A/N: I want to thank everyone who took the time to review this story. It means a lot to me to hear what you all think. Let me know how I'm doing, if you like it, what you don't. I am open to suggestions, but, pretty please, don't be too mean to me!
This chapter is dedicated to chocomintswirl who left possibly the best review I have ever received. Thank you very much!
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
MizuOne
Mitsuru cowered in his bed that night, looking to the moon and wondering what, exactly, had happened. So. He was emperor of the Lunar Race. Wonderful. Now what was he to do? Don't Emperor's have to stand in throne rooms looking imposing while shouting threats to generals. He groaned and pulled his luxurious blankets over his head. He was never really a people person. Why the hell did he take this job?
He pretended not to hear his door open and shut.
"Mitsuru." Came the voice of the creature trespassing on his privacy. Mitsuru fought the temptation to just slice the owner of the voice into pieces.
"Go away! I don't want to talk to anyone!" he yelled.
"We must speak you majesty." Oboro said. He was becoming slightly annoyed with the Tengu.
"Why?"
"This month will be the hardest of your regime. You have a nation to win. I merely came to tell you that we will begin work tomorrow morning. You must learn to lead as soon as possible. I suggest you keep your mind clear of any other thought."
Mitsuru growled. How dare that old man tell him what to do? "Get. Out." He snarled, "We will speak further in the morning." He had his blankets covering his face, so he could not see the advisor leaving, but the sound of the door signaled Oboro's departure.
Mitsuru rolled onto his stomach and fell asleep.
Mahiru rose early the next morning, hoping to pack and leave without causing a disturbance. But, when she opened her eyes she once again found the two handmaidens ready to dress her.
"Majesty, the Emperor wishes an audience with you." The two said. Mahiru nodded slowly, slightly taken back, and allowed them to dress her in a simple silk kimono. It was sea green, with golden dragons embroidered on the body. She was led to the main throne room, where the masked Emperor was waiting for her. He was in thick traditional dress, and his pale white porcelain mask was placed carefully over his face. He stood atop the staircase, waiting. She realized that he was not tall, but his posture was imposing. She was terrified. She bowed low.
"Descendant of the Princess." He boomed, "Please rise." She stood, and brought her face to meet his, "Tell me, princess, what are your plans regarding the Lunar Race?"
"I was planning on returning to Tokyo this afternoon, Your Majesty. If you prefer I leave sooner, I understand. I can be gone within the hour."
"Your belongings are already packed?"
"Yes. Well, most of them at least." Mahiru was feeling upset now. She wanted to say goodbye to Keiko and Akira, but now that didn't seem possible.
"Good." The emperor said. He spoke quietly with a guard standing next to him. The guard bowed and left the room.
"Would you like me to continue packing, Majesty?"
"That won't be necessary. Your maidservants will relocate your belongings to your new chambers."
"New chambers?" Hope sparked in Mahiru's heart.
"Yes. We cannot have our princess sleeping with the courtiers, now, can we? I see in your face you do not wish to return home. I will allow you to stay, but you must let me give you more comfortable accommodations. Subaru and Mika are to serve you." The emperor finished.
At first Mahiru was speechless. Was this really happening? She dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the floor. Tears started to fall from her face. "Thank you so much!" Mahiru said. Her hears was fluttering, "but please, don't go through the extra effort for me. I am fine in my old room."
"You will find your new room will suit you even better." Mitsuru said from behind his mask. He had to move Mahiru's chambers. According to the rest of the Lunar Race, she was his empress. Thank god she didn't know. He tried to tell himself the only reason for moving Mahiru was to avoid suspicion, but he knew he was only trying to get closer to her. He had to use the emperor thing to his advantage.
Mitsuru allowed Mahiru to leave. Subaru, one of her handmaidens, was to lead her to her new rooms. Mitsuru sighed a breath of relief. Now that she was taken care of, only Oboro remained.
Mitsuru entered his study. It was a room full of books and a large oak desk. It made him feel comfortable—hidden away from the many people that were no doubt trying to discover his identity. He took the heavy outer cloak off of his body so that he could rest. He sat down in his chair as Oboro entered.
"Good morning, Lord Mitsuru. Are you ready to begin?" He asked. Oboro took the seat opposite Mitsuru's desk.
"If I must." He mumbled.
"What was that? You have to speak louder. Remember, you have a beautiful mask covering your face." Oboro said.
"Stop fooling around!" Mitsuru yelled. "What do you want?"
"First, you should appoint your advisors. They will help you become accustomed to the title and guide you when you are lost. Who would you like to help you?" Mitsuru thought. He didn't know many people outside the royal guard.
"Akira, Nozomu, and Misoka." He said. They had been with him from the beginning. Surely they could help him.
"As I thought." Oboro began, "We shall collect them at once and swear them in." Oboro called a servant and asked him to bring the others to the emperor. Mitsuru sighed with relief.
Mahiru was led by one of the girls responsible for dressing her that morning to her new bedroom. It was enormous. The bed was the largest she had ever seen. The high wooden ceilings were encrusted with gold. Flowers were engraved into the beams and painted on the walls.
