I got some dedicated readers yall, goddang. It warms me up all over to see people still request for my story and wait for updates. I will try to finish this soon enough, i pinkie promise! Im so sorry for the wait and i swear this will come to an end.

i also apologize if this part is trash- i just really love a bothered and immensely direct obiyuki.

SIXTY-NINE - Future Plans

3 Days Until The Wedding

Shirayuki wakes up the next morning deciding against visiting the Prince.

She decided to dedicate the next day proceeding her visit with the Princess to testing the wine. And to her dismay, she had been right. Ryu and Garak helped her in deciphering every little drop of the mouthful she managed to bring back, examining whether there was something else. And, to confirm her suspicions, Ryu found a substance that clearly wasn't supposed to be in wine.

So after that day of being a part-time scientist, she writes a letter. It was not the fact that she couldn't face him (she has grown a lot since those days.) She simply didn't want to come off as still longing for the man than she no longer loves the way she used to. Shirayuki wanted to keep him from getting the wrong idea, and it hasn't been long since she last spoke to him face-to-face. She also wanted to keep doing tests on the wine. So she asks Obi to send him the letter.

"Why did she go see Elizabeth?" Zen's first question as Obi stood before him. The letter was already in the Prince's hands and they were quick to reveal what it contained. His azure eyes drag along the sentences while still paying attention to his messenger. "Why'd she go alone is the real question here."

Obi looked to the ground quickly and emitted an awkward chuckle, "it wasn't like I meant to let her go on her own; I wasn't there when little Ryu let the Mistress bring up whatever the Princess requested."

Oh? "She requested something? From the court herbalist?" Zen lifted his head up, meeting eyes with Obi. "Did Shirayuki mention what it was?"

"She has mentioned it once or twice," Obi hums, his eyes looking up in thought. "It's a sticky substance, but apparently she'll be using it for the wedding. I'm not particularly sure what that means but-"

"I think we all have a guess on what it will be used for," Kiki immediately silences him, looking over to see Mitsuhide gagging and Zen letting out a surprised cough. She walks from the door and goes over to Zen to retrieve the letter. "May I?" Zen allows her to look over his shoulder.

"But that's clearly not the point here," Zen quickly dismisses the subject. Obi straightens up once again. "Shirayuki thinks Elizabeth tried to poison her?"

Obi nods. "The Princess offered her a cup of wine, and apparently she kept from taking a sip while Mistress took one." Kiki takes the letter from Zen as she realizes he had finished and went over for Mitsuhide to have a read as well. "Her paranoia convinced her not to drink it and rather hold it in her mouth so she can test it for any unusual chemicals."

"She's an herbalist, not a scientist," Zen points out, "how would she be able to find any abnormalities from a spit-out sip of wine?"

"I was there when she was rushing out of her room with the wine in her mouth," Kiki admits as she gave the letter to Mitsuhide. "Obi was with me, too. We rushed with her back to her office as soon as I got her out of the room. Ever since then, she and the other herbalists have been coped up in their wing, doing all sorts of tests on it."

"And?" Zen asks. "What were the results?"

"Did you finish reading this letter?" Mitsuhide asks quietly. Zen towards him and takes the letter back into his hands. His azure eyes drag along the last sentence, his lips parting slightly. "There's something else in the wine- something that doesn't belong in wine."

The room was crashed with silence, absorbing the information they all now share. Obi had been very envious of their reactions. As soon as Shirayuki informed him of the abnormality, he shot up from his seat and almost went to the Princess' quarters to relieve her from breathing. Shirayuki, Ryu, and the rest of the medical staff had to hold him back from doing so.

"Should we take action then now, Zen?" Mitsuhide asks quietly, dissolving the silence. "We have a fair amount of proof to at least do some conviscating. She isn't supposed to have those crates in her room anyways."

Zen was still in thought, his chin wedged between his fingers. Kiki glances over at Obi, who simply shrugs as they all watch the young Prince think. He didn't want to do anything rash, even though the Princess had decided to cross a line she shouldn't have crossed. He would've sent her to death already, not caring about the war that would follow. But Zen had to think about his people and couldn't just do things so carelessly.

"Mm, no, let's not do that," Zen dismissed. He looks up at his aids and nods, "I have a plan already. It won't be much, but I want to help Shirayuki further her research regarding the wine. She's clearly onto something, and I know not for her, but for the purpose of protecting this kingdom."

They all nod, listening attentively as Zen goes over his curt, but thoughtful plan.

