Author's note: What, you thought I was actually finished with this? For shame! Oh no, I'm not nearly through yet!

Discovery

Hansha awoke to the smell of roses. He smiled slightly as he opened his eyes to the sight of the entire room filled with pure white roses. Garlands of roses hung from the bedposts, woven curtains of flowers hanging like tapestries from the walls. A vase of roses sat on the table, the only color in the arrangement being the light blue flower Hansha had given Shiroi.

"Like them?" Shiroi asked softly, shifting over in the bed so he could wrap his arms around Hansha, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"They're lovely," Hansha breathed softly, smiling his lover. He was finding that he didn't have so hard a time thinking of Shiroi that way as he thought he would. "Are these some soft of bribe so you could get more sex?"

Shiroi laughed, trailing his fingers over the sensitive areas he'd discovered on Hansha's chest. "Would I have to bribe you?"

Shivering slightly at the touches, Hansha shook his head with a smile. "No… no bribe's necessary… so if it's not a bribe, what are all the roses for?"

"For you, of course," Shiroi said. "As… something of an apology for not giving you a chance earlier, and… a thank you, for being stubborn and going so far as to tie me up."

"You liked that, did you?" Hansha asked with a laugh. "I will have to remember that… I never would have guessed you liked being tied up."

"Neither would I," Shiroi replied. "But you are so incredibly sexy when you take control like that. I think that might have been partially what changed my mind about… doing this."

"As much as I'd like to take all the credit, you'll have to thank Midori as well; tying you up was her idea."

"That little scamp…" Shiroi laughed. "Sounds like something she'd come up with too." He looked at his lover in concern as Hansha stretched and winced slightly. "Sore?"

"A little," Hansha replied shyly. "It was worth it though."

"Hansha…?" Shiroi asked softly, resting his head on Hansha's bare chest. "What are we going to do about your engagement? I mean, we just broke a law here. Cheating on a fiancée… you could be tortured, or even killed for it. I… hadn't even thought of that." He pulled away from Hansha then, scooting out of bed and starting to gather his clothes. "I'm so sorry Hansha, I shouldn't have… I didn't even think about it… gods…"

Hansha frowned at Shiroi's distress, getting out of bed as well despite the slight twinge of discomfort. "That seems a little harsh a punishment…"

Shiroi shrugged helplessly. "It's tradition. I'd forgotten about it… I'm sorry, Hansha… If you get caught, you'll-"

"Shh…" Hansha wrapped his arms around Shiroi, holding him close. "I'm not going to get caught. Midori… is writing a letter to the Mystical Elf… we're going to break the engagement."

"What?" Shiroi blinked at him. "Why?"

"I want to be with you," Hansha said simply. "And Midori has someone of her own she wants to be with. If… you and I were joined… then our kingdoms would still be merged. Wouldn't that be so much better?"

"I don't know…" Shiroi said worriedly. "That's… quite a level of commitment… I don't know if I could…"

Hansha poked Shiroi in the side. "But you could have me whenever you wanted."

That made Shiroi smile. "Good point. I'll have to think about this then."

Hansha sighed, moving away to pick up his clothing. "Alright then. Until then, I'm hungry."

Shiroi resumed pulling on his clothes. Alright, breakfast it is, then."