~An American Miko~
Chapter Eight
Laughter & a Song
Mistyc laughed as Yuiren made another joke. She was such a joyful child, always so eager to get a smile back.
Hotohori watched the two with a fond smile on his face. 'She's so good with children. She will be a good mother.'
They had started out riding that morning, the children had never been very far outside the village and didn't want to sit back in the carriage. Chuei however rode in it beside his father and the doctor.
Myst would look back every once in a while to check on them and Chuei would flash her a wide smile.
The other children were up riding with her and the seishi in front of them on their horses. Gyoukuran sat in front of Nuriko, Shunkei sat in front of Hotohori, and of course, Yuiren was in front of Myst.
Hotohori chuckled as he listened to Gyoukuran bombard Nuriko with question about being a court princess.
Myst pulled up on her horse a it and sidled up next to them.
Gyoukuran was in the middle of enthusiastically saying something that brought a smile to everyone's face. "I'm going to be a court princess just like you someday! Then I'm going to marry the next emperor and be his wife and be happy and everything!"
Myst laughed lightly. "I don't doubt that. Indeed some day Hotohori and I might be calling you daughter."
Gyoukuran's eyes lit up and she looked over at Myst. "Do you really think so Empress?"
Hotohori pulled his horse up on the other side of Nuriko. He leaned over and touched Gyoukuran on the shoulder and the child craned her neck to look at him as he looked into her bright eyes. "If you keep that spirit and belief, then one day I'm sure it shall happen."
Gyoukuran smiled huge and nodded. "I do believe, I do! I really, really do!"
Yuiren popped up at this too. "Me too sister, me too! You can do it!"
Shunkei too pumped a small fist in the air. "Yeah!"
The three adults laughed, and moods were high and bright for the future.
Yuiren leaned back against Myst, then shifted, turned a little and patted her stomach. "You have a big tummy."
Myst laughed and rubbed the girls back. "That's because there's a baby in there Yuiren."
The three children's eyes went wide and Yuiren kept petting the small bulge. "A baby? Is he going to be then next emperor?"
Myst shrugged. "I don't know. It might be a girl, and it might be a boy. If it's a boy, then yes, most likely."
Yuiren looked up at her. "Why?"
"Well, because, Hotohori is it's father, and he's the emperor, and I'm the empress. If it's a boy, then it would be his birthright, especially if it's the only boy we have."
"Do you only want one boy? You don't want any girls?"
Myst smiled and looked for a second at Hotohori, who was watching her, before looking back to Yuiren. "Oh no, I want many children. Girls and boys."
Gyoukuran giggled. "That sounds nice. Then we all could play together right? Since we're all friends?"
Myst nodded and smiled and Hotohori spoke again. "Of course you all can play together when the baby gets old enough. In a way, you'll be cousins and will always be welcome to play together whenever you like. If you want, all of us could play together some time."
The three children cheered at that and began all talking at once to the person they were riding with and each other.
Tou-san watched this from where he was laying in the carriage. He smiled and thought to himself, 'Truly this kingdom is blessed to have such a wonderful man as its emperor. For a man to have come here to fetch us himself and at his own risk, and to have married such a splendid woman in every way, shows that he is indeed the best man to be the leader and ruler of this country. He genuinely cares about his people and even gets down on his knees to talk to common children.'
Tou-san watched Hotohori laugh in his deep, smooth voice at something that Shunkei said and then point to something off the road that excited the child. 'His heart is obviously big and full of love for everyone. We are truly blessed to have such a man, and god forbid he should ever be taken form us.'
Hotohori pulled his horse back more to ride beside the carriage, seeming almost as if he had heard the thoughts. He looked kindly at the old man. "Your children are truly a joy sir. It will be good to have you and them at the palace. We need the voices and laughter of children."
Tou-san smiled his thanks, but then began coughing. His eyes snapped open again when he felt a warm gentle hand on his forehead.
Hotohori had leaned down to touch him with a smile and a worried look on his handsome face. His voice was soft and deep with caring. "You should rest now, we have another day journey, maybe a little more, after this and you need to save your strength."
Tou-san's eyes widened a little as Hotohori brushed back the hair from his sweaty face then he smiled and closed his eyes. 'He's not afraid or even disgusted to touch a peasant like me. Yes, we are truly blessed to have such a man.'
From the front, Myst and Nuriko were looking back and smiling. Nuriko leaned over to speak softly in Myst's ear. "His Majesty seems a lot more alive around these people. We should take him out of the palace more often."
