Hey guys! Here's the Google Docs link for all the outfits and stuff!
document/d/1ovoEH77PZZrPdT2QwIPXFGhpreOsURjPm_B3Qam8xpo/edit?usp=sharing

Chapter Text

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and groaned, his mind foggy and disoriented. He heard a loud thumping sound in his ear and came to realize that he was lying on top of something soft and warm. His hands fumbled around until they found purchase on solid ground and he was able to push himself up. He yawned loudly as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. What happened? Why was I asleep? He looked around and saw that they were at the hot spring, and it all came back to him. They had been bathing, the King had nearly drowned… Viktor! He looked down and gasped as he saw the King on his back, fast asleep. It immediately dawned upon him what the soft and warm something he'd been sleeping on was. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he brought both hands up to cover his mouth in an effort to keep any more sounds from escaping. The Emperor looked down, seeing that the foreign monarch's head was turned to the left, his chest rising and falling softly as he slept.

The Emperor's eyes were drawn to the soft pair of slightly parted pink lips that glistened temptingly in the flickering lantern light. He raised one of his hands and tenderly ran the pad of his thumb along their softness. He vaguely remembered feeling those lips against his own, and his brow furrowed in an effort to recall when that was. His eyes wandered further up, noting that the man's silver hair was still wet and currently plastered to his forehead. He brushed some of the hair back, careful to not disturb the sleeping man. Despite his best efforts, the ruler of Occidentis stirred and began to whimper in his slumber. It was a very distressing sound that cut right through to the Emperor's heart, and he wanted nothing more than to make it stop. He had to wake the King and get him out of whatever nightmare he was currently facing. He placed a gentle hand on one of the King's shoulders and gave it a gentle shake.

"Viktor, it's me Yuuri, please wake up."

Tears leaked out of the corner of the monarch's eyes and the Emperor redoubled his efforts. He opened his mouth again to speak and instead froze in his tracks as he heard a booming female voice inside his head.

"When Goddess Fang and God Claw 'met', the soul fragments within them activated. inexorably linking you two to one another."

The Emperor looked around, startled by the sound.

"Your soul is tied to the Goddess Claw as you are the current leader of the clan and the one who wields it. And as long as you wield the sword, you will be influenced by the fragment of my soul. The two soul fragments will pull at each other and gravitate unyieldingly toward one another until they become bonded once more."

The Emperor's blood turned to ice in his veins as he heard those hauntingly familiar words echoing in his ears. The dream…the Goddess…had it all actually been real? He felt a sudden weight around his neck and looked down to see a shiny crystal gem dangling on a golden chain. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand, trying to figure out why it was so familiar. Suddenly, it hit him…the Goddess Tear! The Emperor quickly dropped the gem, as if burned, once he realized what it was. He brought both hands up to his face as a sudden wave of despair threatened to overwhelm him. Kami help me, it was all real! Caught up in his inner turmoil, the Emperor did not notice it when the King's eyes slowly opened and the man groggily sat up.

When the King opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Emperor kneeling down on the ground next to him. His face was in his hands and a silken curtain of black hair cascaded all around him. The King's hand went up to his head and he was instantly annoyed to feel that his hair was all wet and pushed back from his forehead. He had always been self-conscious about the wide expanse of skin below his hairline and took great pains to make sure that the large area was tastefully covered. He suddenly felt vulnerable that it was exposed and hoped that Yuuri hadn't noticed it. He quickly used his fingers to redistribute the wet hair so that he had better coverage. Satisfied that he was at least somewhat more presentable than before, he reached out and gently placed a hand on Yuuri's arm. The Emperor was quite startled by the action and immediately jumped to his feet, rapidly backing away.

"A-ah…Vik-King Nikiforov. Glad to see that you're awake and well! You got a little overwhelmed by the heat and steam and briefly lost consciousness. But you're looking quite fine now. Are you fine? You're fine, right?"

The Emperor smiled nervously at the silver-haired leader of Occidentis and the King was instantly on guard, eyeing him suspiciously. The leader of Orientalis was suddenly acting quite strange and had even switched back to calling him by his title instead of his first name.

"Yes Yuuri, I'm fine. Are…you alright?"

"Me? Oh yes, I'm fine, very fine. Quite fine actually. The finest I have ever been!"

The King's eyes grew wider as the Emperor rambled on. There was something severely disconcerting about the Emperor's behavior, and it set him on edge. Something had severely rattled him, and the King was going to do his damnedest to find out what it was.

"You're not fine, Yuuri. What happened?"

The Emperor fluttered busily around the hot spring, seemingly ignoring the King's question. He went about gathering clothes and putting their belongings in order.

"We need to get dried and dressed. We've already been here much longer than I had originally planned. If we don't get going, we'll be late to the celebrations."

The King walked over to the Emperor once more and moved to place a hand on the man's arm. The Emperor saw what he was about to do and nimbly side-stepped him. The King huffed in frustration, annoyed that the Emperor was clearly avoiding all his efforts to get his attention and talk to him about what was bothering him. He opened his mouth to call Yuuri out on it but was stopped by the sound of an approaching horse.

