~An American Miko~
Chapter Thirteen
Melody & Dinner Conversation
Hotohori walked along the paths of the garden and sighed. He was so busy these days that he rarely had time to spend with his family. His son was almost two weeks old. He would come in late to find his wife and son already asleep and knowing that they both needed that sleep, would simply bed over the railing of Boushin's crib to touch the baby's soft hair, which to his delight was turning a rich brown like his, and kiss his soft forehead. Then he'd disrobe and climb into bed, careful not to disturb his wife, though for some reason she always woke up just enough to snuggle into his side.
He had some time to himself right now and was looking for his wife and child, since Boushin was not in the nursery. He had asked the nanny, who had even taken care of him when he was young, where the prince was once or twice and she replied that Myst hardly ever brought him to her. He was surprisingly happy that Myst wanted to raise the baby and not leave it to the servants like most empresses and emperors did.
Hotohori sighed again and finally gave up the hunt, to go ask a servant where his wife was. He walked back to the building and walked along the walkway. Luckily he found something better than just a servant. He found one of Myst's handmaidens.
Myst never had wanted them to follow her around, but she always told them where she would be in case someone asked and would once in a while allow one to walk with her. He stopped the handmaiden and asked where his empress was.
"She, the young prince, and seishi Nuriko are in the bathhouse your Majesty. Would you like me to summon her to you?"
"No. Thank you. I think I shall go to her myself. Have a new set of my clothes, a robe, and some fresh towels brought to the bathhouse immediately"
The handmaiden bowed. "Yes Majesty."
Hotohori altered his course to the bathhouse and paused outside the door. He smiled as he heard the light cheers one would give to a baby and then the laughter of squeals of his happy son. He stepped inside to see what was happening and saw Myst and Nuriko standing a little more than waist deep in the warm water. Well it was a little more for Nuriko, but not much.
Myst's hair was longer now, and it fell to the middle of her back, the ends lightly sweeping in the water and her long dark gold bangs framing her face, with a few wisps sweeping into her face. Her body had finally returned to it's natural toned shape and she had done sit-ups with Nuriko everyday to tone her abdomen again. She held a naked Boushin above her and laughed with her son. Nuriko held up his arms and took Boushin from her to toss him into the air a short distance.
Hotohori, being a protective father, gasped a little at this, then sighed in relief as the small seishi caught him effortlessly.
Myst and Nuriko looked over at the gasp and Myst called out happily, "Hotohori! I thought you would be busy again today!" She waded as fast as she could over to him and Hotohori realized what she was going to do as she ran out of the water, but only after it was too late to move.
Myst all but crashed into him and jumped up into his arms, wrapping her wet body around his and throwing him back a little ways.
Hotohori laughed though and caught her wet body, hugging it against him, not caring that his clothes were now soaked. He spun her around and she shrieked with laughter. He stopped and sighed as he brought his head down and kissed her passionately. They broke apart after a few second and he put her down and began to strip out of his wet clothes to join them in the water.
Myst snapped her fingers and bounced excitedly. "Oh! Hotohori, you have to see this!"
She ran back into the water to where Nuriko was still standing with a smile on his pretty face, holding Boushin against him. Hotohori watched as she gently took the prince into her own arms. Myst blew into his face and he scrunched up his features. While she was still blowing gently, she dipped him fully into the water and then back out again and turned to look at Hotohori with an open-mouthed smile on her glowing face.
Hotohori was finally undressed and waded over to them with a happy laugh. "You taught him how to swim."
She shrugged. "Na. I just taught him how to hold his breath. He already knew how to swim. They do it in the womb. Watch." She blew in his face again and dipped him in the water, this time letting go of him for a few seconds and to Hotohori's amazement, the baby started kicking and in a way started swimming.
Hotohori was suddenly afraid that the baby was going to drown, but before he got a chance to Myst pulled Boushin out of the water and the baby amazed his father again by coming out of the water laughing. Hotohori laughed with him and held out his hands to take him. "He likes it!"
Myst handed the baby to her husband. "Yep! He's a water baby!"
Nuriko nodded and lightly splashed some water at Myst. "Just like his Momma!"
Myst stuck her tongue out at him and looked over to see a beautiful sight.
Hotohori had gone a little deeper into the water and it was now up to his chest as he held his son before him so the little prince could trail his legs in the water. He looked up into his sons face with a blissful smile on his lips.
