That night, Kyoko slept well at the restaurant. Okami had put sheets on the guest bed, letting Kyoko stay there. The room wasn't big, nor was the bedding even close to the luxurious quality she was becoming used to. But the humble setting made her feel more at home. It was a much needed break from the fancy living that was expected at the palace.

Yawning, Kyoko walking into the kitchen, the smell of breakfast making her stomach growl.

"Good morning Mr Taisho." said Kyoko.

The man gave her a curt nod before turning back to his work. Kyoko stepped in beside him, deftly grabbing a spoon and assisting him with breakfast. He grunted, taking the spoon away from her.

"I can't let my guests work while they are under my care." he said.

"Yes," said Kyoko, taking back the spoon. "But freeloaders need to earn their way."

His hard face didn't change expression as he took the spoon again. "And I can't let the girl that saved my life work."

Kyoko grabbed the spoon again, then held it out of his reach. "Then let us be equal in this, as we have now saved each other."

He gave her an appraising look then turned away. "If you're a hindrance, I'll make you sit down."

Kyoko nodded, moving to work with him. The two of them moved around the kitchen, not needing to speak much as they made breakfast. They mostly prepped food for when the customers started coming. Kyoko apparently met Taisho's standards, because he didn't tell her to leave.

Okami entered shortly after, joining them just as they finished making breakfast for the three of them. They sat down and enjoyed their breakfast.

"Kyoko, who were those girls that came to visit you last night?" asked Okami.

"They were other members of the harem." said Kyoko. "They came to tell me that I wasn't going to get kicked out."

Taisho grunted. He had already, in his subtly way, expressed his displeasure that Kyoko was a concubine. She was grateful for his obvious concern.

"Will you be alright?" said Okami, also concerned. "You said that you got into a fight."

"Everything will work itself out." said Kyoko, smiling to reassure them.

"Just don't forget," said Okami. "You are welcome back here anytime." She stared at Kyoko intently as if to also say Or you could just stay here permanently.

"Thank you so much." said Kyoko, thrilled at the offer. Maybe if things were different she would have loved to stay with them. "But I have to go back. I have duties there as well."

All too quickly, they were done with breakfast and it was time for Kyoko to leave. She had wanted to stay to help with the breakfast rush, but it was probably a better idea to hurry back home. So Okami gave Kyoko a hug, and Taisho a firm handshake before she walked back to the palace. It was still early in the morning, but the streets were already starting to get busy. She spotted the beginnings of pavilions being set up for the festival when it started next week. It excited Kyoko and made her wish it was coming faster.

Kyoko reached the palace, slowly walking up the steps. At the top, she recognized a certain concubine sporting side pony tail and a grin.

"Welcome back Kyoko." said Risa. "I'm here to be your escort."

"Sorry to make you wait." said Kyoko with a curtsy.

"Actually you could have taken your time." said Risa pulling a face. "It got me out of some other escorting duties. The Murai family drive me crazy!"

Kyoko chuckled as they made their way back to the harem.

"I bet you're wondering what your punishment is." said Risa. Kyoko nodded. "It's actually not that bad. Apparently you almost got away with having no punishment, but Setsuko said that we needed to keep the rule. So they gave you a light one."

"Are you serious?" said Kyoko, completely surprised. This was very different from what she had expected.

"Yup." said Risa. "Well, you shouldn't expect any less with Yumi supporting you. She's a huge influence in many ways. You probably don't know this, but Yumi was the fourth concubine to enter the harem."

"Really?" said Kyoko. But it made sense. Remembering back to their previous conversation, if Yumi was the fourth, and two of the first three were already gone, then Yumi was second to only Setsuko in the harem. Yumi truly was influential. It probably extended past the harem and into high society as well.

They reached the quarters and walked down the hall. A few concubines spotted them and came up to talk to Kyoko. They greeted her, welcoming her back and apologizing for what happened. They mingled for a few minuets, making small talk and laughing. One of the concubines playfully hit Kyoko.

"Why did you lie about it in the first place?" she teased "If you were in love with Kuon why did you hide it? We're not going to hate you for that."

Kyoko opened her mouth to correct her, but someone blocked her with a hand.

