~An American Miko~
Chapter Twenty-one
Decision & A Massage
The next day there was more ruckus in the common room than before. There was still celebrating Genrou's return, shock that he had lost, and more shock when Hakurou had announced that he had indeed passed on leadership to Genrou, along with the tessen., and had accepted Hotohori's offer to return with them to the capital when they left. More shock still when Genrou kept the tessen, but still passed on leadership temporarily to Kouji, saying that he took was going with the seishi.
Genrou and Kouji were drinking with a large group of buddies while Hakurou, Hotohori, Tamahome, and Chichiri planned the trip back and discussed how to gently tell Hotohori's uptight advisors just who and what the two new arrivals were.
Their eyes turned as the door opened to admit Nuriko, carrying the still heavily bandaged Mistyc.
Hotohori stood and rushed over to the two, carefully taking his wife in his own arms and walking back over to his seat to hold her in his lap, with Nuriko trailing behind. He sat down like Nuriko had the day before in Genrou's room. He kissed Myst's hair and rocked her slowly. "It pains me so much to see you this way. Bloodstained bandages and pain-filled eyes don't suit you my love."
Myst relaxed against him, his heart beating against her ear. "Mitsukake isn't awake yet for some reason and I didn't want to wake him if he is that tired. Besides, has Genrou made up his mind yet?"
Tamahome nodded. "He's coming with us."
Myst closed her eye, half from pain and half from relief and murmured, "It was worth it then."
Hotohori tightened his grip careful not to increase her pain and murmured into her hair with his eyes closed as well. "I could almost argue that opinion."
"Yep, until the cows came home and then I'd still be right. Women's prerogative and all." She started to lift a hand to touch one of his, but then dropped it with an almost silent whimper.
Hotohori kissed her hair again and unwrapped one of his arms to gently take her trembling hand into his soft, warm, and strong one.
Chichiri laid his hand on Hotohori's shoulder and leaned over to quietly say, "I'll go awaken Mitsukake no da."
Hotohori nodded and Myst opened her eyes to look up at the monk. "No. Let him sleep Chichiri."
Chichiri touched her fingers gently. "Your Majesty, this is non-negotiable no da. I'll be back in a few minuets na no da."
Myst settled back down with a frown on her face and lightly fingered Hotohori's wedding band. She looked up as Genrou settled into Chichiri's vacated seat beside Hotohori. "So you've decided to come with us have you Genrou?"
Genrou shrugged and took a sip of sake. "Eh. Call me Tasuki. And yeah I figured that even if ya hadn't won, it'd be kinda my duty. Plus if the boss thinks yer good enough to gang around with, ya can't be all that bad."
Myst smirked and winced as the smirk pulled the wound on her cheek. "You're one hell of a fighter Tasuki."
Tasuki shrugged. "And you have one hell of a threshold for pain. Hell, most men I know would still be in their beds moaning in pain, but you were up right away. Yer moves are pretty good too. Yer pretty gutsy. But don't let that go ta yer head! I want a rematch some time."
She gave a full grin this time in spite of the pain it caused. "You're on fangboy! I'll be happy to oblige you at a later date and look forward to kicking your ass again."
A deep voice entered the conversation. "If that's the case, then just remember, next time you heal on your own."
Myst let her head fall back onto Hotohori's arm to look at Mitsukake. Her voice was still quiet as she spoke to him. "Good morning sleepy. You know you love me."
Mitsukake smirked and touched her uninjured cheek. "I'll love you more after I heal you, get you out of bandages and back on your feet."
"So will I my friend. I'm ready when you are."
He nodded and held out his left hand, mere inches from her forehead. The green glow enveloped her and she sighed in relief. When he was done, Nuriko stood and let Mitsukake have his seat.