"Mistress!" Sounded a loud Obi. Shirayuki turned from her desk to look at the seemingly excited Obi standing in the doorway of the shared office. "Let us celebrate!"

"Eh?" She tilted her head to the side. Joining behind Obi was Kiki and Mitsuhide, who had much more stern looks (very opposite to Obi's random cheerfulness.) "Kiki? Mitsuhide? What are you two doing down here?"

"Obi," Mitsuhide growls, causing Obi to chuckle away his excitement before also straightening his lips. Shirayuki looks down to see three bottles of wine in his hands. He walks in first and offers it to Shirayuki, who is still completely puzzled. "We've brought a few things to help you out."

"B-but you know I don't drink," Shirayuki begins shyly as she takes hold of one of the bottles to help Obi. "Even then, working drunk wouldn't be helping me much…"

Obi smirked down at her as the aides enter the office completely and shut the door behind them. Ryu crawls out from his bed under his desk and looks up at the crowd. "Miss, these bottles of wine isn't for drinking."

"They're for your research," Kiki hums. She walks over, arms crossed on her chest, with a curt smile. "Zen wants you to figure out what's in the wine before the wedding. He understands how vital this research is."

Shirayuki comprehends before taking the bottles of wine one by one and placing them on her desk. They are all identical, having her emit a shaky sigh. "How did you guys obtain all these bottles from her chambers?"

They all look out the window, in which Shirayuki follows. She looks over to see Zen taking the Princess for a stroll around the castle. Everyone could tell he was forcing his enjoyment. His smile was stale and the strings of laughter that proceeded after his words were dull, practically lifeless. Zen was tolerating her for now, for he has planned something that Elizabeth will not even be able to stand him for.

"Do you recall which bottles are from which crates?" Shirayuki asked quietly, looking up to see all of them look at each other. They had no clue which bottle was from where, considering they all looked identical. She giggles and nods, "we'll distinguish them shortly. Ryu-"

"On it." The boy hops to it, getting on his feet to go over to the bottles of wine. He grabs two of them, causing Shirayuki to grab his forearm and question why he was taking two of them. "One for me to check, and one for Miss Garak to check. It would make things quicker to figure out so we can keep from poisoning the entirety of Clarines."

Everyone smiles down at the boy as he brings a notebook with him and scurries off to Garak's office with the bottles of wine. Shirayuki turns back to look at the one he left for her, staring at it wondrously. "Thank you so much for getting these for me," Shirayuki hums quietly. She glances back to give Kiki and Mitsuhide a smile, "for now, you guys may go. I'll let you know what we find."

The two aides smile, with Mitsuhide taking his leave first. He had to go meet with Zen as he is his closest aide. Kiki lagged back a bit, a rare smile taking to her lips. "Thank you for everything you do, Shirayuki."

"I should be thanking you," Shirayuki quickly interjects. "You guys didn't have to sneak into her room and snag these bottles. My sample of wine was just about enough to prove that there's something wrong with it."

"But Master wanted more proof," Obi chimes in. He takes a seat on the opened window sill and smiles. "He believes you, 100%, but he knows that others may not be as willing to take your word on it." Shirayuki acknowledges this fact and smiles warmly. Zen still has a lot of trust and faith in her; she has never led him wrong before.

Shirayuki takes these words and nods, "then I will do my best!" She puts a fighting stance, erupting a few laughs from Obi and Kiki.

A few hours went by, and Obi lazily sat himself on a clear spot of Shirayuki's desk.

Everyone had been doing their thing. Kiki went off to train the Clarines soldiers, ensuring their were very much prepared for a potential war break out when Zen's plan is active. Mitsuhide remained alone with Zen after finishing the stroll with the Princess and walking her back to her room. He managed to exhaust her from walking so much in heels that maids informed him that she had already been asleep. So the two men were speaking about updates, as Mitsuhide informed the Prince that the wines were now in the hands of all the court herbalists and they were working efficiently in getting to the bottom of this serious situation.

Obi watched his lover work hard throughout these hours, barely taking any breaks in order to continue her research. He could tell she was a bit tired, with the way her motions were becoming sluggish and her eyes would flutter shut every few minutes. But Shirayuki's emerald eyes held too much determination to deter from her progress. He admired her so much for all the hard work she puts in, especially when there are many lives at stake.