"Do you find it to your liking Majesty?" Subaru asked.
"Yes. It's gorgeous. But, please, call me Mahiru."
"I couldn't."
"You must." Mahiru said. She laughed at the girl's puzzled face, "How are we to become friends if you call me Your Majesty all the time?" The other girl, Mika, walked into the room.
"Subaru! You have to hear about this cute fox demon I just ran into!" she shouted. She carried a basket of flowers I her arms.
"Mika. Not right now!" the other maiden said.
"No! Let's hear it!" Mahiru yelled. She smiled to Subaru, who relaxed a bit. Mika noticed who had spoken. She let out a shrill shriek of surprise.
Mahiru fell over laughing. It had been a while since she had seen a girl other than Keiko and it fell good to be in their company once again. The other two froze. Their last empress hadn't laughed with them. She had been cool and reserved.
"Your Majesty?" Mika asked.
"I'm sorry! I'm just so—so happy! The new emperor is permitting me to stay, and I've got the two of you to make me laugh—" Mahiru stopped. The only other person who made her laugh like this was Mitsuru. "Mitsuru…" she said, "I wonder where he's at! I haven't seen him since the wedding."
"We will ask Lord Oboro where we may find him, milady." Mika said.
"Please excuse us. We have more chores to attend to. We will see you this evening, Lady Mahiru, so we can prepare you for dinner." Subaru said as she exited Mahiru's room, leaving her alone.
Mahiru dropped down onto her fluffy western style bed. If knowing an emperor was all she had to do to get such good accommodations, she'd hang out with him any time. She curled up on her bed and fell asleep.
Mitsuru sat in his study, waiting for Oboro to return. He had gone to speak with the three remaining Moonlight Bandits. He was trying to convince them to become his advisors. Mitsuru drummed his fingers on the desk. This job was boring.
The door opened and the four men entered Mitsuru's study. He looked at them and felt a little more comfortable. Through all the years he had known them, they had remained constant. Akira was still the fun loving puppy, Nozomu a famed womanizer, and Misoka cold and calculating. Their physical appearances hadn't changed either. Mitsuru was glad that at least one part of his life was static.
"Your Majesty, I would like to introduce your advisors." Oboro said.
"I already know them." Mitsuru drawled. He grabbed his mask and tore it off.
He wasn't ready for the reaction he received.
Nozomu began to giggle quietly, but soon those giggles transformed into gales of laughter. Akira stared blankly. He couldn't believe hat he was seeing. Misoka gently rubbed his chin with his pointer finger. He had to think about this one.
Oboro stood in the corner and groaned. Mitsuru could be so rash sometimes.
Meanwhile, Mitsuru sat on the other side of his desk. His arms were folded across his chest and he was trying his hardest not to kill the damned vampire. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore, "Nozomu! Shut the fuck up you sound like a fucking wild hyena! Leave me the fuck alone or I'll have you decapitated!"
That seemed to do the trick.
Nozomu quickly shut his mouth and quieted himself. He looked at Mitsuru and saw sadness. The tengu looked like he was being eaten from the inside out. He could see that Mitsuru was not happy about his current situation. It was Akira that broke the silence.
"I guess this explains your disappearance after the wedding yesterday." He said, his voice happy. He was trying to make conversation.
"And Mahiru's station as Empress." Nozomu started, "You know, Mitsuru, you have to mark her before the next full moon. How are you going to do a thing like that?"
"That's my business, vampire."
"Your business is our business now, Mitsuru." Misoka interjected, "Especially where the state of the nation is concerned. If you do not mark her by the end of this cycle, the people will revolt. They want her as an empress. They trust her."
"Let's leave him alone, guys." Akira said, "The poor guy's obviously having a hard time adjusting."
"Lord Mitsuru, you should never have exposed yourself. It is completely out of touch with tradition to do so." Oboro added.
Mitsuru was staring blankly at the wall behind his friends. The words were swimming about in his mind. He tried to ignore them, but they kept coming back. His brain was turning to tapioca; he knew it.
"Fuck tradition," he said, "I will do things my way! I didn't want this job in the first place! Don't you all tell me what to do with my life! As for Mahiru. Stay away from her! I will take care of her, she will be mine." Mitsuru's eyes once again began glowing red.
"We should go." Akira said. He knew the others had no experience with tengu mating rituals. This was an intent claim dormant for too long. It would rot Mitsuru's mind soon, if he wasn't careful. He just hoped he could last a whole cycle. Akira herded everyone out of the room, leaving Mitsuru to calm his blood.
Mahiru had haunted Mitsuru's thoughts for years. She was his motivation, his reason for fighting. If he could not protect her, he would cease to be.
He remembered a night, long ago, that she had saved him. It was she that had given him life. And since that night, he had been in debt to her.
He remembered another night, recent, when he had saved her.
He hadn't expected everything to go the way it had, but he did only what he could do to keep her in this world.