Myst opened her eye and sat up, still on Hotohori lap and tore the bandages off her face. She blinked a few times then yelled, "Oh thank Suzaku! I can see! I see the light!." Then she clapped her hands over her eyes, "AND IT BURNS!!!" She and all the seishi laughed. She leaned back against Hotohori and at a slower pace this time, took the bandages off her hands, arms, feet, and legs. She relaxed into the emperor's strong, warm arms, and tilted her head back to kiss his jaw with a sigh. The rest will have to wait to come off later, right now I want to eat, then I'll go take a nap."
Tasuki looked a little puzzled. "Huh? But you've been resting for almost two days. Why would you want to go back to sleep?"
Myst smirked. "Tasuki dear, those injuries were giving me a great deal more pain than I came even close to letting on. Since there was nothing that could be done and I'm not usually one to complain about much, I didn't see the use in whining about it. I'm a very light sleeper anyway so there was no way I could possibly sleep with all those wounds." She reached her hand back and tangled her fingers in Hotohori's dark hair. She pulled his head down so that his chin rested on her shoulder. "I also know that this handsome man is very tired as well. He wouldn't go to sleep because he was so worried about me. So after breakfast, everyone will have to do without the Emperor and Empress for a while as we will both be sound asleep. Now where the hell is the food!?"
Myst felt Hotohori smirk and hold her tighter. She smiled and the seishi and Hakurou's eyes all widened as she dug into her food. and then promptly fell asleep halfway through.
Hotohori sighed and pulled her back against him before she could fall face- first into her rice.
Hakurou shook his head and smirked. "It appears she was not joking in the least. Why don't you take her upstairs. I can finish the rest of the travel plans on my own with the rest of the seishi's help."
Hotohori nodded gratefully and cradled his wife in his arms as he stood up.
Nuriko who was still standing touched one of Myst's shoulders. "I can carry her if you wish Your Majesty."
Hotohori shook his head but smiled fondly at the purple-haired seishi. "Thank you but no Nuriko. I am well capable myself. However, you are welcome to join us. The offer is always open to you and I know that you have been just as worried for her as I. She lets down her guard and shows you more pain than she would for me."
Nuriko smiled and thought about it.
Hotohori continued, leaning down and speaking softly. "Plus I see dark moons under those pretty eyes of yours. That in itself is enough to tell me that you have not slept."
Nuriko blushed and put a delicate hand to his cheek. He nodded as a yawn threatened to spilt his head open. Hotohori nodded to the group and Nuriko waved and the two walked out of the room.
Tasuki was the one to break the silence. "Ya know, if ya didn't know better, ya'd think that they had a real threesome or something goin' on."
Chichiri nodded. "It does appear that way at times na no da. But as his Majesty said, Nuriko and the Empress seem to have a special common bond no da. The three of them have another special bond between them no da."
Everyone nodded in understanding and agreement. **********
Nuriko closed the door as Hotohori set Myst down on the bed. He went over and helped Hotohori remove Myst's clothes and the rest of the bandages. Nuriko looked up as Hotohori rolled his shoulders and winced. When Myst was neatly tucked away under the blankets, Nuriko went to the other side of the bed and took Hotohori's hand in his.
Hotohori looked at the smaller seishi questioningly, but rose when prompted and followed the small man across the room to a padded chair in front of a vanity of sorts. Before Hotohori sat, Nuriko stopped him and reached up to open Hotohori's red tunic. Hotohori made as if to draw back until Nuriko stopped him.
"Trust me Hotohori-sama."
Hotohori nodded and relaxed. Nuriko began to open his tunic again and brushed it away from Hotohori's broad chest, looking with appreciation. Somewhere in the back of Hotohori's mind, he thought he should be worried about this, and yet somehow it seemed right.
Nuriko walked around behind the taller man and slid the tunic off his bare shoulders.
Hotohori sat in the chair and watched in the mirror as Nuriko picked up Hotohori brush and began to brush out his long brown hair. Hotohori's golden eyes closed in contentment and he all but purred.
After a few minuets, Nuriko had braided the silken hair and piled it in a bun on top of Hotohori's head. Hotohori opened his eyes to see why Nuriko was no longer touching him, then shut them again as a gasp and then a moan escaped his lips.