"Alright girls." said Risa. "Enough. Go to your duties and stop pestering her. You can talk some more later."

The women left, saying goodbye to Kyoko and Risa. The two continued down the hallway.

"Why did you stop me?" said Kyoko. "Now they think I'm in l-like the prince."

"It's best just to let them misunderstand."said Risa, waggling a finger and winking at Kyoko. "That way in the future, you can avoid unnecessary problems."

Kyoko didn't understand why there would be problems in the future related that emotion. But she trusted Risa enough to stay quiet, even though her insides squirmed at the thought. The two of them stopped at the entrance to the main room. Risa opened the door, and Kyoko peered inside to see that it looked pretty much the same as it had yesterday. Though the petals were starting to turn brown.

"You're to completely clean up the main room." said Risa. "From top to bottom with no help. Everything you'll need has been left in inside. You have to clean until it's been deemed satisfactory by Setsuko."

"Alright." said Kyoko. Cleaning was easy. It would actually help her clear her head.

"I'll come and check periodically." said Risa. "To make sure your not cheating and getting help. Just ask someone to get me if you have any questions" she patted Kyoko on her head affectionately. "Have fun."

With a wave, Risa left.

Kyoko walked inside the room, shutting the door behind her. It was weird to be here by herself, is was usually lively, and full of concubines as it was one of their favorite places to hang out. She spotted the cleaning supplies by the door.

"Alright Kyoko. Time to get started!"

The first thing she did was round up all the flower pieces. She took her time with each petal, making sure to gently place it in the bin. After taking care of the glass and the other things that had fallen from the table, she tackled the painted red letters. Whatever had been used as paint had completely stained the tile floor. She was having to use some pulse magic to get it all off.

Kyoko scrubbed the angry letters, as if she were physically fighting against their demand. It was the same thing with Sho all over again. Angry letters and words painted on her things, finding her lunch thrown in the trash bin. Did jealous women have nothing better to do then try to tear her down? How many times would she be betrayed? Well, Kyoko was not one to back down and let them trample on her. Not anymore.

"If you're not careful, you'll scrub a hole into the floor."

Kyoko jumped, knocking over the water bucket in the process. Kuon, the person who had scared her, quickly grabbed it before it completely tipped over.

"Y-your highness." said Kyoko. "I didn't hear you- you scared me."

"Sorry about that." he said, righting the bucket and sitting down next to her. "You were concentrating so hard. I was sure the floor did some sort of injustice to you."

"Oh." Kyoko looked down at the red letters, half of them scrubbed away by her vigor. She was still clutching the rag, water slowly rolling down her arm and dripping onto the floor.

"And it looks like you haven't even touched your lunch." he said.

Kyoko glanced beside her. There certainly was a tray of food sitting on the ground along with a goblet of water. Since when had that been there?

"I'm not really hungry." she said.

"How are you doing?" said Kuon, expression somber. "I heard this was the punishment they gave you."

Kyoko wrung her rag over the paint, letting the water fall to the ground before she began scrubbing again.

"I'm sure you heard everything that happened." said Kyoko, not looking at the prince. Who's side of the story did he believe? Was he here to reprimand her for hurting Aya? Did he think she did all this to get sympathy? She kept scrubbing, grateful for something to do while her fears started to bubble inside her.

"I did." said Kuon. "And I came here to apologize."

The rag stopped moving as Kyoko paused. She turned to see Kuon looking at her, expression sad.

"Why are you apologizing your highness?" said Kyoko. "What happened was not your fault."

"All of you are my responsibility." said Kuon. "And what one concubine does is a reflection on me. So I apologize for Aya's actions. As well as the harsh bullying you have experienced since being here."

"Does that mean.." said Kyoko, hesitant. "That you believe me? That I didn't mean to hurt Aya?"

"Of course." said Kuon. "I know you would never purposefully hurt someone, or that you'd ever pull a stunt like this to get sympathy. I could tell that day in the garden that these flowers are important to you. You would never tear them up like this."

Kyoko's heart soared. Again, Kuon was believing in her. He had believed her when she'd said she'd discovered a new medicine. He had believed in her to let her fight against Ruiko, and here he was again, believing that she hadn't meant to hurt Aya.

