Nijimura was woken up by Haizaki's tossing and turning. He begrudgingly opened his eyes to find that it was still dark out. He turned to his fiance to see what all the ruckus was about.
"Hey," he tapped Haizaki on the arm, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I can't. My mom told me she was going to have us do this ceremony that was taken out a long time ago. It's only meant for couples that are really in love. And we're not in love, so we shouldn't be doing it."
"Is it like another Battle of Pride?"
He sighed, "No. The Battle of Pride is nothing compared to Judgement."
Judgement? That sounded scary.
"And what exactly is Judgement? Why do you make it sound like it's so frightening?"
"Basically," Haizaki turned on his side to face him, "It's a series of tests, dangerous tests, that the couple go through to prove how strong their love is."
Nijimura propped up his head on his hand, "Doesn't sound that bad."
"You don't get it. These tests could kill you and me. These tests, whatever they might be, will make us choose whether or not we're really ready to die for each other. Because according to the old Fuku's, if you really love your partner, you should be willing to die for them."
The crown prince's eyes widened slightly, "So you're saying we might die before even finishing this wedding?"
"Well, I doubt my mom would make the tests to that extent. We might be slightly wounded, but that should be about it."
"If that's the case, then you shouldn't worry so much. We're not going to die. Go back to sleep."
Haizaki huffed then turned back around and went to sleep.
Judgement. It was a ceremony created in the name of Fukuda Sogo's third prince: Fukuda Jusei.
Prince Jusei was a quiet man, shy of words. He barely spoke. When he laughed, if at all, no sound came out. He wasn't mute, he just had no energy to spare to speak to others when it wasn't necessary.
Prince Jusei was the tallest, fittest, buffest, and strongest man in the history of Fukuda Sogo. When he was born, Prince Jusei was the smallest baby the Queen had ever given birth to. Afraid that harm was going to come his way, the King and the Queen had him taken care of by several maids and guards. Jusei was not allowed to play outside, afraid for his safety.
One day, he saw his father training the soldiers. Secretly, he began practicing with them, by looking on from his bedroom window. He did whatever exercises the soldiers did, honing physical build and strength.
Looking on from his bedroom window, he spotted another child down below, who was also trying to follow along. That child was a son of a high noble. Jusei found him out to be a boy by the name of Fukuhori Ryuta, who would grow up to be his best friend and the second biggest man in Fukuda Sogo history.
Years passed, and after begging his father and his mother to join the army, Jusei was finally able to step outside. When he finally had the chance to join the army, he started out low in rank. At that time, Ryuta was a Private. They weren't able to see each other much. A few years after, Jusei quickly rose through the ranks to become a General alongside his best friend. Together, they fought countless battles, bringing glory and fame to the Fukuda Sogo kingdom.
Prince Jusei awaited the arrival of his best friend at the port. A large vessel arrived, throwing their anchors into the ocean shore and throwing a ramp onto the port.
Jusei waited quietly as he nodded to all of the navy soldiers that passed him by. When all of the soldiers finished filing off of the ship, it started rocking from side to side. Turned out, the person causing that was Ryuta, running from the cabin to the edge of the ramp. When he spotted Jusei, he grinned and waved at him. He didn't even bother using the ramp. Ryuta just jumped onto the port and ran to hug his best friend.
"Jusei! I missed you so much!" Ryuta gave his best buddy a smooch on the lips, a friendly gesture shown only between those two.
Jusei smiled and nodded, hugging him back.
"It's been months since I've been back home!" he took in a deep breath and nudged Jusei, "Say, you meet any pretty girls while I was away?"
He shook his head.
"Aw man! What a bummer! I was hoping you'd be able to introduce some chicks to me for winning the battle at Azker Bay…" he pouted.
Jusei smiled and shook his head at his friend's antics.
"Oh, fine, fine~ I won't ask anymore. Let's go. I'll go give my greetings to the King and Queen."
The sun was high in the sky today. As Ryuta brought him along towards the kingdom, Jusei took the time to admire how handsome his friend was during his golden hour.
Ryuta was like any other Fuku man: cocoa skin, big honey eyes, and a charming smile. Unlike the others however, Ryuta decided to cut his hair extremely short. It was a sporty buzzcut. Unusual, but it suited him.
This was just Jusei's personal thoughts, but he thought Ryuta was the most handsome man in the entire world. He didn't know if he was allowed to have these thoughts, so he just kept them to himself.
Whenever Jusei and Ryuta passed through the city, hoards of girl would come and give them gifts, more than they could even carry. Jusei was never good at talking, so Ryuta always handled them.