Nuriko had warmed unscented oil in his palms then smoothed them outwards along the emperors shoulders. He began working out all the knots while looking at Hotohori in the mirror.
Hotohori's face was scrunched slightly in pain. He moaned again and let his head fall forward as Nuriko hit and worked on a particularly large and painful knot. He sighed again and relaxed. "How did you know?"
"When you rolled your shoulders. Plus you've been under a lot of stress. I thought you could use a little loosening up."
"My thanks go out to you in the greatest sense. You have about one-hundred years to stop doing that."
Nuriko chuckled and worked his strong, yet gentle thumbs up and down Hotohori's tense neck. "Tsk. You're neck is like twisted rope and the rest of your back is like a sack of stones. You should stop worrying so much and try to relax a little more.
Hotohori raised his head a little and met Nuriko's eyes in the mirror. "But she's not only the Miko. She's the Empress and my wife. She's."
Nuriko cut him off and dug his thumbs deep into a knot right on the edge of Hotohori's right shoulder-blade. "Proven herself capable of taking care of herself under normal circumstances. If they aren't normal, then all of us are here to protect her. We all take care of each other too. Nobody needs you wound this tightly. You'll do no good to her, us, yourself, or your country if you have a breakdown."
"Mmm. I suppose you're right." A yawn took Hotohori by surprise and ended with his eyes half-lidded for all the world looking like a four-year-old ready for a nap and trying not too hard to hide it.
Nuriko chuckled and bent to kiss his jaw right below the ear, a move that had become second nature to them because of Myst's loving nature. Only the three of them did and Nuriko and Hotohori only in private. In private, Nuriko saw these two people as family and not as rulers. Sometimes not even as seishi.
He would never have dared to kiss the Emperor if not for Myst's insistence that Hotohori would only be surprised at first, but then would welcome and enjoy it. Myst knew that Hotohori longed for physical contact just as she did. Nuriko was all too happy to give it. They were all very tactile people.
Nuriko reflected on this as he slouched over Hotohori to wrap his arms around him. Nuriko laid his head on Hotohori's shoulder and Hotohori leaned his cheek on Nuriko's silky smooth one. Nuriko squeezed him tight then pulled him out of his chair and turned him around for a full hug. He wrapped his arms around Hotohori's waist, then laid his head against the taller man's bare chest.
Accustomed to this, Hotohori wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him tight against him. They stood like that for a few minutes before Nuriko broke away. "Come Hotohori. Let's sleep now.
Hotohori nodded and climbed into bed beside Myst. Nuriko started to tuck him in and go to his bed across the room, until Hotohori grabbed him around the waist and pulled him to sit beside him on the bed. "There's room enough for all of us here, and right now I wish to feel my two first loves, besides the love for my country, beside me. I want to feel you asleep in my arms."
Nuriko blushed, but smiled and nodded. He disrobed and climbed under the blankets that Hotohori held up for him. He turned on his side to face the emperor who turned to him as well. Nuriko buried his face against Hotohori's chest and Hotohori buried his in the thick purple hair.
Hotohori sighed again and then they both jumped as another set of arms wrapped around both of them. Both men looked over Hotohori's shoulder and saw the sleepy eyes that tried to peer at them in mock anger.
The sleep-slurred voice growled at them. "Thought you could cuddle without me huh? Well ha! Now I have you! So shut up and sleep!" With that she was out again.
The two men chuckled and giggled and Nuriko leaned over Hotohori to kiss Myst's cheek as she cuddled into Hotohori's back. "Sleep well Mistyc." She murmured something and he smiled as he settled back into Hotohori's waiting arms. "Sleep well Hotohori-sama." He felt Hotohori smile against his hair.
"Sleep well Nuriko. Thank you."
Nuriko smiled against Hotohori's chest and they both drifted to sleep.