But, she suddenly pushed herself away from the desk and rested her back against the chair. Obi watched her red hair fly back, the unevenness of her locks becoming very obvious. I wonder if she wants a haircut, Obi thinks to himself. He watches her slim body arch, her back cracking quietly with a tired sigh leaving her supple lips. Emerald eyes were quick to meet his amber ones, and Obi could suddenly feel his cheeks tint pink.

"Well?" Obi hums quietly, sitting up to express his attentiveness.

Shirayuki nods, "this wine contains poison." She sits up and pushes herself back towards the table. She lifts up a small plate, which reveal little shiny bits of silver unknowns. "I don't know what these things are but these clearly don't belong in wine." Obi picks it up and studies it while Shirayuki lifts up another instrument she used. "I used this to sift the wine so I can divide them and I got all these little things."

Obi looks at the desk, ornate with vials of wine, plates, and all sorts of instruments that a practicing scientist would own. He never imagined the day that Shirayuki would further her impression on him, but here she was, expressing her expanding talents. He constantly told people, but Shirayuki truly wasn't a woman to mess with. She was terrifying, with an immense amount of intelligence and bravery that some may pin her as reckless.

"It's official," Obi hums, putting the plate down to meet his lovers eyes once again, "you're a genius." Shirayuki giggles but Obi was completely serious. "I'm pretty sure you're one of the few women who can manage to acquire a talent within just a few days time."

"It's not much of a talent," Shirayuki tried to downplay, "I'm an herbalist, so I'm somewhat familiar with all these instruments and how to use them. The study of plants is a science, Obi."

"Yes, but you don't specialize in poison like half-pint over there," Obi chuckles as the two look over at the younger boys desk. Ryu already resigned to bed, his conclusion that his bottle of wine too, was full of poison. He insisted to explain it the next day as his research exhausted him. "This is in his field of expertise."

"Yeah well." Shirayuki shrugs. "Little Ryu is not even 15 yet and he's a genius so I'm not as impressive."

"Except you are and you're just being modest," Obi argues. Shirayuki rolls her eyes as she begins to move the little bits of poison into a safe container to bring for the Prince the following day. "Have you got any idea what that stuff is?"

"Not really," Shirayuki responds sheepishly as she shuts the cap of the transparent container. She lifts it up in the air and take a good look, "it doesn't seem like Ryu does either, so I was thinking of going to the library to see if I find anything."

"Mm." Obi helps clean up her desk as well as hide the bottle of wine within the many scrolls and mason jars on the shelves. Ryu hid all his research as well, just in case the Princess would try and enter the office without permission upon suspicion of her missing wine. After everything had been tidied up, Obi stretched his body and smiled down at his Mistress, "shall we go to sleep too?"

Shirayuki nods, the two shutting the windows closed while blowing away the flame of the candles. They both give Ryu's forehead a kiss before exiting the office and closing the door behind them. A few chuckles are emitted when, being a few feet from the office now, heard a click! sound of the office's door being locked. Ryu always tended to lock the door when he knows that he's now alone.

The couple holds hands the entire way back to Shirayuki's room, exhaustion taking over their ability to talk. But the silence was comforting, seeing as a lot of progress has been made. Obi knew that Shirayuki had been thinking of how she would be wording her report to the Prince and what sections of the library she'd be checking out in order to further her knowledge in her research. A goofy smile played at Obi's lips, clearly content with the fact that the woman he's with is so smart and hardworking.

"You seem happy," Shirayuki tugs his hand. "What's got you in a good mood?"

Obi simply shrugs, "you just keep saving me, Miss." Shirayuki looks up at her strange boyfriend and raises an eyebrow. "In a few days, without your curiosity, we would all be dead and unaware of the cause. But here you are, saving my life again."

"When did I save your life the first time?" Shirayuki giggles, fiddling with her keys to open the door to her room. Obi watches her open the door with a bit of a struggle.

"When I first met you, honestly," Obi hummed. "You didn't fear me at first glance; like I was just another person living in this world."

The two enter, and Shirayuki closes and locks the door behind them, "that's because you are another person living in this world, Obi." Obi plops himself on the bed and shakes his head in disagreement.

"I was a bad man, Little Miss," Obi says darkly. Shirayuki looks to see how dim his amber eyes have become, clearly recalling those times prior to finding himself in the Clarines region. "A bad man without any hope of being any good." He emits a sigh and looks up at his lover, "but then you came along and all of a sudden, the bad side of me went away."

"I didn't do much, silly," Shirayuki hums. She starts removing her boots from her feet. "People choose to change, and it just so happened that you were able to. You just needed to be surrounded by better people and placed in a better environment."

