Letters with Liutana

Bedchamber

A/N – This one is set somewhere in my Peace Millennium head canon.

At the sound of the locks clicking behind them, Liu Kang and Kitana sagged in a delightful combination of fatigue and relief.

"That is the most joyous sound I've heard all day…" sighed the Prince Regent, rolling his tense neck and shoulders.

"Indeed so." Kitana replied, lacing her fingers before stretching her arms above her, a cat-like arch in her back. "If I never have to attend a day-long meeting with the Daimyos and the Assembly again… it'll be too soon."

"Yes, but at least now we can finally rest." Liu emphatically said.

It was nightfall, nearly nine o'clock, and all day long every powerful member of Edenia's government had met for its monthly conference. Every socio-economic matter was thoroughly discussed; from taxes to education, internal and inter-realm affairs, construction and even agriculture. Every mundane statistic, notation, suggestion, complaint and revision was covered to a tee from early that morning till just five minutes ago. The future monarchs were thoroughly exhausted in every capacity; physically tense and suffering from severe information overload. It was a fact of their lives that they took in stride over the course of the year they had now been married.

But when their often busy days ended, the refuge of their bed awaited them.

As Liu took the least amount of time to undress, he often climbed in first. After he finished putting out most of the sconces in their chamber, save one near Kitana's vanity, he set to prepare for the night. He slid his diadem from atop his head and pulled his partial topknot loose. His hair went down his back now (he thought he looked more 'regal' with it longer*), and he raked his hand back through it with a sigh of bliss. He hated having it pinned up so tightly for hours on end. Next to come off were Liu's official Prince's robes. He walked to a compartment in their large closet where two mannequins stood that both his and her set rested on. Piece by piece Liu unpinned and untied the layers of red, black and gold silk and hung them, leaving him in only his underwear. As he walked to bed he pealed out of them too, lighting the small lantern on his nightstand before he slid under the covers. Liu leaned back against a mound of pillows and leisurely folded one arm behind his head, a small and drowsy smile on his face as he watched Kitana sit at her mirror.

She too had removed her crown and loosened her hair, and was now preforming her twice-daily ritual of giving it fifty good strokes with her brush. Her tresses, though still quite long, had become shorter in the past year. The severe injuries she suffered during the last war left her unable to tend the nearly floor-length braid she had while she was healing, forcing her to cut it to just past her shoulders. Once she had recovered she allowed it to grow to the small of her back, and had kept it that length ever since. Once she finished brushing the wavy, black-brown locks were smooth and lustrous, and the way the strands reflected the firelight made her husband's breath hitch. They were simply too beautiful. Everything about Kitana was. She then took a cloth and dampened it in a special concoction and used it to remove her makeup, her face clear when she was done.

Finally Kitana stood, putting out that last sconce as went to the closet, Liu's gaze following her, and disrobed as he had. When she turned to him again she was gloriously nude, the dim golden light of the single lantern dancing over every inch golden skin. Liu unhurriedly drank in the sight of her in a mixture awe and the slightest bit of lust, the latter feeling subdued only by his tiredness. Kitana cocked her head to the side, an amused smirk on her lips.

"You're staring…" she playfully quipped.

"One of many privileges I enjoy as your spouse." Liu quipped back, wiggling his eyebrows and making her roll her eyes. Then flashing a semi-seductive smirk, she sauntered slowly around to her side of the bed and climbed it. Liu flattened their pillows so they could lie instead of recline, and he outstretched his arm as she settled against him. She assumed her natural position curled into his side with her head on his shoulder, her arm across his broad chest and one leg coiled around his. In their opinion this was the best part of their day, when all the meetings, formalities and all its associated burdens subsided and they could retreat to their place of rest.

The massive bed had originally been Kitana's alone, the same place she had slept ever since the palace had been fully reconstructed. She like it then, reveled in pouring herself into it after a long and stressful, albeit productive day much like today. But now with Liu sharing it with her, she loved it. It had also changed somewhat in appearance since the time when this space was just hers. Blue, being her favorite color, adorned the bed at all times, varying in shade depending upon her mood or the season, accented with golds and whites. Now a dash of Liu's reds had been added in the form of a few extra pillows, a coverlet atop the duvet. A few other touches of his graced the chamber as well, namely the far wall across from where they slept. A large tapestry bearing the Shaolin insignia hung upon it, and beneath it on a simple dark wood table bore the personal shrine to his parents and brother. And near the balcony sat a small collection of burgundy cushions with candles and a small incense pot on a low table in front of them; Liu's favorite place to meditate. His additions thus far were sparse in comparison to Kitana's possessions, but their significance far outweighed their quantity. The large room felt much more like home now, more intimate and peaceful.

Liu turned to meet his wife's eyes. "So… how'd I do today?"

Kitana smiled. "Excellently. I can tell you're growing more at ease with these larger meetings. You now command the respect of the Court, even if you still don't have all of their personal liking."

"I may be progressing in that area as well… Han-Shou's scowl didn't quite fold her entire face today when I spoke." Liu wryly said, causing the Princess to snicker.

"She can no longer deny that you know what you speak. Your suggestions for increasing education in the Southlands was brilliant." she praised, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm so proud of you Darling. You've done so well and learned so much in an incredibly short period of time."

"Well I've had your support the entire time." Liu said adoringly, tracing the back of his finger over his lover's cheek. "You make me feel that I can accomplish anything."

"Just as you do to me." Kitana replied, meeting their lips. They languorously enjoyed their kiss a moment before pulling back, and Liu put out the lantern before curling closer to Kitana. The two laid together in the darkness, both their eyes closed and breathing steadily.

"Hey…" Liu whispered after a few minutes. He glided the hand that rested idly on Kitana's side down over her hip, his finger tracing little nonsensical patterns over her skin. "… you asleep yet Ai Ren?"

She gazed up at him, awake, alert and a smile on her face. "Not yet… why?" she coyly asked, although she knew fully what he was thinking.

"Well shall we expend a little energy to help us relax?" Liu murmured, his eyes darkening with lust. Before his wife could reply he had rolled her beneath him, and she tilted her head back and sighed as she felt a line of hot kisses glide over her neck.

"Hard to argue with that logic…" she chuckled.

It was these moments especially that made them enjoy their chamber; it was the place of their passion. Still very much newlyweds and very much in love, they regularly reveled in each other's touch. Although they had snuck and had many trysts in other corners of the palace as well, naturally, in the seclusion of their bedchamber is where they made love the most. Many nights and mornings they laid in a sweat-soaked tangle of limbs and sheets, both thrusting and straining, their sighs and moans reverberating off the marble walls. A past of a decade full of painful separations led to both longing for each other nearly every moment now. And thus they devoured each other whenever possible: Even after tiring days like this, if either had the slightest amount of energy left over when they went to bed, it would be invested in their mutual pleasure.

"Gods…" Kitana sighed, rolling limply off her husband. "That was incredible…"

Liu gazed at her with a licentious and exhausted smile. "I aim to please."

"And you do… thoroughly." she purred leaning up for one last, long kiss. Once she withdrew she placed her head back on Liu's shoulder. Drowsily, she added, "And now, I believe I'm ready to sleep."

Liu loosed a yawn, and curled closer to Kitana. "I won't contest that."

An instant later, both slept soundly.

This wasn't even what I planned on uploading. The original one-shot got corrupted (didn't miss dealing with THAT problem...) and I couldn't recapture the mood the same way, so I just wrote something different, hence why it took longer than I wanted. I don't like this one as much as what I went for first but it's still nice.

Anywhooo, to make up for my lateness I will be uploading the next one-shot right after this one!

Please review!