**********
A.N.: Yay! Another chapter done no da! This one took a little longer to do no da. I really hope you enjoyed it. And thank you to those who have kept with me so far through the story. Keep reading! There's plenty more to come! Ja Ne Na No Da!!!!!!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman
The next day there was more ruckus in the common room than before. There was still celebrating Genrou's return, shock that he had lost, and more shock when Hakurou had announced that he had indeed passed on leadership to Genrou, along with the tessen., and had accepted Hotohori's offer to return with them to the capital when they left. More shock still when Genrou kept the tessen, but still passed on leadership temporarily to Kouji, saying that he took was going with the seishi.
Genrou and Kouji were drinking with a large group of buddies while Hakurou, Hotohori, Tamahome, and Chichiri planned the trip back and discussed how to gently tell Hotohori's uptight advisors just who and what the two new arrivals were.
Their eyes turned as the door opened to admit Nuriko, carrying the still heavily bandaged Mistyc.
Hotohori stood and rushed over to the two, carefully taking his wife in his own arms and walking back over to his seat to hold her in his lap, with Nuriko trailing behind. He sat down like Nuriko had the day before in Genrou's room. He kissed Myst's hair and rocked her slowly. "It pains me so much to see you this way. Bloodstained bandages and pain-filled eyes don't suit you my love."
Myst relaxed against him, his heart beating against her ear. "Mitsukake isn't awake yet for some reason and I didn't want to wake him if he is that tired. Besides, has Genrou made up his mind yet?"
Tamahome nodded. "He's coming with us."
Myst closed her eye, half from pain and half from relief and murmured, "It was worth it then."
Hotohori tightened his grip careful not to increase her pain and murmured into her hair with his eyes closed as well. "I could almost argue that opinion."
"Yep, until the cows came home and then I'd still be right. Women's prerogative and all." She started to lift a hand to touch one of his, but then dropped it with an almost silent whimper.
Hotohori kissed her hair again and unwrapped one of his arms to gently take her trembling hand into his soft, warm, and strong one.
Chichiri laid his hand on Hotohori's shoulder and leaned over to quietly say, "I'll go awaken Mitsukake no da."
Hotohori nodded and Myst opened her eyes to look up at the monk. "No. Let him sleep Chichiri."
Chichiri touched her fingers gently. "Your Majesty, this is non-negotiable no da. I'll be back in a few minuets na no da."
Myst settled back down with a frown on her face and lightly fingered Hotohori's wedding band. She looked up as Genrou settled into Chichiri's vacated seat beside Hotohori. "So you've decided to come with us have you Genrou?"
Genrou shrugged and took a sip of sake. "Eh. Call me Tasuki. And yeah I figured that even if ya hadn't won, it'd be kinda my duty. Plus if the boss thinks yer good enough to gang around with, ya can't be all that bad."
Myst smirked and winced as the smirk pulled the wound on her cheek. "You're one hell of a fighter Tasuki."
Tasuki shrugged. "And you have one hell of a threshold for pain. Hell, most men I know would still be in their beds moaning in pain, but you were up right away. Yer moves are pretty good too. Yer pretty gutsy. But don't let that go ta yer head! I want a rematch some time."
She gave a full grin this time in spite of the pain it caused. "You're on fangboy! I'll be happy to oblige you at a later date and look forward to kicking your ass again."
A deep voice entered the conversation. "If that's the case, then just remember, next time you heal on your own."
Myst let her head fall back onto Hotohori's arm to look at Mitsukake. Her voice was still quiet as she spoke to him. "Good morning sleepy. You know you love me."
Mitsukake smirked and touched her uninjured cheek. "I'll love you more after I heal you, get you out of bandages and back on your feet."
"So will I my friend. I'm ready when you are."
He nodded and held out his left hand, mere inches from her forehead. The green glow enveloped her and she sighed in relief. When he was done, Nuriko stood and let Mitsukake have his seat.
Myst opened her eye and sat up, still on Hotohori lap and tore the bandages off her face. She blinked a few times then yelled, "Oh thank Suzaku! I can see! I see the light!." Then she clapped her hands over her eyes, "AND IT BURNS!!!" She and all the seishi laughed. She leaned back against Hotohori and at a slower pace this time, took the bandages off her hands, arms, feet, and legs. She relaxed into the emperor's strong, warm arms, and tilted her head back to kiss his jaw with a sigh. The rest will have to wait to come off later, right now I want to eat, then I'll go take a nap."