"You are the better person, and you are the better environment," Obi insists. Shirayuki halts and blushes for a moment before continuing her relieve herself of her uniform. She begins to untie the bow she wears all the time. "You saved me from that dark place, and now you've went ahead and saved me from poison. You're amazing, Miss."

Shirayuki shakes her head but felt very flattered by his words. Obi had always been one to praise and express his adoration for her, but lately it's been coming by the buckets. He's always smiling when he just looks at her. Sweet words come from his mouth as easy as breathing. Even the way he touches her and holds her envelopes her in sugar. She was sure that if he could, he'd propose to her already.

"I'm just glad I was able to figure this out as soon as I did," Shirayuki hums as she enters the bathroom. She strips out of her work clothes and washes her hands. She leaves the door open as she knows Obi wasn't going to enter when she was in. "That woman is made up of evil. To think she's willing to poison the entirety of Clarines."

"I wonder why she would want to," Obi utters curiously. "I mean, Zen is already forced to marry her so she already has the Prince. Then, considering she'd be marrying into one of the best kingdoms in all of the land, her entire life would be completely spoiled."

"It may be that she could not be satisfied with just being the Princess of Clarines," Shirayuki suggested. She dries her hands and pulls down her nightgown. "So she was going to try to poison all the Wistaria's since Queen Wistaria will be coming as well."

Obi sighs, "that girl isn't sane. She should have thought twice before considering to do such a thing to this kingdom." Shirayuki agreed as she left the bathroom and returned to join Obi. But her cheeks go crimson when she comes back to see a shirtless Obi. She looks down at her toes, nodding in agreement. "Miss? Are you alright?"

Shirayuki remains mute, causing Obi to rise from the bed and get closer to her. That definitely doesn't help! She squeaked to herself, seeing Obi's body just centimeters from hers. His hands land on her shoulders and slowly slight down her arm, holding her gently by her elbows. He calls to her once again, but Shirayuki was too distracted by the butterflies in her tummy.

And so, Obi takes initiative and with one swift swoop, he scoops her up in his arms and carries her towards the bed. "Obi!" She squealed in surprise, but Obi was determined. He plopped her down onto the bed and bent down to her level (considering how short she was.) Looking into her emerald orbs, he blinks a few times before asking again what was wrong? She resigns her face into her hands and giggles.

"I'm still a bit shy," Shirayuki admits quietly. "You may be my lover, but I don't think I can ever get used to seeing you exposed like this."

Obi widens his eyes at her words and finds himself blushing as well. It definitely wasn't any easier for him. It was weird being shirtless in front of his Mistress, but he was working towards becoming completely comfortable with her. "I-I can put my shirt back on if you aren't comfortable yet."

"N-no, it's okay!" Shirayuki insisted. She looks back up again, meeting his beautiful amber eyes. Her own glance down at his torso before going back up again. "I should be praising you for getting so comfortable with me. I should be making an effort, too."

Obi nods but places his hands on her knees, rubbing them gently, "don't feel scared to be honest with me, okay? I want Mistress to be as comfortable as possible with me, so let me know if there's anything I can do in order to do that for you."

Shirayuki cups his face in her hands and smiles, "just continue being yourself. I'm already comfortable with you- I just have a few moments is all."

Her lover nods slowly, the two chuckling away the subject. Obi's eyes suddenly go serious and he looks up into her eyes attentively. "Shirayuki, I've had something on my mind recently." He used her name. "And I think we should talk about it."

"Mm?" She ponders curiously.

Obi's eyes looked a bit distraught, but clearly in wistful thought. "I was considering the future… as in, our future." Shirayuki didn't know where he was going with this. "After whatever is to happen during the wedding, I was wondering if you still wanted to remain here in the castle."

Shirayuki never thought too much about that. Initially, after Zen announced his engagement, Shirayuki wanted nothing to do with Wistal Castle and the land of Clarines. She wanted to be away from the Prince and everything that reminded her of him. But, at the same time, she really only stayed in the castle to remain close to Zen while at the same time practicing her role in becoming a court herbalist. Considering the way the cards have fallen, she doesn't have to stay within the castle walls to do her job.

"I mean," she begins quietly, "I do still want to continue my practice so I am not sure if leaving the castle is a good idea…" Shirayuki twiddles her thumbs, keeping her eyes on her lover. "And you still have a duty to fulfill here as well. Wouldn't leaving be a little inconvenient?"