Boushin looked down at his father and being the advanced baby that he was, he stared into his father's loving eyes, and laughed happily.
Hotohori's eyes teared up and he brought his son to his shoulder in a hug. He kissed the soft temple as he began humming in his deep soft voice.
Myst looked at Nuriko and put a hand to his shoulder. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Nuriko nodded then gave Myst a kiss and got out as quietly as he could so as not to disturb the blissful father.
When he was gone, Myst swam over to Hotohori and listened to what he was humming. She smiled as she heard him singing a song that she had taught him from her world and swam around to the front of him to embrace both him and Boushin. Hotohori opened his eyes and nodded at her as he gently caressed Boushin's tiny back with one of his large, seemingly huge, yet gentle hand. With that, they both began to truly sing, their voices blending together perfectly.
@0o~^~o0@
"Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven I must be strong, and carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven
"Would you hold me hand, if I saw you in heaven Would you help me stand, if I saw you in heaven I'll find my way, through night and day 'Cause I know I just can't stay, here in heaven
"Time can bring you down Time can bend you knees Time can break your heart Have you begging please, begging please
"Beyond the door, there's peace I'm sure And I know there'll be no more, tears in heaven
"Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven I must be strong, and carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven"
@0o~^~o0@
The song ended and they stared into each others eyes for a few moments until Boushin started fussing. Myst took her arms from around the two and held her hands out for Boushin. "Here. He's probably hungry. It's about time for his lunch. Isn't it? Isn't it little man?"
Hotohori had handed the baby over and Myst was now rubbing her nose against Boushin's, giving him little indian kisses. She got out of the water and sat in one of the chairs by the table. "Hotohori love, I'll feed him while you wash. Just relax. You've been really busy lately."
Hotohori nodded and disappeared under water, coming back up and sweeping his wet hair out of his face. "Yes, I have been very busy and my advisors cannot seem to understand that I wish desperately to spend time with my family." He sighed and looked down at the water. "They constantly hold me up to my father and refuse to consider that I would be different from him. I am not my father."
Myst shook her head as Boushin nursed. "No you're not. I've read and heard much about your parents and what kind of role your father had in his children's lives. You're father may have been a great emperor and may have done many great things for his kingdom, but he wasn't much of a father from what I have seen. I'm so proud of you Hotohori. I'm so happy that you love me and your son."
Hotohori smiled and once again all was right in his world.
**********
It had been another two months since Boushin was born and the country had just celebrated the one year anniversary of the arrival of the miko. Myst had been in that world a whole year now and so much had happened. Everyone was a year older now and there had been much celebration about that. Myst had even asked Hotohori to have a weight room and weights mad for her so she could work out properly. When she had first arrived her bench-max had been 180lbs and now she could lift a proud 210lbs. Tamahome's birthday had passed just two days earlier and everyone was still in a celebratory mood.
"Oh you didn't! Tamahome, that's evil!" Myst said with a sparkle in her eye. They were all eating dinner at this moment in the dining hall and Hotohori was having fun feeding Boushin soft foods since he didn't get to that often. Boushin had just started eating soft foods and Hotohori was loving every minuet of it. It was just them and the seishi eating here as usual so they were free to joke around and laugh about anything.
Tamahome nodded and continued with laughter in his voice. "Yeah, it was evil and it shocked the poor woman so badly that she didn't come out of her house for a week."
Myst rolled her eyes. "If it had been me I would have." She froze in mid- sentence and her eyes unfocused.
Everyone but Nuriko and Hotohori jumped up to see what was wrong. Nuriko stopped them, then waived his hand in from of her glassy eyes since he was sitting right next to her. He looked down at her fist which was in her lap, then nodded to Hotohori. "She's doing it again."
Chichiri leaned over. "Doing what no da?"
Nuriko opened his mouth to answer but Myst, her eyes still unfocused, answered for him in that foggy trance-like voice. "Talking to Suzaku." Coming back to the here and now, she looked down at the red feather that Nuriko had seen before and lifted her hand for the others to see. "We'll go to Mount Reikaku to see the bandits."
Hotohori shook his head in confusion as he shifted Boushin on his lap. "Why the bandits?"