"Did I say something wrong?" said Kuon looking at her in concern. "You look upset."

"I'm not upset." said Kyoko her face scrunched to stop the stupid grin threatening to spread across her face. She knew she must look a mess. Her hands were red and blotchy from being soaked with the water. Random strands of hair sticking out where her wet hands had bushed them back. But she felt great.

"I'm just happy." she said. "At how blessed I am to have such amazing people around me who believe in me and help me. Hikaru, Yumi, Risa, Okami and Taisho, and you."

Kuon smiled. He took a strand of hair hanging from her face and tucked it behind her ear. The gesture forced her attention back to Kuon's own eyes, locking her expression with his.

"Don't forget Yukihito and Maria." said Kuon. "And Duke Takarada. They would feel hurt if you forgot about them. Especially since Maria was the one that alerted me of the incident first." His smile widened at the look on Kyoko's face. "She was very upset that her sister might be thrown out of the castle. You'll have to go see her later."

"Of course!" said Kyoko. "She's such a sweet girl. If only she would stop pulling those pranks. I know she must feel awful lonely."

"Her dad is a very busy person." said Kuon. "And she's distanced herself from him. But that's something you should talk to Maria about."

They kept talking, enjoying each others company. Kyoko continued working as they talked about everything and nothing, asking each other questions and laughing. She was feeling much better thanks to his presence. But after a while, Kyoko became unable to ignore a question pushing it's way to the front of her mind. Was it the right time to ask?

"Your highness." said Kyoko hesitantly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." said Kuon, popping a grape into his mouth. He had been snacking on Kyoko's lunch since she refused to, and Kyoko was more then happy to let him.

Kyoko swallowed, not sure how she wanted to proceed. Yesterday she had learned a lot about the harem and about Kuon. But she was still curious about a few things she hadn't gotten answered. Would he be angry at her for asking personal questions? She could imagine him looking down at her, asking her why she thought she deserved to know anything related to him. It was an irrational fear, but she couldn't get the image from her head.

"Never mind." she said. "It's nothing."

"Kyoko." said Kuon, lengthening out her name as if she were in trouble. "You are free to ask any questions you like. Please. I insist. I won't be upset."

Kyoko bit her lip.

"Why do you have a harem?" she blurted out.

Kyoko saw the surprise on Kuon's face. He had not been expected that question. For a heart beat she thought he might yell at her like her imagination had played out. But instead he was amused. Why was he amused?

"I always considered you the innocent type Kyoko Mogami." said Kuon, a playful expression on his face. "I never thought you'd be interested in that sort of thing. I could teach you just exactly why men have harems if you'd like."

He's making fun of me again.

"You know very well that's not what I'm talking about." she said, unable to stop the pink on her cheeks as she sulked. "I know that's not why you have this harem, despite all the crazy rumors that fly around about this place. I'd like to know why you have people like Aya who are clearly bad news, and people like me who don't serve any purpose in helping you. Most men would get rid of a concubine once she wasn't useful. You see it in all of history. So for what purpose do you have a harem?"

"I see you've been doing your own research." said Kuon.

He was giving her a look, as if he was uncomfortable? Why would he be uncomfortable with her?

"Never mind. " said Kyoko, holding up a hand to stop him from talking. "I'm sorry for asking something so personal. Just ignore what I said."

"That would be a little rude of me after practically forcing you to ask your question." said Kuon.

Kyoko didn't answer. She really wanted to know the truth, but she also didn't want to force him to talk.

He ran a hand through his hair, obviously searching for what to say.

"I guess." said Kuon. "I have a harem because I am weak."

Kyoko blinked. What did he mean by that? But she didn't feel like she should say anything. Kuon was looking at his hand, deep in thought.

"It's not unusual for royalty and nobles to have several concubines." he continued. "Some like the company, while others just want to make sure they have an heir. At the beginning, my reason was for the first one. But that's no longer the case. I use the harem for a completely different reason."

"And what reason is that?" said Kyoko, unable to stop herself from asking.

He looked at her, giving her a small smile. "There are several reasons, and each concubine has their own purpose. But for the most part, it has been to appease obnoxious families that have opposed the royal family."