"Emperor Katsuki Samaaaaaa! King Nikiforov Samaaaaaa! The celebrations will begin soon and Minami is coming to take you back to the camp!"

The King cursed under his breath in his native tongue and reached for the towel that had been in the bathing bag he'd been given earlier. He quickly dried off and grabbed his clothes, hastily throwing them on before rubbing at his hair until it was all fluffy again. Throughout the process, he had kept an eye out for the Emperor, who had pretty much been doing the same thing, but from a safe distance away. The ruler of Orientalis was being oddly quiet, and it bothered the King greatly. Judging by the rustling sounds coming from the nearby woods, the Emperor's attendant was coming closer and would be upon them soon. The King decided to make one last-ditch attempt to get through to the Emperor.

"Yuuri please, just talk to me. Whatever it is, I'll gladly hear what you have to say. Just please don't shut me out."

The Emperor turned to face the King, the conflict clearly playing out in his mahogany-brown eyes. He opened his mouth, and for a split second it looked as if he were about to say something, but then the one named Minami happened to come into the hot spring area, and the moment was lost. The King cursed under his breath again, irked by the interruption. Minami bowed deeply to the Emperor and then did the same for the King.

"Minami is very sorry to disturb the royal samas, but he has been sent to take you back to the camp now so that you will have enough time for final preparations before the celebrations tonight."

The Emperor nodded and hummed absentmindedly at his young servant, as he gathered the last of his belongings.

"Thank you Minami."

The Emperor turned to the King and was all business when he addressed him. Gone was the smile that had set his heart aflutter and all the warmth that had made him so welcome.

"The water at the hot springs contains many minerals and will require proper washing and rinsing when you return to camp. Please inform your attendants of this so that they may take the proper steps."

The King nodded and gathered his things wordlessly before making his way past both men of Orientalis and walking back to his horse. Once all three men were back on their horses, they made their way back to the camp in silence.

As soon as they were back at the camp, the two monarchs went their separate ways. The Emperor had hastily excused himself and the King had been left to shuffle his feet sullenly back to his tent. Once he was back inside, he immediately informed his attendants about the minerals in the hot spring water. They prepared a proper bath for him and set out a few clothing options for him to choose from. He removed his slightly damp clothing and handed them off to the nearest attendant before crawling into the make-shift tub that had been erected for this purpose. He sat in the water in silence, missing the concerned looks his attendants kept exchanging with one another. The King's mind was a million miles away as he replayed the evening's earlier events in his mind. What the hell happened back there?

As the Emperor sank down into the bathing basin, he sighed...again. He was still feeling severely rattled by the prophetic dream he'd had earlier and also the increasing levels of guilt over how he'd completely shut down on Viktor. He was confused by the foreign ruler's lack of reaction to the circumstances. He clearly recalled the goddess stating that the King was receiving the same information as he had been at that moment, yet the man was acting in a way that did not belie that fact. He wondered if the King's condition prior to the dream was affecting the situation and that perhaps his recollection would come a bit later.

The Emperor groaned and covered his face with his hands as he cursed the fates for putting him in this predicament. He mourned the loss of hope that had blossomed within him when he'd first met the King. No one had sparked such interest in him before. No one had drawn such rare flirtatious behavior from him before. He had hoped that he would have been able to get to know the ruler of Occidentis, and perhaps eventually become something more. He knew the King was interested and had certainly noticed the man's attraction toward him. They'd only known each other for a very short time, but their connection had been immediate. Since the goddess' revelation however, everything had been flipped on its head. After finally feeling as if he'd found his match, he now didn't know if it was because they were actually compatible or if he was just being a puppet of the gods. It was enough to drive him to the brink of despair. He gave his head a shake and forced himself to calm down. Everyone would be counting on him to kick off the celebrations with a speech, and he wouldn't be able to do that effectively unless he got his emotions under control.

The Emperor rose from the lukewarm water and stepped out onto a clean and dry mat. His attendants dried off his body and then moved onto his hair. A short while later, his long tresses were fully dried and oiled. They glimmered and shone like the wings of a raven. He was dressed in a white nagajuban, the robe-like first layer of the kimono, followed by a red montsuki kimono top. Next were the black hakama, which were embroidered with golden phoenixes, and the bottom half of the nagajuban and kimono were both tucked into it. Securing it all to his waist was a golden obi, and an ornate fan was tucked into it as soon as it was tied. A black silk haori-himo was draped over his kimono and a red montsuki haori jacket was the final layer. His hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail and tied with a golden ribbon at the nape of his neck. He lifted his right foot to allow a tabi sock and geta to be slipped on, repeating the gesture with his left foot. He eyed himself critically and nodded, expressing his thanks to the attendants. They bowed deeply toward him and backed respectfully out of the tent, leaving him alone with his private demons once more.

At the integrated Occidentis camp, the King was also being washed and dressed for the celebrations. He had chosen a simple white blouse with billowing sleeves and ruffled collar. On top of that was a brocade half-sleeve satin jacket in midnight blue. Charcoal-gray breeches with a white stripe down each side were pulled on, and the bottom of the blouse was tucked into them. Black leather boots with white ruffles adorning them were pulled on next, and the breeches were inserted into them and then pulled out till they flared tastefully outward. A less formal short red cape was then draped over his shoulders and fastened across his chest. He thanked the attendants and politely dismissed them as they got to his hair, for he always preferred to style it himself. Once he was fully satisfied with his efforts, he took a deep breath and prepared to step out into the evening. Determination shone in his eyes like the stars in the night sky. He was going to get answers from Yuuri, one way or another.

The Emperor's celebration-opening speech went off without a hitch and drew feverish cheers from the crowd. The King's own speech added to the fervor and a group toast quickly followed. Once the celebrations had officially kicked off, the food and drink flowed freely. Everyone had been given free reign in terms of seating arrangements and there were many mixed tables containing soldiers from Orientalis as well as those of Occidentis. Lancer Nekola had ingratiated himself to the group of spear users from the foreign hosts and the bunch of them looked to be having a good time. A few were less gregarious and decided to stick to their own.

General Altin and Squire Plisetsky sat next to one another and seemed happily engaged in a conversation of sorts. Next to them were the royal assassin twins; Sara and Michele. The brother had made a full recovery from his demonic purging, and aside from some lingering weakness, he appeared to be doing quite well and seemed in fine spirits. The sister fussed busily next to him, refilling his plate with food as soon as it got half-empty. The Nishigoris sat together at one table with the ever excitable Minami and everyone sounded to be having a great time. At one of the mixed tables sat Minako and Mila, who appeared to be locked in the drinking battle of the century. Countless empty bottles of sake lay at their feet and a small crowd has gathered around them. Mila threw back her head and drained yet another glassful of sake. Slamming her fist down on the table and holding it out for more.

"Whaaaa! This has to be the most amazing stuff I've ever tasted! Kyaltaesi is renowned for its liquor, but even we don't have anything like this!"

Minako drained her own glass, laughing loudly as she refilled the Princess' cup yet again.

"I must admit that I am quite impressed by your capacity for alcohol, Akage no Hime. Your thin frame gives you a delicate appearance, but you have fire in your veins as well as your hair."

"Having elf blood helps a lot! I'm actually quite impressed by your ability to hold your own liquor. Humans are generally pretty useless at keeping up with elves when it comes to drinking. Many men have failed miserably in their attempts to out-drink me. I never thought I'd ever meet a human who could match me, let alone a human female. You have my respect, ninja woman of Orientalis!"

Minako smiled wickedly and winked at the red-haired woman across from her.

"What makes you think I'm human?"

The Elven princess tossed her head back as she laughed, a move that sent her jumble of

red curls bouncing playfully about her face. As she did so, she caught sight of the Emperor and the King sitting together at the head table, chatting amicably with one another.

She leaned over across the table, motioning with her index finger for Minako to come closer. As the shinobi came closer, the princess' voice took on a conspiratorial tone.

"What do think of the Emperor and the King together? Aren't they just adorable? I bet they'd have a magnificent partnership."

Minako smiled as she turned her head toward the two men in question.

"I have noticed an awful amount of lustful staring between them."

The princess covered her mouth as she attempted to suppress the giggles that wanted to burst out of her mouth.

"So you know how I can talk to and command animals, right?"

"Yes. Wonderful skill, you wield it beautifully."

The princess' cheeks colored at the compliment and she was thankful that they wouldn't be so visible in the cover of darkness.

"Well, I tasked a few friends to keep an eye on those two and report back with any interesting developments."

The royal shinobi seemed instantly interested and leaned in closer.

"Well? Did they?"

The princess bit the corner of her bottom lip and nodded eagerly, looking as if she was about to burst at the seams.

"Apparently...their swords really like each other."

Minako's eyes grew incredibly wide, and a split second later she burst into raucous laughter.

"Oh, I bet they do!"

The princess' control finally broke and she burst into laughter shortly afterward, adding to the cacophony of mirth.

"I wonder...what would happen...if their swords touched?"

Minako stopped laughing for a second and waited with her mouth hanging open as the princess did the same. The two of them then spoke in unison:

"...But just the tip!"

Both women exploded into a litany of roaring laughter, which quickly infected all those around them. The princess was the first to recover, wiping the tears from her eyes as she spoke.

"Sweet gods of Occidentis, that was the funniest moment I've experienced in a long time! I'm SO glad that your mind is as filthy as mine. That had the potential to become a rather awkward situation!"

The shinobi calmed herself and then locked eyes with the red-haired princess, fixing her with a stare that seemed to slice right down into her soul.

"The filth in my mind runs much, much deeper than that Akage no Hime. It would absolutely consume you."

The princess' whole body shuddered at the woman's seductive tone, and as she swallowed thickly at its implications, all she could think was that being consumed didn't suddenly sound that bad at all.

_terminology_

Akage no Hime (red haired princess)