Myst smirked at her husband. "Because Tasuki is one of them my love. Their leader is dying and a fat slob is going to try to take over where Tasuki should. That would be a very bad thing. Mitsukake, if we get there in time, I want you to see if you can heal Hakurou. Hakurou is their leaders name. He's young, about twenty-five or so, and he's a good man."
All the seishi nodded. They had come to trust Myst's judgment, especially after they had seen the proof of Suzaku's visions. Hotohori shifted Boushin again when he started to squirm. "Will we be needing an escort again?"
Myst shook her head and took Boushin from her husband, who promptly pouted at the loss of his son from his arms. "I don't think so. We have more seishi now and I trust all of you with my life. Plus, you've seen a little of how well I fight, and Tamahome has been sparring with me some as well. We'll be fine, and as you said, what kind of rulers would we be if we were not able to walk freely through our own kingdom? What kind of Miko would I be if I did not actively go out in search of my seishi?"
There were smiles all around the table as all of the seishi beamed with pride for their miko and empress. Hotohori closed his eyes with a happy look on his face. "That's part of why I love you. You're always thinking about the right things at the right time. All right, but what shall we do with Boushin? Surely we will not take him to the bandit mountain. Especially so young. I myself will not allow it."
Tamahome raised a finger. "You know, my dad could take care of him. He loves the little guy as much as the rest of us, and he's already raised children on his own, so he knows what to do."
Myst reached across the table and took Tamahome's hand. "Thank you Tamahome. We'll ask him after dinner."
Chichiri cleared his throat. "Why don't we leave the day after tomorrow? That should give all of us some time to rest and prepare no da."
Hotohori nodded and steepled his fingers, leaning with his elbows on the table. "Exactly what I was thinking. No need to go ill prepared. It is true that there are more of us now." With that he waved over one of the servants and ordered that they start the preparations. After that they ate, joked around some more, and talked about plans.
**********
A.N.: Wow. chapter thirteen. There it is. The next chapter would have contained a lemon if some people hadn't decided to be stubborn about NC-17 fics. If you want the chapters with lemon's in them, then mail me @ celesta_h_Harman@yahoo.com Keep reading and enjoy. Tell me if you like it ne?! JA NE NA NO DA!!!!!!!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman
Hotohori walked along the paths of the garden and sighed. He was so busy these days that he rarely had time to spend with his family. His son was almost two weeks old. He would come in late to find his wife and son already asleep and knowing that they both needed that sleep, would simply bed over the railing of Boushin's crib to touch the baby's soft hair, which to his delight was turning a rich brown like his, and kiss his soft forehead. Then he'd disrobe and climb into bed, careful not to disturb his wife, though for some reason she always woke up just enough to snuggle into his side.
He had some time to himself right now and was looking for his wife and child, since Boushin was not in the nursery. He had asked the nanny, who had even taken care of him when he was young, where the prince was once or twice and she replied that Myst hardly ever brought him to her. He was surprisingly happy that Myst wanted to raise the baby and not leave it to the servants like most empresses and emperors did.
Hotohori sighed again and finally gave up the hunt, to go ask a servant where his wife was. He walked back to the building and walked along the walkway. Luckily he found something better than just a servant. He found one of Myst's handmaidens.
Myst never had wanted them to follow her around, but she always told them where she would be in case someone asked and would once in a while allow one to walk with her. He stopped the handmaiden and asked where his empress was.
"She, the young prince, and seishi Nuriko are in the bathhouse your Majesty. Would you like me to summon her to you?"
"No. Thank you. I think I shall go to her myself. Have a new set of my clothes, a robe, and some fresh towels brought to the bathhouse immediately"
The handmaiden bowed. "Yes Majesty."
Hotohori altered his course to the bathhouse and paused outside the door. He smiled as he heard the light cheers one would give to a baby and then the laughter of squeals of his happy son. He stepped inside to see what was happening and saw Myst and Nuriko standing a little more than waist deep in the warm water. Well it was a little more for Nuriko, but not much.
Myst's hair was longer now, and it fell to the middle of her back, the ends lightly sweeping in the water and her long dark gold bangs framing her face, with a few wisps sweeping into her face. Her body had finally returned to it's natural toned shape and she had done sit-ups with Nuriko everyday to tone her abdomen again. She held a naked Boushin above her and laughed with her son. Nuriko held up his arms and took Boushin from her to toss him into the air a short distance.