"What?"

"It's been really convent." said Kuon, shrugging his shoulders. "Any time there was something that I wanted, or if I had accidentally insulted a family, all I had to do was grab a girl and stick them in the harem. Problem solved."

Kyoko frowned. It sounded so... wrong. The flippant way he talked about upsetting a woman's life to add them to his harem. Could she believe he was truly that heartless? She knew he had a dark past. Was the harem just a part of that history?

"Did you ever think about the woman's feelings?" she asked, unable to stop herself. "Did you ever think about how they would feel? Moving from their house into this den where they would fight each other every day for your affections? Did you ever think about how frustrated they would all get when they fell in l- when they fell for you and you didn't return their feelings?" Kyoko's voice had risen as she talked. She wasn't shouting, but she wasn't being quiet either.

Kuon gave her a level expression before responding.

"No."

Kyoko gaped at him, then clenched her jaw shut again.

"Give me your excuses!" she said, "Give me the rest of the story. You've obviously holding back. The women here wouldn't stay or care about you if you truly didn't care about them the way you are insinuating."

"I don't know what else to tell you." he said. "I truly never thought about their feelings."

"I don't believe it" said Kyoko shaking her head. "If that was true, then instead of hating you for putting them in this situation, why do they praise you? Why are there people like Yumi, care about you to the point of taking drastic actions to protect you? Why do they stay despite losing things that are precious to them?"

"What do you mean?" said Kuon.

"I overheard it the other day." said Kyoko, calming down a little at the sad topic. "That Yumi was once the best dancer in the kingdom. People would travel from far cities to come watch her dance. It was supposedly the reason you brought her into the harem." Kyoko looked down, remembering the flash of pain she had seen in Yumi's face when Risa had told her about her injury. "But thanks to what happened here, she can no longer dance fully. She's lost a huge part of what made her special in her eyes."

And then there was Utako's voice. The voice that was rumored to sound like angels singing, now cursed. How many other girls had lost something precious to them after entering the harem?

"How." she said. "Are they able to give up something so important to them without becoming bitter?"

"I honestly don't know." said Kuon, giving her a sad expression. "But I will say this. I told each woman what to expect when she agreed to become a concubine. I told them that it wasn't guaranteed that I would chose a wife from the harem, nor would I necessarily spend time with them. But they were free to pursue me at their leisure. I also told them they could leave at any time if they wanted to."

"To all the women except me." said Kyoko. This was the first time she had heard any of this.

He gave a short laugh. "Must have slipped my mind. I've never had a concubine quite like you before."

"I see."

Kyoko fell silent, thinking. If what Kuon said was true, then no matter the reason Kuon had brought them into the harem, they were there because they wanted to be there. It was their choice to stay and brave the lion's den. They chose to put those things in danger for a man they loved. It made her sick that they had turned such a pure emotion into a reason to hate and fight each other. But it wasn't that different from her obsession with revenge. Jealousy was a powerful thing. She had always known that.

"Your highness." said Kyoko, looking at her hands. "You said that you told the concubines they could leave at any time if they wanted to." he didn't answer so she plunged on. "Then... does that mean I could leave if I wanted to?"

Kuon still didn't say anything.

Kyoko's heart beat painfully in her chest. Why wasn't he speaking. Was he mad at her? He had forced her to be there as punishment, but was there even a reason to keep her anymore?

She peaked at him, wondering what sort of expression he was making. Then felt her heart stop.

Kuon wasn't looking at her. His body was leaned forward, face screwed up in pain as he clutched his stomach.

"Your highness?"

Kyoko rushed to his side, kneeling in front of him. His body was drenched in sweat. She had seen him sick before, but this wasn't like his previous headaches. Something was very wrong.

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" she asked, trying to understand what was happening. He didn't answer, teeth clenched in pain.

"Please, someone help!" she yelled towards the corridor, hoping someone would hear her and get a physician.

Kyoko placed her hands on his face, trying to get a read on his condition. Like before, when she used magic on him, there was surge of pain, pushing her away from him. He was closed to her, she would have to figure out what has happening without magic. She took a breath, steadying her thoughts.

