But what about your family? Won't they be worried if you are with me? And you know that I don't have any gold to repay you…" Indeed, all she had was the clothes she was wearing, the sword that her Nii-chan made for her was confiscated when the Konan soldiers captured her.
"It's okay. I don't have a family anyways. As for payment…" a sly sparkle shinned in his golden eyes. "first of all, for the price of rescuing you out of the Konan camp, tell me your name."
"Usagi. But, you mean that you're going to make me pay more?! What do you want from me anyways? Why save a stranger you've never met?"
"It's a secret," he grinned at her. "I'll tell you later."
Why was it that she felt the payment would be so much more than she could afford? "Where are we going?" She called out as her companion began to walk.
"Don't know. We'll just go wherever our feet take us," was the cheerful reply she got. The young emperor smiled… truly smiled for the first time. It was Chichiri who offered to take his place while he took the miko to search for the other missing Suzaku seishi. This was the first time that he was allowed to travel by himself. But instead of feeling lonely, his whole face was fining with happiness. Finally, his wish since childhood would be granted, with this beautiful girl, his miko. Turning around, he glanced at the blonde girl, a small frown marred his smooth brow.
This wouldn't do. Even though this was his first travelling experience, Chichiri had warned him about the dangers, especially for a young girl. And looking at Usagi now, her pastel blue silk torn and clinging to her body alluringly, no one in their right mind would be able to miss such a tempting maiden…
Usagi stopped in her tracks as she bumped into a strong chest. She didn't even notice when he stopped walking. The only thing that prevented her from falling onto her bum were his arms that drew her close to his body. The miko reddened at the closeness of their bodies, she could almost feel his heart, beating under her cheek.
"We have to find a change of clothes for you. You'll catch a cold, since the silk is way to thin," Hotohori lied, hiding his jealousy. Now that he had her, he didn't want to share her with the roaming eyes of those peasants. And her shivering provided the perfect excuse… not that he minded the silk, on the contrary, it allowed him to hold her close.
The miko nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Hotohori. She was slightly glad to step away from him, being so close was doing funny things to her heart. It was like drinking warm sake on a chilly winter night, except he was much headier than any sake…
If he remembered correctly, there should be a stream off the road somewhere. He saw it on the map in the camp. They could change and stay the night there. And tomorrow, they could start travelling though this empire of his…
AN: Is this long enough for you guys? See, I always keep my promises, lots of Hoto/Usa moments in this chapter ^_^ I thought that I broke my finger again while I was typing. This was 19 pages long!