Hotohori, being a protective father, gasped a little at this, then sighed in relief as the small seishi caught him effortlessly.
Myst and Nuriko looked over at the gasp and Myst called out happily, "Hotohori! I thought you would be busy again today!" She waded as fast as she could over to him and Hotohori realized what she was going to do as she ran out of the water, but only after it was too late to move.
Myst all but crashed into him and jumped up into his arms, wrapping her wet body around his and throwing him back a little ways.
Hotohori laughed though and caught her wet body, hugging it against him, not caring that his clothes were now soaked. He spun her around and she shrieked with laughter. He stopped and sighed as he brought his head down and kissed her passionately. They broke apart after a few second and he put her down and began to strip out of his wet clothes to join them in the water.
Myst snapped her fingers and bounced excitedly. "Oh! Hotohori, you have to see this!"
She ran back into the water to where Nuriko was still standing with a smile on his pretty face, holding Boushin against him. Hotohori watched as she gently took the prince into her own arms. Myst blew into his face and he scrunched up his features. While she was still blowing gently, she dipped him fully into the water and then back out again and turned to look at Hotohori with an open-mouthed smile on her glowing face.
Hotohori was finally undressed and waded over to them with a happy laugh. "You taught him how to swim."
She shrugged. "Na. I just taught him how to hold his breath. He already knew how to swim. They do it in the womb. Watch." She blew in his face again and dipped him in the water, this time letting go of him for a few seconds and to Hotohori's amazement, the baby started kicking and in a way started swimming.
Hotohori was suddenly afraid that the baby was going to drown, but before he got a chance to Myst pulled Boushin out of the water and the baby amazed his father again by coming out of the water laughing. Hotohori laughed with him and held out his hands to take him. "He likes it!"
Myst handed the baby to her husband. "Yep! He's a water baby!"
Nuriko nodded and lightly splashed some water at Myst. "Just like his Momma!"
Myst stuck her tongue out at him and looked over to see a beautiful sight.
Hotohori had gone a little deeper into the water and it was now up to his chest as he held his son before him so the little prince could trail his legs in the water. He looked up into his sons face with a blissful smile on his lips.
Boushin looked down at his father and being the advanced baby that he was, he stared into his father's loving eyes, and laughed happily.
Hotohori's eyes teared up and he brought his son to his shoulder in a hug. He kissed the soft temple as he began humming in his deep soft voice.
Myst looked at Nuriko and put a hand to his shoulder. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Nuriko nodded then gave Myst a kiss and got out as quietly as he could so as not to disturb the blissful father.
When he was gone, Myst swam over to Hotohori and listened to what he was humming. She smiled as she heard him singing a song that she had taught him from her world and swam around to the front of him to embrace both him and Boushin. Hotohori opened his eyes and nodded at her as he gently caressed Boushin's tiny back with one of his large, seemingly huge, yet gentle hand. With that, they both began to truly sing, their voices blending together perfectly.
@0o~^~o0@
"Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven I must be strong, and carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven
"Would you hold me hand, if I saw you in heaven Would you help me stand, if I saw you in heaven I'll find my way, through night and day 'Cause I know I just can't stay, here in heaven
"Time can bring you down Time can bend you knees Time can break your heart Have you begging please, begging please
"Beyond the door, there's peace I'm sure And I know there'll be no more, tears in heaven
"Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven I must be strong, and carry on 'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven"
@0o~^~o0@
The song ended and they stared into each others eyes for a few moments until Boushin started fussing. Myst took her arms from around the two and held her hands out for Boushin. "Here. He's probably hungry. It's about time for his lunch. Isn't it? Isn't it little man?"
Hotohori had handed the baby over and Myst was now rubbing her nose against Boushin's, giving him little indian kisses. She got out of the water and sat in one of the chairs by the table. "Hotohori love, I'll feed him while you wash. Just relax. You've been really busy lately."
Hotohori nodded and disappeared under water, coming back up and sweeping his wet hair out of his face. "Yes, I have been very busy and my advisors cannot seem to understand that I wish desperately to spend time with my family." He sighed and looked down at the water. "They constantly hold me up to my father and refuse to consider that I would be different from him. I am not my father."