Alright Kyoko, think. What are his symptoms?

She quickly gave him a through sweep, checking everything in seconds.

Perspiration, stomach pain, pale skin, ragged breathing, confusion... and

Her eyes saw what they needed to understand. Thin lines were peaking out from under his robe, like angry purple spider veins, and they were spreading as she watched.

He's been poisoned! But how?

She spotted the source. The plate of dinner she hadn't touched, from which Kuon had been snacking. But that had been at least ten minuets ago.

Delayed onset poison. She thought It's already in his system, educing vomiting won't help at this point. And it looks very potent.

There was only one thing she could do. It was risky, especially considering that she didn't have the technique down completely right. But if she didn't act now, he would be dead in a few minuets.

"Lay down, quick!" said Kyoko, pushing the prince to the ground. He fell heavy, starting to lose control as his his body twitched every now and again.

"Try to hold as still." said Kyoko, pulling open the front of his shirt. The purple veins were already everywhere, expanding past his stomach, a few lines getting close to his heart. She was running out of time "This may hurt, but please bear with it."

She pressed the tip of her forefinger over the main collection of purple lines, and channeled her magic. Rather then pulsing outwards that was characteristic of pulse magic, she pulled, forcing certain particles towards her.

She drew her finger straight up from his body. A thin line of blood and purple gunk followed her finger.

Kuon cried out, arching his back in pain. Kyoko whimpered, but kept pulling, trying to get out as much of the poison as she could.

"I'm sorry." she said, voice shaking. "Please bear with it. I'm almost done. I'm almost done. Don't die on me. Please..."

He continued to grunt in pain, and Kyoko hurried as much as she dared. She could tell that it was working, despite her imperfect technique. The purple lines were receding, most of it being sucked up from her magic. To Kyoko, time seemed to drag on for hours as she drew poison from Kuon, But in reality it took less then thirty seconds.

Someone screamed.

Kyoko's head whipped towards the door. A maid was standing in the entrance, mouth open in horror as she stared at Kyoko.

"Murder!" she shouted, pointing at Kyoko. "Someone please help! Someone is trying to murder the prince!"

What?

Kyoko looked down and understood. Her hands and the front of kuon's shirt were covered in smears of red and purple. The blood from drawing the poison was everywhere.

"I didn't hurt him!" said Kyoko, holding up a red hand. "He was poisoned. I was drawing it out."

Rather then reassuring, Kyoko's words caused the maid to panic further. She started screaming even louder, and Kyoko could hear the pounding feet and clinks of metal as several guards ran down the hall.

Kyoko turned to Kuon, shaking him hard. She had done as much as she could, but there were still faint lines of purple spreading through his veins. Kuon's eyes were shut, his breathing still sporadic.

"Your highness. Wake up!" said Kyoko, panicked. Had she gotten enough of the poison out? Why wasn't he waking up? "Please! Your highness! Kuon! Wake up!"

Hands reached down and grabbed Kyoko from behind. She immediately began struggling against them, trying to pull away.

"Let me go." she yelled, trying to pry the guard's off of her. But two people had a hold of her. She tried to use pulse magic to push them away, but it didn't work. "I have to help him. He's been poisoned."

"Get her out of here." said another guard, kneeling over the prince. He began shouting other orders, but Kyoko wasn't paying attention. One of Kuon's eyes had opened a crack.

"Kuon!" she yelled, struggling as they pulled her away from him.

But his eye closed again.

"Kuon!"

Her struggle was in vain. They pulled her away from him. Her last glimpse of the prince, eyes closed and front covered in blood and poison, before his image disappeared from her sight as they dragged her down the hallway.

"But I still don't see why she was arrested." said Yukihito, exasperated. "There's no way Kyoko would try to poison the prince."

Yukihito stood outside Kuon's room, arguing with the commander of the royal guards. How many times was he going to have to say this until Dyrus understood? The man was being stubborn, undisturbed by Yukihito's arguments.

"Yukihito." said Dyrus, voice deep. "We must take every precaution in this sort of situation. She was the one found at the scene with the prince's blood on her hands, and has access to poisons. She also resisted arrest to get to the prince. On top of that, the whole reason the prince brought her into the harem was because he suspected she had something to do with the specter. I find these reasons more then satisfactory to arrest her."