It had finally happened. The Dawn's Venus had come for their psychic. Keiko had been living with Mahiru, hiding from her ex-fiancée Hokuto, when it happened.
Mahiru was serving tables in the Moonshine, listening to Nozomu swoon into the microphone. She loved his voice. He could win hearts with just the beauty of his voice. Keiko was amazed, at first, to see him serenade the crowd. Mahiru remembered Keiko taking an order, but upon hearing Nozomu's voice, she became distracted. When Akira had joined in, she stopped. Mahiru had to cover her tables for her, because Keiko was drooling all over the werewolf.
Mitsuru was mixing drinks when the creeps came through the door. Hokuto strolled in, acting as if he owned the place. Mitsuru shattered the glass he was holding. The customer looked at him with fear in his eyes. Mahiru heard the breaking glass, saw Mitsuru's angry face, and ran to the rescue. She grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into the back room.
"Mitsuru. What's wrong?" She said, going around the counter. He grabbed her with his bleeding hand and threw her into the kitchen with Akira. He turned to the werewolf.
"Go around outside and into Mahiru's window. Find your human girl and make sure she stays where she is."
"Mitsuru—" Mahiru started.
"And you, you damned girl, will stay here where you won't cause any trouble." Mitsuru countered. Mahiru closed her mouth and sat on the floor, her back against the oven door. Mitsuru went back out into the bar. He didn't make a move yet. The two remaining members of the Dawn's Venus had not seen his little outburst. Mitsuru watched them as he served drinks. Misoka took their order, and they listened to Nozomu's sultry voice.
At the end of the song Hokuto rose from his seat and began to clap, slowly and rhythmically. Nozomu looked at him and paled. It would seem their final battle would take place that evening.
"On behalf of the Moonshine I would like to thank you all for coming out to see us tonight. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will be closing our doors at this time. The customers in the bar grumbled but followed Nozomu's instructions. Mitsuru tried to keep tabs on the two intruders, but lost hope when the sea of people flowed past him.
He heard a shrill scream coming from the kitchen. Misoka ran to check on Mahiru while Mitsuru took care of the guests. He could hear Hokuto laughing.
"Did you think you could hide from us forever, tengu? Just because you haven't stolen anything in a while doesn't mean you're off the hook. You've got all of those heists to pay off in jail." Hokuto came out from the kitchen with Mahiru in front of him.
"You let her go, asshole. I'll kill you, I swear I will!" Mitsuru screamed. Hokuto chuckled.
"You have my girl, and I have yours. Quite the pickle, don't you think? Give Keiko to me."
"I don't want to go back with you, Hokuto. You are wrong to fight them!" Keiko said, trudging down the hall. Akira followed her, a large goose egg protruding from his forehead. Mahiru was struggling against her captor. She wouldn't have broken free if she hadn't seen a shadowy figure creep up behind Mitsuru. In sheer panic, she mustered up her strength, threw Hokuto to the ground, and shoved Mitsuru out of the way.
Mitsuru saw the arrow impale the small human girl. He went wild. She wasn't his favorite person in the world, but he owed her a debt, and he could not repay it if she died. He transformed, and tore the two men limb from limb. Keiko didn't even watch the massacre. She was too busy tending to Mahiru. When it was all over, she and Akira carried the girl up the staircase and into her room.
The blood was seeping from the hold in Mahiru's chest too fast for Keiko to do anything. She applied pressure to the wound, but the blood wouldn't stop. She began to sob, tears flowing down her face, when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
Mitsuru climbed the stairs after he had taken care of the two men. He felt guilty for killing them, but he had to get to Mahiru. He had to at least try to save her. It was against anything he believed in to be nice to a human, but in her case he had to make an exception. He opened Mahiru's door, and put his hand on Keiko's shoulder.
Keiko automatically moved. Mitsuru looked at the dying princess. He knew how to stop the bleeding, and to save her.
But to do so would bind her to him forever.
Usually intent claims were discussed between partners before they actually happened. Mitsuru knew that he would have to talk to her once it was done, but how would that work? 'Hey, you damned girl! I saved your life last night! Now you have to be my mate!' That wouldn't go over well, but he had to save her.
A debt was a debt.
Mitsuru asked Keiko to leave the room. The last thing he needed was someone watching him as he performed this—the most intimate of acts. It wasn't sexual. Sexual intimacy was saved for the claiming. He was going to share with her his being, his life force. Mitsuru took away the cloth that covered the wound. He placed his hand over the hole. He could feel her heart beat, and with each beat he could feel more blood leave her body. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. He poured as much of himself as he could into her, until he began to feel drained himself.
The bleeding had stopped, and the wound closed.
Mitsuru stood up and left the room. He knew that if he ever kissed her again, he would to be able to stop. The claim was more intense than he meant for it to be, but if he ignored it, maybe it would remain dormant until she finally reached mating age.
Mahiru rose that evening from a strange dream. She dreamed of the day the Dawn's Venus had been defeated. She had never asked how her wounds had been healed, but now she thought she might.
She put her hands to her lips. They were tingling from the remains of a long-forgotten kiss.