Myst nodded. "I agree my friend. The palace is way to stifling. He needs to be out more and be one with the people like this. I think he'd be happier that way. No, I know he would."
"Who may I ask are we talking about ladies?"
The two jumped and Myst smacked Hotohori lightly on the arm. "Don't sneak up on us like that! If you must know, we were speaking of you. You're so much happier when your out among your people."
Hotohori leaned over and kissed his wife. "Our people Empress, and yeas I am happier. I'm realizing now that to effectively lead a people, you have to be one of them, to know them as equals." He would have said more, but instead looked down.
Shunkei had turned sideways and had pressed up against Hotohori with his fists grabbing onto the man's red garments.
Myst looked and saw that the other two children had done about the same. She put her hand gently on Yuiren's hair and began humming. The humming then melted into a song, her beautiful soprano voice drifting through the air.
@o~^~o@
"There is a castle on a cloud I like to go there in my sleep Aren't any floors for me to sweep Not in my castle on a cloud
"There is a room that's full of toys There are a hundred boys and girls Nobody shouts or talks to loud Not in my castle on a cloud
"There is a lady all in white Holds me and sings a lullaby She's nice to see and she's soft to touch She says, dear child, I love you very much
"I know a place where no one's lost I know a place where no one cries Crying at all is not aloud Not in my castle on a cloud"
@o~^~o@
Hotohori smiled at Myst and at the now sleeping children. "That was simply beautiful. A song from your world no doubt."
Myst nodded and continued to look down at the sleeping girl. "Yes. It's one I've always liked."
Hotohori tilted his head a little. "Will you sing for me again some time?"
Myst chuckled and finally looked at him. "Of course Love. Never singing again would be like me forgetting how to breathe."
Nuriko sighed. "Would you teach me that song some time?"
Myst nodded and they rode on in silence.
**********
A.N.: This chapter is a little shorter due to the song fic part. Normally I don't write song fics, but I really like this song and it fits really well...Well, almost. I did change part of it in the third part when she says "Dear child". That part normally says Cosset but that just didn't fit. Well, I'm enjoying some of the response I'm getting for this fic. Keep it up ne?! Luv Ya!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman
Mistyc laughed as Yuiren made another joke. She was such a joyful child, always so eager to get a smile back.
Hotohori watched the two with a fond smile on his face. 'She's so good with children. She will be a good mother.'
They had started out riding that morning, the children had never been very far outside the village and didn't want to sit back in the carriage. Chuei however rode in it beside his father and the doctor.
Myst would look back every once in a while to check on them and Chuei would flash her a wide smile.
The other children were up riding with her and the seishi in front of them on their horses. Gyoukuran sat in front of Nuriko, Shunkei sat in front of Hotohori, and of course, Yuiren was in front of Myst.
Hotohori chuckled as he listened to Gyoukuran bombard Nuriko with question about being a court princess.
Myst pulled up on her horse a it and sidled up next to them.
Gyoukuran was in the middle of enthusiastically saying something that brought a smile to everyone's face. "I'm going to be a court princess just like you someday! Then I'm going to marry the next emperor and be his wife and be happy and everything!"
Myst laughed lightly. "I don't doubt that. Indeed some day Hotohori and I might be calling you daughter."
Gyoukuran's eyes lit up and she looked over at Myst. "Do you really think so Empress?"
Hotohori pulled his horse up on the other side of Nuriko. He leaned over and touched Gyoukuran on the shoulder and the child craned her neck to look at him as he looked into her bright eyes. "If you keep that spirit and belief, then one day I'm sure it shall happen."
Gyoukuran smiled huge and nodded. "I do believe, I do! I really, really do!"
Yuiren popped up at this too. "Me too sister, me too! You can do it!"
Shunkei too pumped a small fist in the air. "Yeah!"
The three adults laughed, and moods were high and bright for the future.
Yuiren leaned back against Myst, then shifted, turned a little and patted her stomach. "You have a big tummy."
Myst laughed and rubbed the girls back. "That's because there's a baby in there Yuiren."
The three children's eyes went wide and Yuiren kept petting the small bulge. "A baby? Is he going to be then next emperor?"
Myst shrugged. "I don't know. It might be a girl, and it might be a boy. If it's a boy, then yes, most likely."
Yuiren looked up at her. "Why?"