"You knew why he brought her into the harem?" said Yukihito, baffled. Though he shouldn't be. Dyrus was head of security in the palace. If there was even a hint of a threat, he would be told about it. "Well it doesn't matter anymore because the prince has long trusted her. He no longer thinks she is involved with the specter."

"Has the prince told you this himself?" said Dyrus, calm.

"Er. well no." said Yukihito. Kuon hadn't directly told Yukihito that he didn't suspect Kyoko. But it was obvious to anyone that was paying attention that the prince trusted Kyoko. "He has never said it straight out."

"Then I will proceed how I see fit." said Dyrus. "And until further notice, she stays in the dungeon."

Yukihito took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. What was it going to take to convince Dyrus of Kyoko's innocence?

The door to the prince's bedroom opened, Sawara standing in the entrance.

"Come on in." he said, beckoning to the two of them. They entered, shutting the door behind them. Two other healers stood beside Kuon's bed, channeling light magic into his body. That was never a good sign in Yukihito's experience.

"What news do you have?" said Dyrus.

"Not good." said Sawara, taking a seat with a sigh. He looked exhausted "It seems that most of the poison was drawn out by Kyoko, which is a really good thing. By the time we got there, he would have been dead."

"See." said Yukihito to Dyrus. "Kyoko saved his life. She wasn't trying to kill him."

"Whats the rest of it?" said Dyrus, ignoring Yukihito.

"She didn't get all the poison out." said Sawara. "There's still a lethal dose within his system. We've administered the antidote. But it's not working."

"What do you mean it's not working?" said Yukihito, alarmed. "You did find out what poison was used right?"

"We tried to analyze it from the food he ate, assuming that's how he was poisoned. " said Sawara. "But it's one of the rare poisons that can't be identified without consuming it. Apparently there's a new poison we weren't aware of too. He's not getting better."

What!?

"Where is Lory?" said Yukihito. "He should be able to figure it out. He's good with this sort of thing."

"We've sent a message to Duke Takarada" said Dyrus. "He should be back in the morning."

"That won't be soon enough." said Sawara leaning forward and putting his head into his hands. "Even with light healers channeling until then, he won't last."

Yukihito felt a chill run up his spine. "What are you saying Sawara?" said Yukihito. His mind was in denial, unable to process what was happening.

Sawara lowered his hands, giving Yukihito a defeated look.

"There's nothing left we can do." he said. "Unless by some miracle he holds out, Prince Kuon will be dead by morning."

Dun dun DUUUUUUUN!

Thanks for reading!

And thank you for your patience over the lateness of this chapter. Finals were rough. But I did good! And then I got hard core writers block. Whew! Thanks for your cheering!

Kyoko just can't catch a break can she? And poor Kuon!

Imoutu after reading this chapter: "Blushweaver, I don't think you have enough drama and misunderstandings. You could have more." Thank you Imoutu...

Side note: I'm aware that enduing vomiting when you've been poisoned is not what you're suppose to do. But remember, fake kingdom, different procedures.

anon : "I know you said that you were planning on bringing Moko-san in soon, but Yumi rather reminds me of her already. On that note, Risa reminds me of Chiori (post-Kyoko Chiori, lol)."

-Funny you should say that. Risa is kinda a Moko-san replacement. Since Moko-san identifies herself as Kyoko's rival in canon, but I didn't want to stick her in the harem. Yumi is Kyoko's self proclaimed rival in this instance. She is a little different, but yes, very similar. Now Risa being like Chiori, I did not plan that one. Risa just kind of popped into existence and claimed attention.

Honestly I was concerned about the previous chapter since it mostly focused on my original characters. I wasn't sure if people would find it boring or not. But for the most part I got good reception on it. :3 (Yumi's a blast to write with because she causes so many conflicts.)

Thanks again for all your kind comments and encouragements. I've been working hard on this story to make it worth your read. Seriously, I wouldn't be half as motivated to do this if you guys weren't leaving such kind comments. Thanks!

(The next chapter will be up in about a week rather than the weekend. Don't kill me! XD)

-Blushweaver