"Hello, ladies! The hero of the seas is back to shower you all with love!"
"Kyaaaaa!"
"I appreciate the love, ladies! But please send all of your gifts to the palace as Jusei and I can't carry them all. We promise we will open them when we get there! Thank you! We love you all!"
That seemed to do the trick as the women made way for them. Ryuta quickly ushered Jusei to hurry towards the palace before another wave of girls come again.
"Whoo! That was close, man." Ryuta's eyes lit up, "Say, we should go to the tavern after! What do you say? It's about time we can pick up some cute chicks."
Jusei smiled and nodded.
While Ryuta went in to the audience hall to give his greetings, Jusei waited for him outside and bumped into Matsuri and her son Kei.
"Ah! Jusei, good morning."
"Good mworning, Uncle Jusei!"
Jusei smiled and crouched down to pat Kei on the head. "Morning."
Actually, there was another reason why Jusei barely spoke.
When Kei was first born, Jusei was able to carry him in his arms. Baby Kei liked him so much that he giggled every time Jusei carried him. He decided to play a little 'let me just hide my face and reveal it again' with Kei.
He said, "Boo."
Jusei's voice was so deep and dark that Kei cried for the first time.
Now that Kei is a bit older, he's used to his second uncle's deep voice and isn't scared of him anymore.
"You just came back from getting Ryuta at the port?"
He nodded.
She leaned in closer and smirked, "I see how you look at him, you know."
Jusei blushed and shook his head.
"Oh? Hmm...It seems my eyes must be bad~"
Kaito came from around the corner and lifted Kei into his arms and gave Matsuri a kiss on the cheek. "What are you two chatting about?"
"Oh nothing~"
"We'll see you around, Jusei."
He nodded.
Matsuri let Kaito and Kei go ahead first. She whispered something in Jusei's ear before she left to join them.
Jusei blushed again and pushed her towards her husband and son.
She grinned and pointed at him, "Don't forget what I told you!"
He puffed out his cheeks.
The sun had set when the royal family finished their dinner. Arashi led Kei to go play while the parents went with the King and the Queen to discuss royal matters. Moriyama retreated back to his study and Takeshi disappeared to attend to his many fangirls out in town.
That left Jusei to look for Ryuta so they can go to the tavern together.
He left the royal dining room and ventured through the vast hallways of the palace to see if his friend was waiting for him nearby.
He spotted Ryuta standing a few pillars away, so he was about to walk towards him, until he saw that Ryuta wasn't alone. Jusei walked a bit closer to see who he was talking with.
It turns out, the lady Ryuta was talking to was Nobu Risaka. He recognized her as one of the high noble's daughters. Jusei has never met her personally, but he has heard that she was a filial daughter, and that her beauty ascends the deities.
She was beautiful. And Ryuta seemed to enjoy talking to her. Jusei decided not to bother the two and walked away.
"Jusei!"
He sighed and turned around.
"Hey, man. Ready to go to the tavern?"
He looked over to Risaka.
"Oh, her? Well, my dad kinda wants us to get married, so she just came to talk to me and get to know me. What do you think? She's not bad, right?"
Jusei shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, I know I should've told you this earlier, but we're getting married next month."
His heart dropped and his breath got stuck in his throat.
"So I mind as well have some fun while I'm still single. Am I right or am I right?"
Jusei frowned and headed for the tavern first.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
Night life in Fukuda Sogo was busier than the day. Adults were out and about, socializing, and buying food and clothes. Children laughed and played out in the streets. Food markets were bustling with customers. The city truly never slept.
The tavern was just ahead. Ryuta wondered why Jusei was in such a bad mood.
"Prince Jusei! Welcome to the city tavern! You are always welcome here~" the bottle girl lead him to a table far away from the crowded dance floor and brought a bottle of expensive wine and a few glass cups.
Ryuta searched the tavern for his big friend. "There you are! You walked so fast!"
Jusei poured himself a glass and ignored him.
The short haired general sat next to his best friend and put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, are you okay?"
He downed the first glass and poured himself another.
"Is that what we're doing now? The silent game? Fine! I can do that too!" Ryuta crossed his arms and huffed.
A few girls saw the awkward atmosphere and decided to help clear the air. They headed over to their table with a few more bottles of liquor and poured shots for them.
"Hey~ don't be so sulky! Everyone should have a good time at the tavern!"
Ryuta lightened up right away and began drinking and telling jokes to the girls, but Jusei was still quiet. The girl next to him just kept on filling his glass whenever it was empty. She didn't want to disturb him, as he looked quite menacing at the moment.
Twenty minutes later, Jusei was drunk and clingy and Ryuta was finally relieved that Jusei wasn't quiet anymore.
"I...want to go home."
"Thank you ladies for the company tonight, it was well needed." He fished his pockets for some gold and put it on the table. "Keep the change."
He helped Jusei stand and the girls made way for them. "Please come again~!"
Once they made their way out, Jusei clung onto Ryuta's neck like a monkey. "I love you sooooo much! Do you love me?"
Jusei was way more talkative drunk than he was sober.
"Answer me!"
"Yes, yes, I love you so much too!"
"Hehe…" Jusei giggled and kissed him on the cheek, "You better mean it!"
"Woah!"
The prince stumbled and tripped over a pebble, but stood back up. "Will you...sleep with me? Tonight?"
"Sure, wouldn't want you vomiting all over yourself."
"Yipee! Ryuta is going to sleep with me!"
Jusei's long hair was all over the place, so Ryuta stopped to fix it and tucked some of his hair behind his ear.
"I can see now~"
"I swear when you're drunk, you are a totally different person. Do I even know you bro?"
Jusei waved his finger in front of Ryuta's face and smiled, "There's a lot you don't know about me~"
"Oh really now? That's interesting."
After a long walk from the tavern to the palace entrance, Ryuta finally made it. He stopped for a breather and let the palace guards take Jusei to his bedroom.
"Goodnight, Jusei."
"No!" The guards struggled to hold up the drunk general as he reached out for Ryuta's collar. "You said you'd sleep with me tonight!"
"I thought you were kidding!"
"Do I- look like the type...to joke around?"
"No, but you're drunk."
"I don't care!" He pushed the guards away and plopped himself onto the ground. "I'm not leaving this spot until you sleep with me!"
"Oh my- UGH! You're so childish!"
"General, do you want us-"
Ryuta waved them off, "It's fine. He's not gonna budge unless I go with him. Just let the maid of the house know I'm sleeping over."
"Yes, sir."
"Come on buddy," he pulled Jusei up from the ground, "Time to go to sleep."
The prince mumbled drunk nothings as Ryuta dragged him to his bedroom. Once they finally reached his room, Ryuta tossed him onto the bed and closed the door. He let out a sigh and took off his and Jusei's shoes. Pushing Jusei to one side of the bed, Ryuta laid down on the other side and closed his eyes.
Moments later, Jusei's arm was tossed over Ryuta's body and pulled him close. Ryuta could feel Jusei's breath on his neck as he breathed, and his soft cheeks leaning against his shoulder.
It was a soft whisper, but Ryuta could clearly hear what the prince told him.
"I love you...Ryuta."
Morning came and Jusei yawned and stretched. He was scared a tad bit when he felt another body in his bed. "R-Ryuta?"
He scrambled off of the bed, his face beet red.
Ryuta yawned and rubbed his eyes, "You're awake? Sober yet?"
Jusei nodded his head.
"Definitely sober now. Well, good morning. I'm gonna go home and I'll see you later."
"Ok."
There was an awkward silence as Jusei waited for Ryuta to put on his shoes and leave.
When he had finally left, Jusei slapped his own face to wake up.
Jusei arrived at the dining hall to join the rest of the family for breakfast. Matsuri and Kei decided to sit next to him and eat. She wiggled her eyebrows at him, "Did you tell him?"
"Why would I tell him? He's getting married next month."
Matsuri gasped and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Jusei…"
He sighed and shook his head.
"But hey, there are other guys yeah? Maybe you were meant to be with another guy. Don't be too bummed out. Your brothers will notice. And you know when they start pestering you, it's gonna be hella annoying."
"Hella annoying!" Kei laughed out.
"Kei!" Matsuri shushed her son, "You're not supposed to say that!"
Jusei chuckled and ruffled his nephew's hair.
Months passed, and after Ryuta's marriage to Risaka, their friendship was no longer the same.
Jusei put all of his time and effort into training the soldiers and himself. Whenever Ryuta was nearby, he would pretend that he wasn't there.
You could say that Jusei was avoiding him.
"Jusei, we need to talk."
The prince had his arms crossed, wearing his usual poker face. "I'm training personnel right now."
"Well, can we talk after?"
"I'll be busy training myself after."
"Can't you stop training for a day?"
"No."
"Skipping a day won't kill you."
The soldiers were exchanging side glances as they continued their sparring exercises.
Ryuta stood in front of him, "It won't take long. I just want to talk to you."
Jusei walked away from him.
The short-haired general had enough and shouted, "Are you mad because I got married to her and not you?!"
Silence ensued.
The soldiers stopped training at their general's sudden outburst. Worried, they backed away and observed the two generals.
Jusei's face became dark as he turned around.
Ryuta hit the dirt as Jusei landed a hard blow on his jaw.
None of the soldiers dared to move.
Jusei said something inaudible, but Ryuta already knew what he meant when he saw tears forming from the prince's eyes. "You're a jerk."
There was definitely no way Ryuta could ever fix their relationship now.
A year passed and the tension between the two was noticeable whenever they were around each other.
The Fukuda kingdom had to go to war with invaders from the South. Both of them were deployed there, including Matsuri as another general, and Moriyama as the Head Commander.
The troops from the South were ruthless people, killing anyone that got in their way of conquering the Northeastern continent.
Moriyama pushed up his spectacles and pointed to the map on the table, "Our scouts have informed me that the enemy has troops camping just outside the Tanzi River. They could attack us anytime they want to. Our best option is to strike them before they can make any moves."
Matsuri hummed and pondered, "That could also be what they want us to do, so that when all of our forces are attacking their camps, they could have hidden forces waiting to ambush our camps."
"That could also be possible," Moriyama complimented her, "As expected of my sister-in-law."
She grinned, "So our best bet is sending enough forces to wipe out their camps, but keeping more forces to guard our own camps. I can lead the soldiers that are better at fighting in waters with me to attack their base. Ryuta and Jusei can stay here with their soldiers. I just have a feeling that there won't be many enemy soldiers at the base."
"I agree. They could leave a few troops behind as a distraction so they can focus all of their offenses on our base." Moriyama stood up, "Then, it's settled. Matsuri will lead her troops to attack the enemy base. Jusei, Ryuta, and everyone else will stay here and guard. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
The sun was setting when Matsuri and her team disappeared into the shadows. Ryuta and Jusei were in their own tents, suiting up in full armor. Moriyama and his archers prepared themselves, perching up on the highest branches of the trees. Everyone was preparing for the oncoming battle.
The blaring sound of a horn signaled that Matsuri was finished with her task and was heading back.
Then, an explosion shook the earth.
They arrived.
The Fuku soldiers rushed out of their tents and attacked the Southern enemies, shouting their battle cries.
Moriyama and his crew were up in the treetops shooting their arrows at the enemy commanders. Ryuta had already slain hundreds of Southern soldiers, Jusei around the same amount.
Matsuri and her troops had returned, giving the Fuku's the higher advantage.
Seeing their troops being diminished, the Southern troops put all their last efforts into killing one person.
Ryuta was surrounded by twenty to thirty Southern soldiers, pointing their spears at him. "Shit."
Jusei had finished off the last soldier on his side when he saw the other general in danger. "No…"
The prince, with all the strength he had left, pushed his legs to run as fast as they could. He could hear the Southern soldiers shout before piercing their spears forward.
Ryuta closed his eyes and accepted his fate.
Then, he felt his armor being grabbed from behind. A mighty force threw him across the field, making him land with a thud. He heard Matsuri and Moriyama screaming Jusei's name. Looking up to witness the scene before him, he saw Matsuri violently slashing through the remaining Southern soldiers. When they all collapsed to the ground, they revealed a horrifying sight.
In the middle of the circle of dead soldiers was Prince Jusei, on his knees, arms hanging lifelessly by his side, spears stabbed into his body from all sides, blood dripping from his lips.
"No…" he shook his head in disbelief, "no…" slowly, he stood up, "No!"
Ryuta ran over to the fallen prince, tears falling uncontrollably as he held Jusei in his arms. Moriyama and Matsuri fell to their knees next to him.
The general's voice shook as he spoke, "Listen, to me Jusei. You are not going to die on me. Do you hear me?!"
His eye color was gradually dulling as he weakly raised his arm to touch Ryuta's face. Ryuta grabbed his hand and squeezed it, putting it against his face. "I'm sorry for everything I've done, Jusei. Please...don't leave me."
Ryuta's tears dripped down onto Jusei's face, mixing in with his own. "I…"
"Please don't leave me, Jusei. Please…"
"...love you…"
Jusei's eyes closed shut and his body went limp.
Matsuri broke out into sobs.
Moriyama cried silently.
Ryuta hugged his best friend one last time, and screamed to the sky.
Sunlight poured in through Haizaki's bedroom window, waking Nijimura up. He looked across the bed and found an empty spot.
"You finally up?"
Haizaki had already washed up and was currently putting on some clothes.
"When are we supposed to be at the ceremony?"
"In a few hours. Just wear whatever you want."
"Really? We don't have to dress in armor or any wedding clothes?"
Haizaki sighed, "No, we don't. Judgement will be done in the Cloister of Trials, which is underground. It hasn't been touched since who knows when."
"Then, the obstacles are already built in?"
"The god of fear, Bhaya, and the goddess of deceit, Maya, will assess our fears once we step in and create life-like illusions based off of our fears. We're probably not going to get physically hurt, but we most definitely will be mentally scarred."
"Holy shit. I'm kind of freaking out now."
"You ain't the only one shitting yourself. Let's just hope we don't have the same fears."
"If we have the same fears, we're fucked."
"Fuckkkkk…" Haizaki groaned into his hands.
They glared at each other, "You're scared of snakes too?!" they both asked.
Nijimura sighed, "You jinxed us. You said we'd be fucked if we had the same fear. I guess the gods took that into consideration too."
"How the fuck would I- AHHH!" Haizaki backed away to hide behind Nijimura as a snake slithered closer to them.
"Haizaki! Don't use me as a shield!" Nijimura switched the script and used Haizaki as a shield.
"Don't use me as a shield either!"
The two frantically held each other's arms and backed away, "Come on, man! Why?!"
"Didn't you say this is just a dungeon full of illusions?! Why are you freaking out?!"
"You're freaking out too! Don't say it's just me!"
They stayed in place for a few moments, clutching at each other's arms, until one of them decided to man up.
Haizaki let out a shaky breath, "These are just illusions! Let's just walk through!"
"Are you crazy?!"
Disregarding Nijimura's protests, Haizaki dragged his fiance through the hallway of slithering snakes.
One of the long reptiles wrapped itself around Haizaki's calf and he screamed, "NIJIMURA GET IT OFF ME!"
"I'M NOT TOUCHING IT!"
"YOU BASTARD! DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET IT OFF ME!"
"YOU SAID THEY'RE JUST ILLUSIONS RIGHT?! KEEP WALKING!"
The two continued to scream as they walked through the pit of snakes, although they were indeed illusions, they felt very real.
Outside of the Cloister of Trials, Maya shook her head as Bhaya laughed. "These two are so funny! Let's see what else we can do!"
Half an hour later, the engaged couple walked out of the Cloister of Trials, exhaustion evident on their faces. Bhaya giggled and floated towards them, circling around the two of them with a smile on his face, "How did it feel to see all of your fears come to life? Was it exciting?"
Haizaki stuck up his middle finger and said, "Fuck you."
Only he, in the entire universe, would dare to rile up the gods.
Nijimura gawked at him with disbelief, his mother shook her head and walked away, his brother stared at him with deadpanned eyes, and the rest of the onlookers prayed that the god didn't take it to heart.
Seeing where this was going, Maya sighed and was quick to hold Bhaya back as he began his rant, "FUCK ME?! HOW DARE YOU, AN INSOLENT WRETCH AND MERE MORTAL, SAY SUCH CURSED WORDS TO ME?! I AM THE SON OF KALI! YOU DISRESPECTING ME IS INDIRECTLY DISRESPECTING HER! I AM GOING TO-"
Haizaki smirked, "So what? You're a mama's boy? Oh~ I'm so scared~"
Bhaya's face scrunched up in anger and Maya kept a firm lock on him as he thrashed around, ready to fight him, "WHY YOU LITTLE! GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU, BOY! WHEN MAYA LETS GO OF ME I'LL…!"
Haizaki walked away, dragging Nijimura along, Bhaya's angry ramblings slowly getting distant as they made their way to the dining hall for lunch.
"Geez, after scaring us shitless, he got some nerve to giggle in our faces like that. Give me a break," he sat down on an empty picnic blanket with his food and dug in. Nijimura sat next to him with his own plate and scolded him, "You've got some nerve telling a god, a literally god, to fuck off. If he ends up wanting revenge on us, it's going to be all your fault."
Haizaki rolled his eyes, "Oh please, if he wants revenge over that little thing, then he's a pussy to the core. He's probably back home or whatever crying to his mom."
Nijimura sighed. With this behavior towards even the gods, he can only imagine how Haizaki will act towards anyone back in Teiko.
The Jasmines, as Nijimura came to learn and get used to, rowdily entered the dining hall and fixed themselves a plate, sitting around Haizaki to talk about what went down in the Cloister of Trails. While their conversation was happening, Nijimura felt a small tug on his sleeve, "Nijimura-cchi…"
Kise brought him to the hallway to talk. "Is there something wrong, Kise?"
The blond's eyes averted to the ground, he could see the reddening of his eyes, meaning he most likely cried. Nijimura put a soothing hand on the younger's back, lowering his voice to a softer tone, "What happened?"
"You know how Yukio and I are together?"
"Yeah, what about it?" he furrowed his brows together, "Did he do something to make you sad? Because if he did, I'll-"
"No! Not at all...it's not his fault that I'm a crying mess right now. In fact, he's probably feeling the same…"
"Then?"
Kise sniffled and pulled out a letter from the hem of his pants, "This morning, a letter arrived from my father."
Nijimura unraveled the letter and read it's contents, "The country of York has agreed to sign the peace treaty with the Kaijo family. To strengthen our bonds with each other and pledge our loyalties, we have decided that you, Kise Ryouta, are to be wed with the country of York's youngest prince, Kagami Taiga. Once the wedding of Crown Prince Nijimura has ended, this agreement will be in full effect. Be prepared when you come back home."
Kise began to cry again and tried to wipe away his tears, "I really love Yukio, but now that my father has signed the treaty, there's no way I can back out. What should I do, Nijimura-cchi? I'm so lost…"
The crown prince held his hand and reassured him, "There must be a way for you and Kasamatsu to find happiness together. If there's a will, there's a way. This contract is just an obstacle that you two must pass together."
"You think so?" he looked at him hopefully.
"Just think about it, think about the person on the other side. He was probably forced into this marriage as well and has someone in his country that he loves."
Kise's eyes brightened, "That's it! Nijimura-cchi, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that? We could make a secret agreement of some sort so that I could go see Yukio whenever I want, and he could see his lover whenever he wants! Yes! This has to be it! Thank you, thank you!" He jumped around in joy and hugged Nijimura tight. "I can't wait to tell him the good news!"
The crown prince smiled, happy that he was able to help.
"What is it with your kingdom and having other countries submit through forced marriage?"
Nijimura jumped and turned around. Haizaki was standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. "So if I have a lover, will you also let me meet with them secretly?"
"Haizaki, since when did you-"
"You mentioned that you had to break up with your girlfriend because of this. Will you also meet with her secretly after this marriage is over? Or will you have her become a surrogate mother for your heirs since men can't get pregnant?"
"Actually, in our country-"
"Just let me know, so I can find a way for the both of us to be happy in this shitty marriage."
Nijimura grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "Haizaki, listen to me! I can't do that. We can't do that. Our marriage is being witnessed by the gods right now. Hell, we've done so many ceremonies that at this point I feel like we'd die if either of us break our vows. The kingdom of Teiko does not accept children of surrogate mothers unless one person in the marriage has the inability to bear children. We have the technology to make men pregnant, which is why men married to other men is so common in the royal and aristocratic families. In Teiko, once you get married, that's it, you can't see anyone else, it's a crime to do so."
"Then, why did Kise come up with that idea, knowing that he could possibly be jailed for it?"
He sighed and let go of Haizaki, "Because he has less eyes on him. I am the crown prince, the next in line to take Teiko's throne. Everyone will be watching not only me, but you as well. Our punishment will be far worse if we are caught committing adultery."
Haizaki looked out the window and rested his head on his hand, "Well that's fucking dumb. How many of you are children of couples that never loved each other? How many children in Teiko were born just because their grandparents wanted their children to marry someone they chose for them?"
Nijimura couldn't answer him.
"I swear everything about your kingdom is so wrong. The people have no freedom. Not even you."
And he was right. Nijimura hated to admit it, but Haizaki hit the nail right on the head. His parents were also forced into marriage. They both have affection for their children, but when it comes to each other, they act like strangers. They don't even sleep in the same room. His family is not what he envisioned it to be. "What about your parents?"
"They loved each other, of course. My old man was from a middle class family. He worked as a swordsmith in town and my mom would always sneak away to visit him. According to my mom, he was the hottest guy back then," he scoffed, "I'm pretty sure she was exaggerating that though. He thought she was just some rich girl trying to waste her time. But they ended up falling in love with each other and when he was finally ready to meet her parents, he came to find out that she was actually the crown princess and her parents were the king and queen of Fukuda Sogo. They got married and had me and my bro. He passed away and now my mom's the man of the house. That's it."
"Your family sure is lucky, being able to marry the ones they loved."
He stood up and shrugged, "Me? Not so much."
Nijimura laughed, "I could say the same."
"I'll I gotta say is, you better make my time in your kingdom less of a hell."
He smiled, "I can't guarantee anything, but since your family has made me feel so welcomed here, I'll try to do the same for you. To be honest, I don't want to leave this island. I feel so free here and I'm sure the others feel the same."
Haizaki smirked, "Of course. Our island has that charm, which is why people can never keep their hands to themselves." He walked down the hall and Nijimura followed him until they reached a luscious tropical garden in the courtyard.
"Wow…" Nijimura looked around in awe, "This is breathtakingly beautiful."
The sun was still high in the sky, shining light onto all of the flowers and greenery. This is only something he ever imagine of what heaven looked like. An absolute tropical paradise.
"Thanks, my uncle had this built and planted everything himself when he was a kid." Nijimura noticed the fond expression Haizaki had whenever he touched a plant.
"And...your uncle? Have we met?"
"Not possible. He died a long time ago."
"Oh…" Nijimura put a comforting hand on Haizaki's shoulder, "My condolences. He must've meant a lot to you."
Haizaki shrugged off his hand, "S'fine, not that bothered by it much anymore."
"Sorry."
"For what?"
He rubbed at the back of his neck, "You won't be able to see anything this beautiful where I live. And I'm not sure if we'll be able to come back to visit after marriage. This might be your last chance to take in the sights."
Haizaki sighed, "I knew that already when I agreed to marry you."
A royal guard interrupted, "Pardon the intrusion, Prince Shougo."
"What is it?"
"Her Majesty requests your presence, along with Prince Nijimura Shuuzou."
He huffed, "Where is she now?"
"In the audience chamber, your Highness."
"Alright, dismissed."
The guard bowed and left the two. "Wonder what she wants now." He shook his head and motioned for Nijimura to follow, "Come on."
When the two arrived, the Jasmines, the Miracles, Shougo's brother and wife, and the two queens were already there. "Shougo, Prince Shuuzou, you've arrived."
The two parted ways to stand next to their respective group of generals.
"This wedding is coming to a close," Queen Haizaki started, "In a few days, you will all be departing to the Kingdom of Teiko for the wedding reception. Unfortunately, I will not be there to witness the event. In our stead, Shindo and the Jasmines will be representing me."
The female generals all got on one knee and bowed, "As you wish, your Majesty."
Shindo bowed, "Yes, Mother."
"Rise." The Jasmines sent Shougo excited smiles and he just rolled his eyes. "I do hope, Queen Nijimura, you will show them and my sons the same hospitality that we at Fukuda Sogo have shown you and your entourage."
"Of course, Queen Haizaki," she replied, "Now that we are adjoined as one, I shall treat them all as my own children. I do hope to exchange letters with you from now on, as in-laws and as friends."
Queen Haizaki smiled, "It would be my pleasure." She turned to her youngest son, "Shougo, why don't you and the Jasmines take Prince Shuuzou and the Miracles to the town? Show them around before you depart."
He sighed, "Yes, Mother."
With that, the audience with the queens ended and the bridal party followed the natives into town. It was getting darker now, the town had begun to start its nightly operations.
"Woah!" Kise exclaimed, "A night-time bazaar!" The blond's eyes sparkled at everything he saw and went with Hoshi to look at clothes. Murasakibara's mouth watered at the dessert stalls Yasagi showed him while Aomine whistled and winked at the many busty women that passed him by. Ruri whacked his head and yelled at him for that. Midorima and Kuroko were discussing and asking stall owners about their different products while Inoue brought Akashi over to her favorite weaponry shop.
Naomi and Ayame shouted over to their prince, "We gonna book a table at the tavern! Meet you guys there!"
Shougo gave them a thumbs up and went up to a stall for a dried fish snack. "Here." He shoved one into Nijimura's hands.
The crown prince looked at the snack strangely, "What is this?"
"Dried fish. Just eat it."
Nijimura sniffed at the snack a little and almost gagged at its fishy smell. Shougo rolled his eyes, "Just take a bite, it's not as bad as it smells." He didn't want to believe it, but Shuuzou took a bite anyway. He had to take a moment to process the flavor and the texture of the fish. It was a little tough to chew and it was salty, but in a good way. He hummed in satisfaction, "Not bad."
"It's a good drinking snack. Take it with you to the tavern."
"Hmm," he took another small bite, "Thanks."
Naomi and Ayame came back to bring everyone over to the tavern.
A harem of beautiful ladies came over to greet their special guests, "Welcome, our prince~! Come this way please!"
The ladies giggled as they ushered the party over to a bigger table in the back. "What can we get for our prince and his friends tonight?"
"We'll start off with beers." Then, he smirked. Nijimura didn't know how he felt about that. "Oh, and bring the clear with the lime and salt."
"Of course! We'll be right back~!" A few of the girls left to fetch the drinks while most of them stayed to entertain their guests. Daiki, of course, was having the time of his life. Well, until Ruri came back from the bathroom.
"Ruri-samlangh!" The girls flocked over to her side immediately, "We missed you! Why haven't you come more often like before?" they whined. Ruri saw the look of jealousy on Aomine's face and wrapped her arms around the girls, letting them lean their heads on her big rack, "I've been busy training the soldiers and preparing for the wedding. You know, important stuff."
"Kyaaaaa! Ruri-samlangh! You're so cool!"
Aomine huffed and crossed his arms.
Drafts of beer were placed in front of them. Another girl brought over a plate of sliced limes and a bowl of salt while the other one brought a big glass bottle of what appeared to be chilled clear liquor.
Inoue perked up, "Oh! Please bring snacks as well!" Yasagi added in, "And a bunch of sweets for the big guy over here."
"Of course, bong srey~ Coming right up!"
Murasakibara looked at her with shining eyes, "Thank you, Yasa-chin~"
Midorima pushed up his spectacles, "Yasagi-san, you shouldn't spoil him, he eats enough sweets already, it's bad for his health."
"Whoops," she looked at the two, "It's okay, he probably won't be able to enjoy Fuku sweets after this. Just let him savor it while he can."
He sighed in defeat, "I suppose…"
"Oh yeah," Nijimura started, "I never got to ask how you guys know how to speak Teikonian so well?"
Kuroko chimed in, "Yes, I was also curious about that. Almost everyone here knows Teikonian."
Ayame took a sip of her beer and answered their questions. "Maybe about a hundred years ago? A Teiko ship crashed at sea and washed up at our shores. Our people nursed the crewmen back to health and they found us interesting. So they taught us their language as thanks for helping them. A few years after, they returned with imported materials and items and started trading with us. And since the common folk were the first ones to learn it, the noble families started to catch on since they wanted to by Teikonian wares, and soon enough it was incorporated into our teaching system so that we could continue friendly relations with that particular crew from Teiko."
"However," Naomi continued, "Only recently, did your actual hierarchy take interest in trying to conquer us as a whole. For what reason? We don't know. It's not like we ever did anything to you, it was only us ever helping." Anger was evident in her tone. She downed her beer and slammed the mug onto the table.
Shougo sighed and put a hand on her arm, "Naomi, stop. You're going to get riled up again. Change the subject."
"Uh...haha," Inoue tried to think of a different topic, "Oh! Oh! Tell us how the wedding reception will go!"
Naomi excused herself to go take a breather outside. Ruri hurried after her.
"Sorry," Ayame apologized on her behalf, "She tends to get very angry over this topic. Don't mind her."
"It's okay," Nijimura replied, "I understand her anger. If it were me in her shoes, I would also feel the same."
"Enough of that sappy talk, Inoue wants to know about the reception." Shougo poured everyone shots. "But before you start talking," he passed everyone a slice of lime, "Take your first shot of tequila."
Inoue jumped up excitedly and grabbed her shot, putting a pinch of salt on the back of her hand, "Cheers to the wedding! Chol kaew!"
The Miracles were confused, but raised their cups anyway. Shougo and the Jasmines yelled their cheers and licked the salt off of their hands, downed the shot of tequila, and immediately proceeded to suck on their slice of lime.
Confused but willing to try, the Miracles copied the Fuku natives and took their first shot of tequila. Some of them gagged at the strong taste of alcohol.
"HEY!"
They all turned to see Ruri and Naomi making their way back to the table, "Who said you could take the first shot without us?!"
Shougo stood up and smirked, "I did! You got a problem, Naomi?"
"Hell yeah I do! You wanna fight, punk?"
"Bring it on, bitch!"
Naomi grinned and grabbed him by the collar.
The rest of the Jasmines rolled their eyes and looked away, as if they haven't seen anything. The ladies that were entertaining them got up and returned with more bottles of clear liquor. From then on, it was a drinking competition between the two to see who could drink the most shots.
Nijimura smiled and shook his head. He sure is going to miss this ridiculousness when they head back to Teiko.
helloooo! i am alive and kicking! damn its been awhile since ive update this
well since we're in quarantine or wateva my inspiration has come back to me and now ive come out with this 7k word chapter for you all!
i hope you guys enjoyed this one and please comment!
stay safe!