"Well, because, Hotohori is it's father, and he's the emperor, and I'm the empress. If it's a boy, then it would be his birthright, especially if it's the only boy we have."
"Do you only want one boy? You don't want any girls?"
Myst smiled and looked for a second at Hotohori, who was watching her, before looking back to Yuiren. "Oh no, I want many children. Girls and boys."
Gyoukuran giggled. "That sounds nice. Then we all could play together right? Since we're all friends?"
Myst nodded and smiled and Hotohori spoke again. "Of course you all can play together when the baby gets old enough. In a way, you'll be cousins and will always be welcome to play together whenever you like. If you want, all of us could play together some time."
The three children cheered at that and began all talking at once to the person they were riding with and each other.
Tou-san watched this from where he was laying in the carriage. He smiled and thought to himself, 'Truly this kingdom is blessed to have such a wonderful man as its emperor. For a man to have come here to fetch us himself and at his own risk, and to have married such a splendid woman in every way, shows that he is indeed the best man to be the leader and ruler of this country. He genuinely cares about his people and even gets down on his knees to talk to common children.'
Tou-san watched Hotohori laugh in his deep, smooth voice at something that Shunkei said and then point to something off the road that excited the child. 'His heart is obviously big and full of love for everyone. We are truly blessed to have such a man, and god forbid he should ever be taken form us.'
Hotohori pulled his horse back more to ride beside the carriage, seeming almost as if he had heard the thoughts. He looked kindly at the old man. "Your children are truly a joy sir. It will be good to have you and them at the palace. We need the voices and laughter of children."
Tou-san smiled his thanks, but then began coughing. His eyes snapped open again when he felt a warm gentle hand on his forehead.
Hotohori had leaned down to touch him with a smile and a worried look on his handsome face. His voice was soft and deep with caring. "You should rest now, we have another day journey, maybe a little more, after this and you need to save your strength."
Tou-san's eyes widened a little as Hotohori brushed back the hair from his sweaty face then he smiled and closed his eyes. 'He's not afraid or even disgusted to touch a peasant like me. Yes, we are truly blessed to have such a man.'
From the front, Myst and Nuriko were looking back and smiling. Nuriko leaned over to speak softly in Myst's ear. "His Majesty seems a lot more alive around these people. We should take him out of the palace more often."
Myst nodded. "I agree my friend. The palace is way to stifling. He needs to be out more and be one with the people like this. I think he'd be happier that way. No, I know he would."
"Who may I ask are we talking about ladies?"
The two jumped and Myst smacked Hotohori lightly on the arm. "Don't sneak up on us like that! If you must know, we were speaking of you. You're so much happier when your out among your people."
Hotohori leaned over and kissed his wife. "Our people Empress, and yeas I am happier. I'm realizing now that to effectively lead a people, you have to be one of them, to know them as equals." He would have said more, but instead looked down.
Shunkei had turned sideways and had pressed up against Hotohori with his fists grabbing onto the man's red garments.
Myst looked and saw that the other two children had done about the same. She put her hand gently on Yuiren's hair and began humming. The humming then melted into a song, her beautiful soprano voice drifting through the air.
@o~^~o@
"There is a castle on a cloud I like to go there in my sleep Aren't any floors for me to sweep Not in my castle on a cloud
"There is a room that's full of toys There are a hundred boys and girls Nobody shouts or talks to loud Not in my castle on a cloud
"There is a lady all in white Holds me and sings a lullaby She's nice to see and she's soft to touch She says, dear child, I love you very much
"I know a place where no one's lost I know a place where no one cries Crying at all is not aloud Not in my castle on a cloud"
@o~^~o@
Hotohori smiled at Myst and at the now sleeping children. "That was simply beautiful. A song from your world no doubt."
Myst nodded and continued to look down at the sleeping girl. "Yes. It's one I've always liked."
Hotohori tilted his head a little. "Will you sing for me again some time?"
Myst chuckled and finally looked at him. "Of course Love. Never singing again would be like me forgetting how to breathe."
Nuriko sighed. "Would you teach me that song some time?"
Myst nodded and they rode on in silence.
**********
A.N.: This chapter is a little shorter due to the song fic part. Normally I don't write song fics, but I really like this song and it fits really well...Well, almost. I did change part of it in the third part when she says "Dear child". That part normally says Cosset but that just didn't fit. Well, I'm enjoying some of the response I'm getting for this fic. Keep it up ne?! Luv Ya!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman