Chapter 13:

Shuichi bit back the urge to barf; he started moving towards Yuki for comfort before Isilra, pulled him back towards her. There was blood everywhere! The royals backed out of the room into the hallway. Tatsuha was death white, and was shaking slightly.

"When did this happen?" Yuki looked at the guard, who looked down shame facedly.

"Well, it could have happened between shifts, your highness. We didn't find him till one of us went in to give him the report for the day. The priests have been called, and they asked if the princess could assist them."

Yuki looked at Isilra, who looked back grimly. There was a clatter of slippers on marble as the priests arrived. Isilra immediately joined them, steeling herself to go back into the room. She and the priests started looking around the room, seeing what they could detect with their magic. She saw a small round object on the floor. She looked at it more carefully; it was a seal from Sardis. Grimacing she picked up a vial from one of the priest's bags and scooped up a little bit of the blood littering the floor. Looking around to see know one would see her; she placed a forbidden spell on the vial and pocketed it. She excused herself and left the rest of them to see what they could find.

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Shuichi hugged Yuki, trying to catch a little of what the prince was feeling. Yuki's face was as cold and impassive as ever after the initial shock of his father's death had worn off. Shuichi shook his head sometimes the best way to get answers would be to ask directly.

"Yuki, talk to me. Please tell what you're going through right now. Please Yuki…" Shuichi gave his lover a serious puppy dog look. The Prince stared at him for a few minutes, before giving in.

"I'm just shocked. Don't fool yourself, Shuichi, there was no love lost between us. My father used his children, we were just puppets to enable him to rule the empire and continue our line. And well, I do feel a little pain, but that can be dealt with. Right now I have to find out who did this. My father was the king, if anyone can get in and murder the king, then our security has to be strengthened." He looked at the pink haired man hoping he'd understand. The king really hadn't given enough for his children to still love and want to be with him.

The singer smiled. "I do Yuki….well, not completely but I get what you're saying." He kissed Yuki softly. "Don't worry I'll always be there, if you need someone to talk to ok?" the blonde nodded, before there was a knock on the door. A soldier stepped in looking hesitant.

"Your Majesty, the princess Isilra is here. She says she needs to speak to you about something of supreme importance." The soldier ushered her in.

Isilra looked at him, before licking her lips nervously and bowing. "Your majesty," she waited until the soldier had left and shut the door. "I think I can find the culprit. The priests don't know how to of course. The culprit did use magic to clear the evidence, they won't find anything. If you give me permission, I will find him, glean information of him and then slay him."

Yuki wondered what to do. If he did free her, then it would be like favoritism, since she was his fiancée and the other nobles would protest. Even if she could find the killer, he shook his head. "No, your under house arrest remember? I can't lift the sentence; it would harm the both of us greatly.

She gave him a small smile. "I have a plan. Shuichi, come here." She waited for the young man to face her, before reaching out and intertwining her hands with his. Shuichi's eyes widened and he jerked back a little as he felt a jolt go through him. Then Isilra let him go with a bigger smile. "I was right; you do have magic, even if it is a very minimal amount. I thought you said people from your world don't have it, but that must be because none of you can feel it. The plan will work." She looked at Yuki, and handed him a quickly made out list.

"'See that you get the servants to pick these herbs and stuff up for me. Make sure the same person doesn't bring all the ingredients together. I want you and Shuichi to visit me in my rooms at midnight. If you find Tatsuha send him to me. Alright then." She opened the door and bowed, perfectly. "Thank you for the audience, your majesty."

As she closed the door, it hit Yuki like a boulder, that he was the King of Atlantis, the greatest nation in the world.

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Tatsuha wandered in the gardens, until a soldier came down to inform him that he was to go up to Princess Isilra's chambers immediately. He nodded, but took his own time getting there. He really didn't want to face her, after what he'd said that morning. Too many things were happening too fast for him to digest. He found that he'd reached Isilra's door by the time he came out of his musings. He knocked and was surprised to find Isilra herself open the door. Aria wasn't anywhere to be found.

Isilra motioned him to be silent. She was holding a glob of her magic in one hand. She moved away from him, so that he wasn't in the peripheral vision of the glob. The glob grew and he almost gasped when he saw Davideus' face in it. She was contacting her father!