Tasuki looked a little puzzled. "Huh? But you've been resting for almost two days. Why would you want to go back to sleep?"
Myst smirked. "Tasuki dear, those injuries were giving me a great deal more pain than I came even close to letting on. Since there was nothing that could be done and I'm not usually one to complain about much, I didn't see the use in whining about it. I'm a very light sleeper anyway so there was no way I could possibly sleep with all those wounds." She reached her hand back and tangled her fingers in Hotohori's dark hair. She pulled his head down so that his chin rested on her shoulder. "I also know that this handsome man is very tired as well. He wouldn't go to sleep because he was so worried about me. So after breakfast, everyone will have to do without the Emperor and Empress for a while as we will both be sound asleep. Now where the hell is the food!?"
Myst felt Hotohori smirk and hold her tighter. She smiled and the seishi and Hakurou's eyes all widened as she dug into her food. and then promptly fell asleep halfway through.
Hotohori sighed and pulled her back against him before she could fall face- first into her rice.
Hakurou shook his head and smirked. "It appears she was not joking in the least. Why don't you take her upstairs. I can finish the rest of the travel plans on my own with the rest of the seishi's help."
Hotohori nodded gratefully and cradled his wife in his arms as he stood up.
Nuriko who was still standing touched one of Myst's shoulders. "I can carry her if you wish Your Majesty."
Hotohori shook his head but smiled fondly at the purple-haired seishi. "Thank you but no Nuriko. I am well capable myself. However, you are welcome to join us. The offer is always open to you and I know that you have been just as worried for her as I. She lets down her guard and shows you more pain than she would for me."
Nuriko smiled and thought about it.
Hotohori continued, leaning down and speaking softly. "Plus I see dark moons under those pretty eyes of yours. That in itself is enough to tell me that you have not slept."
Nuriko blushed and put a delicate hand to his cheek. He nodded as a yawn threatened to spilt his head open. Hotohori nodded to the group and Nuriko waved and the two walked out of the room.
Tasuki was the one to break the silence. "Ya know, if ya didn't know better, ya'd think that they had a real threesome or something goin' on."
Chichiri nodded. "It does appear that way at times na no da. But as his Majesty said, Nuriko and the Empress seem to have a special common bond no da. The three of them have another special bond between them no da."
Everyone nodded in understanding and agreement. **********
Nuriko closed the door as Hotohori set Myst down on the bed. He went over and helped Hotohori remove Myst's clothes and the rest of the bandages. Nuriko looked up as Hotohori rolled his shoulders and winced. When Myst was neatly tucked away under the blankets, Nuriko went to the other side of the bed and took Hotohori's hand in his.
Hotohori looked at the smaller seishi questioningly, but rose when prompted and followed the small man across the room to a padded chair in front of a vanity of sorts. Before Hotohori sat, Nuriko stopped him and reached up to open Hotohori's red tunic. Hotohori made as if to draw back until Nuriko stopped him.
"Trust me Hotohori-sama."
Hotohori nodded and relaxed. Nuriko began to open his tunic again and brushed it away from Hotohori's broad chest, looking with appreciation. Somewhere in the back of Hotohori's mind, he thought he should be worried about this, and yet somehow it seemed right.
Nuriko walked around behind the taller man and slid the tunic off his bare shoulders.
Hotohori sat in the chair and watched in the mirror as Nuriko picked up Hotohori brush and began to brush out his long brown hair. Hotohori's golden eyes closed in contentment and he all but purred.
After a few minuets, Nuriko had braided the silken hair and piled it in a bun on top of Hotohori's head. Hotohori opened his eyes to see why Nuriko was no longer touching him, then shut them again as a gasp and then a moan escaped his lips.
Nuriko had warmed unscented oil in his palms then smoothed them outwards along the emperors shoulders. He began working out all the knots while looking at Hotohori in the mirror.