"Shirayuki." His tone has become more serious. "My assigned duty is to be your personal knight. My job and entire life's purpose is to protect you," Obi smiles gently. "But I want us to start building a life for ourselves- just the two of us."

"But we've been faring well, haven't we?" Shirayuki asked gently. Obi sighs before taking a seat right beside her on the bed. She looks up at him curiously. "We've been sleeping with one another for a while."

"And I'm beyond grateful for such a blessing," Obi insists. He takes her small hands into his, and gives them a gentle squeeze. "But I want us to have a space for ourselves… a home that we can grow in and make cozy for our family."

"F-family?" Shirayuki's face was burning. "We- we're still quite young, I think, to be considering that. A-and we can't just leave Ryu alone."

"He can stay with us whenever he'd like," Obi insisted. "We can all wake up early, cook breakfast together and walk over to the castle. It would be good for Ryu to go outside more often, and he'd have a reason to do so." Obi then smiled at the other part of her concerns. "And yes, Shirayuki; a family. Maybe not now, but someday, I'd like to start one with you."

Shirayuki couldn't believe the words coming from Obi's mouth. Obi was never so daring like this, to say her name and suggest something so grown-up and serious. She didn't know whether to be excited or scared. Sharing a house with Obi? That would mean that they would truly be alone. It would give them way more than enough time and space to start a family. But they were still young, and Shirayuki was still a bit scared.

"...Give me until after the wedding," Shirayuki hums quietly. Her emerald eyes gushed with hope as Obi listened attentively. "I'm more than elated to get a house with you someday, I just want us to think this through completely."

"I thought it through completely," Obi insists. His amber eyes held a passion that Shirayuki wasn't sure she could handle. "I want to get a house with you and spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be selfish and keep you all to myself. I want to taste your cooking and indulge in you without any disruption."

Shirayuki's heart was skipping one too many beats. "I-indulge in me?"

Obi smirks, clearly entertained by his flustered lover. He lets her go and walks over to blow away the flames that kept the room lit. Shirayuki watches Obi walk up to her and scoop her up in his arms. He turns and takes a seat on the bed, with her thighs now on top of his. He holds her by the bottom of her back, the tips of his fingers rubbing gently along her lower spine. The very dip of her back was intoxicating; Obi couldn't stop moving his hands, feeling it eagerly.

"You are too enticing for words, Mistress," Obi whispers quietly, feeling her arms snake around his neck. "Holding myself back is becoming harder and harder."

"And I've told you already that you don't have to," Shirayuki murmurs, her nose gently touching his. Obi could feel her red locks tickle his cheeks, her hot breath surrounding his lips. "I don't want you to keep holding back."

Obi's lips were so close to his lovers that he could explode. But his eyes narrow on hers, mischief coated all over them. He abandons her face and digs into the crook of her neck, gently tugging at her soft flesh. He dragged his tongue wherever he desired, bestowing her kisses every so often. His teeth grazed her skin, goosebumps appearing all over her body. Shirayuki's voice was breaking, entering a higher pitch that she could not naturally make on her own.

"O-Obi…" The way she said his name was addicting. Her nails began digging into his shoulder blades, desperate for him to do more than just suck on her neck. But Obi still enjoyed teasing her, leaving sweet kisses along her jawline. As a string of desperate moans escape his lover, Obi restracts from her neck and pulls back from her slightly. Shirayuki tilted her head in confusion.

Obi chuckles grimly, "when we get a house together, I'll give you what you want." Shirayuki widened her eyes, shocked at her cocky lover as he swiftly laid down and brought her down with him. Her head was now resting on his shoulder, as he stared up at the ceiling. A smirk was not intending to leave his lips anytime soon.

Shirayuki could not believe the audacity of this man. He pleasured her, which also resulted in pleasing himself. He's put her in such a frustrating position that she knew that only he could fix. And here he was, humored by his own cruel actions. Her cheeks were still hot, and she felt an overwhelming feeling of defeat. But she wasn't planning to let him gloat forever.

She adjusts herself so that one leg is bent and raised. Her thigh rested down on his crotch, receiving a throaty moan from the man. Shirayuki giggles, nuzzling her head into Obi's shoulder while he tries to shift to help the situation. But Shirayuki wasn't letting up and shut her eyes, uttering a sweet 'goodnight' while still moving slightly. Obi gulped.

"J-just you wait," Obi stuttered, shutting his eyes as well. He held her close and tightly, unamused by her advances. "I'm going to ruin you, Mistress."