"Yes, it was just a soldier father, giving me a message that the Prince will be coming to see me. His father was killed this morning. I wanted to tell you, that my love and I have decided to get married in two months. We will postpone the marriage as we need to mourn at least for a month and the preparations should take another month. You should lend us your forces, Sardis might strike any moment now, give me Athens' military father…I'll lead them into war." Isilra demanded.

Her father stared at her in astonishment. "But you're a woman! How do I know that you won't refuse to marry Prince Yuki once I've lent you the forces and you've won the war? This will have to wait."

Isilra glared at her father. "Father, don't be stupid! I've fallen in love with him. I promise to marry the prince after the war ends! And we can't wait, if you wait for me to marry him, Atlantis will be razed to the ground and I'll be dead! Make up your mind so I can tell my lord that he can count on me!"

Davideus glared at the way his daughter was behaving. "Alright, I will send you the forces. They will leave by tomorrow morning. And remember you have promised to marry the prince, I know you'll keep your word. Go and tell your lord that I have kept up my end of the promise. And fine, I'll let you lead them. Good bye my daughter. You make me proud."

The glob disappeared and Isilra turned to smile at Tatsuha. "So enjoy the show? Am I good at acting or what?" Tatsuha looked at her at her in confusion. She placed her hand on his chest, reaching up to kiss him softly.

"Don't look like that; I promise you the fun is just beginning." (By the way there is no lemon here.)

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Yuki looked at how Shuichi was pacing up and down. The singer had a crazed look in his eyes and paused every two minutes to run his hands through his hair. Yuki couldn't take it anymore; more of this would hypnotize him! "Shuichi, what's wrong? You've been pacing since Isilra asked us to meet her. Are you going insane?"

His lover looked at him with a desperate look. "Are you sure we can't make it out of here Yuki? Please Yuki, get me out of here and I'll give you the best sex you've ever had. I'll let you tie me up and cover me with your favorite food!"

Yuki smirked. "Uh…Shuichi we've already done all that. And no. Now that I'm king I can't get you out of here. What the hell is wrong with you? Tell me you idiot!"

Shuichi sat down in front of his lover, trying to present his case. "Yuki, Isilra is going to do something drastic to me. I know that look she gets when her plans are crazy ones. Yuki, it'll kill me. The last time she had that look, we were training and she threatened to tie me up to a tree naked to let all the whores in Atlantis do what they wanted with me…please save me Yuki!"

Yuki grinned. "Shuichi, it wont be so bad…believe me if it is I'll help you ok?" Shuichi nodded slowly. The midnight gong was heard, he and Yuki sneaked into Isilra's room. They crept in to find Tatsuha and Isilra curled up on couch together grinning at them.

"Ok, my plan is this, I'll disguise myself and then slip out, pretending to be 'Princess Isilra's' new maid…then I can tract the person down ok? No one will enter my room much so it will be ok. But if they do I have a plan. Um…wait you guys would you like some refreshments?" she pushed a glass into Shuichi's hand. "Drink it up now, Shu." She watched him like a hawk until he gulped it down. Then she pulled him towards her in the center of the room murmuring. "It should take effect now. Maybe I should drink mine too." She picked up a goblet and drained it. Then she checked on Shuichi. "Hmm…good I can finish it now." Then she looked at Yuki and Tatsuha with a sweet smile. "Ok, here's my disguise, I'm sorry if it inconveniences you for a day Yuki, but it is only for a day."

"What are you…" began Yuki as she said the spell. A green flash dazzled him and then his jaw fell open. The place where Isilra had been, stood a young black haired and red eyed young woman. The place where Shuichi stood was…

Shuichi stared at them. "Why are you guys looking at me like that? And who are you?" he turned to Isilra. Isilra smiled at him. "Come on Shuichi, I'm Isilra this is my disguise."

Shuichi looked back at the guys. "Stop staring!" he turned to look at himself in the mirror and stared with horror. Gazing back at him from the mirror was a perfect replica of Princess Isilra fiancée of the heir. Shuichi's hands involuntarily plunged downwards; his hand met smooth folds beneath the silk dress…his manhood…OH MY GOD! A scream echoed through the halls of the palace.

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A/N: don't worry; it's only for a day. And Isilra had to make him the perfect replica with out leaving anything out! I like Shu-chan being male, so I'll turn him back in the next chapter! Toodles!

Taka