Hotohori's face was scrunched slightly in pain. He moaned again and let his head fall forward as Nuriko hit and worked on a particularly large and painful knot. He sighed again and relaxed. "How did you know?"
"When you rolled your shoulders. Plus you've been under a lot of stress. I thought you could use a little loosening up."
"My thanks go out to you in the greatest sense. You have about one-hundred years to stop doing that."
Nuriko chuckled and worked his strong, yet gentle thumbs up and down Hotohori's tense neck. "Tsk. You're neck is like twisted rope and the rest of your back is like a sack of stones. You should stop worrying so much and try to relax a little more.
Hotohori raised his head a little and met Nuriko's eyes in the mirror. "But she's not only the Miko. She's the Empress and my wife. She's."
Nuriko cut him off and dug his thumbs deep into a knot right on the edge of Hotohori's right shoulder-blade. "Proven herself capable of taking care of herself under normal circumstances. If they aren't normal, then all of us are here to protect her. We all take care of each other too. Nobody needs you wound this tightly. You'll do no good to her, us, yourself, or your country if you have a breakdown."
"Mmm. I suppose you're right." A yawn took Hotohori by surprise and ended with his eyes half-lidded for all the world looking like a four-year-old ready for a nap and trying not too hard to hide it.
Nuriko chuckled and bent to kiss his jaw right below the ear, a move that had become second nature to them because of Myst's loving nature. Only the three of them did and Nuriko and Hotohori only in private. In private, Nuriko saw these two people as family and not as rulers. Sometimes not even as seishi.
He would never have dared to kiss the Emperor if not for Myst's insistence that Hotohori would only be surprised at first, but then would welcome and enjoy it. Myst knew that Hotohori longed for physical contact just as she did. Nuriko was all too happy to give it. They were all very tactile people.
Nuriko reflected on this as he slouched over Hotohori to wrap his arms around him. Nuriko laid his head on Hotohori's shoulder and Hotohori leaned his cheek on Nuriko's silky smooth one. Nuriko squeezed him tight then pulled him out of his chair and turned him around for a full hug. He wrapped his arms around Hotohori's waist, then laid his head against the taller man's bare chest.
Accustomed to this, Hotohori wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him tight against him. They stood like that for a few minutes before Nuriko broke away. "Come Hotohori. Let's sleep now.
Hotohori nodded and climbed into bed beside Myst. Nuriko started to tuck him in and go to his bed across the room, until Hotohori grabbed him around the waist and pulled him to sit beside him on the bed. "There's room enough for all of us here, and right now I wish to feel my two first loves, besides the love for my country, beside me. I want to feel you asleep in my arms."
Nuriko blushed, but smiled and nodded. He disrobed and climbed under the blankets that Hotohori held up for him. He turned on his side to face the emperor who turned to him as well. Nuriko buried his face against Hotohori's chest and Hotohori buried his in the thick purple hair.
Hotohori sighed again and then they both jumped as another set of arms wrapped around both of them. Both men looked over Hotohori's shoulder and saw the sleepy eyes that tried to peer at them in mock anger.
The sleep-slurred voice growled at them. "Thought you could cuddle without me huh? Well ha! Now I have you! So shut up and sleep!" With that she was out again.
The two men chuckled and giggled and Nuriko leaned over Hotohori to kiss Myst's cheek as she cuddled into Hotohori's back. "Sleep well Mistyc." She murmured something and he smiled as he settled back into Hotohori's waiting arms. "Sleep well Hotohori-sama." He felt Hotohori smile against his hair.
"Sleep well Nuriko. Thank you."
Nuriko smiled against Hotohori's chest and they both drifted to sleep.
**********
A.N.: Yay! Another chapter done no da! This one took a little longer to do no da. I really hope you enjoyed it. And thank you to those who have kept with me so far through the story. Keep reading! There's plenty more to come! Ja Ne Na No Da!!!!!!!!!!
~Celesta Hellewise Harman