Myst shook her head as Boushin nursed. "No you're not. I've read and heard much about your parents and what kind of role your father had in his children's lives. You're father may have been a great emperor and may have done many great things for his kingdom, but he wasn't much of a father from what I have seen. I'm so proud of you Hotohori. I'm so happy that you love me and your son."
Hotohori smiled and once again all was right in his world.
**********
It had been another two months since Boushin was born and the country had just celebrated the one year anniversary of the arrival of the miko. Myst had been in that world a whole year now and so much had happened. Everyone was a year older now and there had been much celebration about that. Myst had even asked Hotohori to have a weight room and weights mad for her so she could work out properly. When she had first arrived her bench-max had been 180lbs and now she could lift a proud 210lbs. Tamahome's birthday had passed just two days earlier and everyone was still in a celebratory mood.
"Oh you didn't! Tamahome, that's evil!" Myst said with a sparkle in her eye. They were all eating dinner at this moment in the dining hall and Hotohori was having fun feeding Boushin soft foods since he didn't get to that often. Boushin had just started eating soft foods and Hotohori was loving every minuet of it. It was just them and the seishi eating here as usual so they were free to joke around and laugh about anything.
Tamahome nodded and continued with laughter in his voice. "Yeah, it was evil and it shocked the poor woman so badly that she didn't come out of her house for a week."
Myst rolled her eyes. "If it had been me I would have." She froze in mid- sentence and her eyes unfocused.
Everyone but Nuriko and Hotohori jumped up to see what was wrong. Nuriko stopped them, then waived his hand in from of her glassy eyes since he was sitting right next to her. He looked down at her fist which was in her lap, then nodded to Hotohori. "She's doing it again."
Chichiri leaned over. "Doing what no da?"
Nuriko opened his mouth to answer but Myst, her eyes still unfocused, answered for him in that foggy trance-like voice. "Talking to Suzaku." Coming back to the here and now, she looked down at the red feather that Nuriko had seen before and lifted her hand for the others to see. "We'll go to Mount Reikaku to see the bandits."
Hotohori shook his head in confusion as he shifted Boushin on his lap. "Why the bandits?"
Myst smirked at her husband. "Because Tasuki is one of them my love. Their leader is dying and a fat slob is going to try to take over where Tasuki should. That would be a very bad thing. Mitsukake, if we get there in time, I want you to see if you can heal Hakurou. Hakurou is their leaders name. He's young, about twenty-five or so, and he's a good man."
All the seishi nodded. They had come to trust Myst's judgment, especially after they had seen the proof of Suzaku's visions. Hotohori shifted Boushin again when he started to squirm. "Will we be needing an escort again?"
Myst shook her head and took Boushin from her husband, who promptly pouted at the loss of his son from his arms. "I don't think so. We have more seishi now and I trust all of you with my life. Plus, you've seen a little of how well I fight, and Tamahome has been sparring with me some as well. We'll be fine, and as you said, what kind of rulers would we be if we were not able to walk freely through our own kingdom? What kind of Miko would I be if I did not actively go out in search of my seishi?"
There were smiles all around the table as all of the seishi beamed with pride for their miko and empress. Hotohori closed his eyes with a happy look on his face. "That's part of why I love you. You're always thinking about the right things at the right time. All right, but what shall we do with Boushin? Surely we will not take him to the bandit mountain. Especially so young. I myself will not allow it."
Tamahome raised a finger. "You know, my dad could take care of him. He loves the little guy as much as the rest of us, and he's already raised children on his own, so he knows what to do."
Myst reached across the table and took Tamahome's hand. "Thank you Tamahome. We'll ask him after dinner."
Chichiri cleared his throat. "Why don't we leave the day after tomorrow? That should give all of us some time to rest and prepare no da."
Hotohori nodded and steepled his fingers, leaning with his elbows on the table. "Exactly what I was thinking. No need to go ill prepared. It is true that there are more of us now." With that he waved over one of the servants and ordered that they start the preparations. After that they ate, joked around some more, and talked about plans.
**********
A.N.: Wow. chapter thirteen. There it is. The next chapter would have contained a lemon if some people hadn't decided to be stubborn about NC-17 fics. If you want the chapters with lemon's in them, then mail me @ celesta_h_Harman@yahoo.com Keep reading and enjoy. Tell me if you like it ne?! JA NE NA NO DA!!!!!!!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman