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Chapter Fifteen

Excursion

Morgiana finds Kougyoku quickly enough. She and Kouha are snacking on peaches together and pouring over stuffy looking scrolls in the parlor connected to the library. Since he is there, Morgiana extends her offer to Kouha as well and is mildly surprised when he accepts. The three of them go together to the training grounds to meet Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu greets his cousins amicably and then the four of them head into town.

It's strange to Morgiana to see Hakuryuu and his cousins getting along as if they go out together every day. She knows that Hakuryuu has always had something of a strained relationship with his male cousins at the very least, but she supposes that this is just how his family is. They're willing to get along and be civil even if they're not overly fond of each other. Although, she thinks, perhaps it's not so much that they're not fond of each other as that they simply don't know each other very well. Hakuryuu and Kouha don't speak much to each other but Morgiana doesn't sense any kind of hostility from either male.

Kougyoku, on the other hand, is positively beaming. She was delighted to receive Morgiana's invitation to go out together and she's clearly very pleased to see her brother and her cousin getting along. She wears a large smile as they walk down the main street. Even her hair seems perkier than normal, Morgiana thinks.

Morgiana perks up herself when they enter the market and the air is suddenly filled with the smell of roasting meat. Her mouth promptly begins to water. She hasn't eaten anything yet today and she's starving. She spots a food stall across the street and makes a beeline for it. Her companions see her break off and hurry to follow.

Ten minutes later, the four of them are licking plum sauce off their fingers and Morgiana has a contented smile on her face. Kou quail is every bit as delicious as she remembers.

"Man, I haven't eaten this stuff in ages," Kouha remarks as he chews on his stick. They're sitting on the edge of a stone fountain in the center of the market and all around them Rakushou's denizens are bustling about, shopping and taking care of daily chores. Even though the emperor has just died, the citizens carry on just the same as every other day. Morgiana thinks that they must have a lot of faith in their royals to sort out what needs to be done because in her experience usually an air of unease follows the passing of a king, but that air is nearly absent in the busy marketplace.

"It's very nostalgic, isn't it," Kougyoku agrees. Hakuryuu nods as well.

"But wow, you Fanalis sure can pack food away," the young prince comments, brandishing his single stick at Morgiana who has three in each hand.

She nods. "Yes. Food is very important for maintaining our strength," she explains simply.

Kouha makes a noise of interest. "Is that how it is?"

Kougyoku sighs and lifts a hand to her cheek. "To be able to eat like that and still maintain your figure… You're very lucky, Morgiana."

Kouha laughs and smirks at his sister. "Yeah. You'd blow up like a balloon if you did that," he teases. He puffs out his cheeks and makes a face at her.

Kougyoku blushes and turns away from him with a pout. "That's mean, Kouha."

Hakuryuu smiles and shakes his head at his cousins' antics. Kouha catches the movement and grins at him. "Look, even Ryuu agrees," he says, poking Kougyoku in the stomach.

Kougyoku turns large, watery eyes on her cousin and Hakuryuu holds up his hands benignly. "I think that as long as you maintain good exercise habits you can eat however much you like," he tells her diplomatically.

Kougyoku turns back to Kouha and sticks her tongue out. "You could take lessons from Hakuryuu on how to talk to a lady," she informs him tetchily.

Kouha just rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

After their meal, they decide to take a look at the shops. They visit many different kinds of boutiques and trinket stands and Kougyoku makes noises of excitement when she sees articles of clothing or pieces of jewelry that catch her fancy. Kouha also expresses a certain amount of interest in the fashions on display. He and Kougyoku make many comments pertaining to the quality of the goods on display. They compare the grade of the silk at Boutique A to that of Boutique B and marvel at the beadwork on the dresses in Boutique C. Kougyoku often looks to her brother for advice on colors and patterns and Morgiana is struck by how alike the two actually are. She rarely sees sibling get along the way Kougyoku and Kouha do.

She and Hakuryuu mostly keep to the back and watch them with bemusement. Occasionally something will catch one of their eyes and they'll take a look but mostly they just enjoy watching the Kou siblings shop.

Morgiana is slightly surprised when as they're entering their fourth clothing shop Kouha hangs back with her. His eyes sweep over her form and then come up to meet hers with a raised eyebrow. "Not much of a shopper, are you?" he remarks. He sounds only halfway interested when he says this which causes Morgiana to wonder why he bothered to talk to her in the first place. "You're dressed pretty plainly for a king vessel. Is that a personal preference or are you trying to fly under the radar or something?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing like that," she denies. "I simply don't see a need to dress in an extravagant fashion."

Kouha cocks his head. He looks somewhat more interested now. "You're kind of a weirdo, aren't you?" Despite his words, he doesn't sound like he's trying to be unkind. "Girls are supposed to like pretty things."

Morgiana looks down at her simple white dress and considers this. Truthfully, she's never thought much about what she puts on her body. The only pieces of jewelry she owns are the necklace she received from Alibaba and her household vessel. Compared to most of the people she's met on her journey she supposes she is pretty plain, but that's just how she is. "I am a Fanalis who was once a slave. I have no special connection with expensive garments."

Kouha raises both his eyebrows this time. "A slave?" he repeats. He brings a curious hand to his chin and his eyes move up and down as he studies her again. Morgiana is surprised when he reaches out and scoops up a lock of her hair. He lets the crimson strands slip through his fingers and watches as they fall back into place in front of her shoulder. His eyes meet hers and his lips quirk into a somewhat sinister looking smirk. "Then I'll bet you just hate hanging around with a bunch of pampered nobles like us." His eyes glint and his smirk widens. "Or maybe you think if you play nice with little bro Ryuu he'll take pity on you and elevate your status?"

Morgiana blinks and tilts her head, her eyebrows furrowing of their own accord. She wonders if Kouha is actually as suspicious of others as he acts or if he simply enjoys watching people squirm. It's difficult to tell. It doesn't much matter either way, though. She is not the type to be easily frazzled. "I do not care one way or the other about status and being in the company of those who have it does not bother me," she answers plainly. "The only things that concern me are acquiring more strength and being of use to my friends."

Kouha raises his chin slightly and frowns down his nose at her. He taps his cheek idly. "You really are a weirdo," he concludes after a drawn out moment. "What kind of djinn picks a person with zero personal ambition to dwell within?" He closes his eyes and shrugs helplessly. When he opens them again, though, he's regarding her with actual interest for the second time since she properly met him. "But you know? I don't mind that you're an odd duck. I hate people who are too normal."

With that, Kouha leaves her to go rejoin his sister. Morgiana stares after him wordlessly for a moment before shaking her head and following him inside. She has no idea how to feel about the eccentric royal or their odd exchange. Kouha is beyond her capacity to understand.

The four of them continue perusing shops for another couple hours. They stop to snack every so often and Morgiana decides that it's nice to spend a day doing nothing every so often. She can almost forget that there's a crisis looming just in front of them and that she is one of the only things standing in the way of magical mass slaughter.

However, no matter how good a time she's having, Morgiana can't forget her dream. She knows that a future where she doesn't make it could still very well come to pass. Ever since she woke up, she's had the strangest feeling; like she's running on borrowed time. She can't really explain it, but now that she's experienced the end of the lost future, she's realized that something within her feels different. She doesn't know if it's just her or if there was some kind of effect brought about by her spirit being taken back to a living body, but she can sense that something about her is not the same as it was before. She can't put her finger on what that something is, though, so she tries not to let it bother her.

It's late afternoon and the sun is slowly beginning to descend toward the mountains when Kougyoku breaks away from Kouha as they're finishing up at their sixth jewelry shop and approaches her with a box in her hands and a pleased smile on her face. She thrusts the box into Morgiana's hands. "Here. As thanks for inviting me out today," she explains.

Morgiana looks at her uncertainly and then shifts her gaze down to the box. It's colorfully wrapped and tied up neatly with ribbon. She looks back at Kougyoku. "Thank you," she responds, not knowing what else to say. She hadn't been anticipating receiving a gift.

"Go ahead and open it," Kougyoku instructs. Morgiana does as she's told and peels away the ribbon and wrapping. She lifts the lid off the box to reveal a pair of tasseled earrings colored in gold and crimson. They're quite pretty, but Morgiana looks back at Kougyoku unsurely. She raises a hand to her ear. "My ears aren't pierced," she says bashfully.

Kougyoku giggles. "Don't worry. They're clip-ons," she assures her. "I could already tell that your ears aren't pierced." She takes the box from Morgiana's hand and removes one of the earrings to hold it up to Morgiana's ear. She nods approvingly. "I think these colors suit you nicely. Now we just need to find an occasion for you to wear them." She hands the earring back and brings her hand up to her mouth contemplatively.

Kouha and Hakuryuu step up beside them. "Dunno how many occasions there are gonna be for merriment with all the sketchy business going on at the palace right now, though," Kouha interjects. His eyes have narrowed and he casts a glance back in the direction of the palace in question.

Kougyoku frowns and her brows furrow together. She looks at her brother. "You think there's really something going on?" she asks, lowering her voice so as not to be accidentally overheard any passersby.

Kouha nods. His eyes are still fixed on the palace. "You weren't there, but I got to see our father just after he died. That 'disease' that everyone was talking about…it was no disease I've ever seen before. His body was…" He pauses and shudders. "That looked like some kind of foul magic."

Kougyoku's eyes widen and she moves in closer to whisper, "Are you saying that…father was killed by someone?"

Kouha doesn't answer but gives her a meaningful look. "In any case, we should refrain from talking about that in a place like this." He starts to walk again. Kougyoku worries her lower lip as the three of them follow him.

Morgiana sneaks a look at Hakuryuu and he catches her eye and nods subtly.

They only check out a few more shops before unanimously deciding to return to the palace. When they get back, Kougyoku thanks her and Hakuryuu again for allowing her to accompany them and expresses her wish to do more fun things together soon before leaving them to check in with Ka Koubun. Morgiana thinks Kouha is going to go off too, but he hangs back. He waits until Kougyoku is out of sight and then grabs Hakuryuu's arm. His grip is firm and his eyes are steely when he looks at his cousin.

"You've been acting much differently ever since you returned from Sindria," he states without preamble. "And you haven't said anything about the untimely passing of the emperor. You didn't look surprised at all when we were talking about it before." He glances briefly down at Hakuryuu's wooden left arm and then back up at him. "What are you thinking, Hakuryuu?"

Morgiana watches Hakuryuu as well. She's curious how he will respond to his cousin. He doesn't look it at first glance but Kouha is pretty sharp. It could be quite bad for them if he came to think of Hakuryuu as an enemy.

Hakuryuu just shakes his head. "The same thing as you, lord cousin," he says simply. "That our 'sparkling empire' has become tarnished by a sickness that can't be treated with medicine."

Kouha raises an eyebrow. "And you know what this sickness is?"

Hakuryuu offers his cousin something of a half-smile. "You might try talking to Kouen," he advises. His smile falls away as he adds, "But I suspect it will become apparent soon enough regardless."

Morgiana is surprised when instead of inquiring further Kouha releases him. The peony-eyed prince raises his arms over his head in a show of stretching and then clasps his hands behind his neck. "Jeez, what is this," he says, sounding bored now. "You conspiring with brother En. I honestly never thought I'd see the day. That must have been some trip you took to Sindria."

Hakuryuu's half-smile returns. "It certainly was."

Kouha scoffs and lets his arms drop. His eyes flicker to her for the briefest moment and his expression tells her he's analyzing something in his head, though she hasn't the foggiest idea what. He turns back to Hakuryuu. "You know, you turned out to be not such a bad guy…I guess," he says unexpectedly. He's smirking slightly and he crosses his arms over his chest. "Today was actually kind of fun."

Hakuryuu blinks at his cousin. He looks taken aback by Kouha's unconventional praise. Morgiana gets the impression that Kouha doesn't award people with his approval often. Kouha turns away from him to return his gaze to her again and his smirk shifts into a grin. "But I like her better." He breaks away from Hakuryuu to come stand before her. He leans forward to look her directly in the eye. "I'd love to test my strength against a Fanalis. Maybe you and I could have a match sometime?"

Morgiana nods. She is always looking for new opponents to test her own strength on. "That would suit me fine," she answers.

Hakuryuu folds his arms over his chest and looks back and forth between them with a bemused expression. Kouha walks back over to him and gives his shoulder a light slap, leaving his hand there. "You're welcome to join too, little bro. If you're worried that something might happen."

Hakuryuu's frown lifts into a smirk that mirrors his cousin's and lifts a hand to clasp Kouha's shoulder as well. "I'm more worried about something happening to you," he claps back.

Instead of being offended, Kouha grins in delight. "Then there won't be any need to hold back." He lets his hand slip from Hakuryuu's shoulder and begins walking back to the palace. As he walks, he raises his arms over his head and stretches again. "I'm looking forward to it," he calls over his shoulder.

Hakuryuu watches him go until he disappears into the same place as Kougyoku and then sighs. He turns to her. "Well, for better or worse, you seem to have captured his interest," he remarks.

Morgiana nods. "He's an interesting person himself."

Truly, she has never met anyone quite like Kouha. He's a bit like Jamil, she thinks, but unlike her former owner, Kouha doesn't lack compassion. He's an odd mix of unhinged and kind that come together to make person with a temperament not unlike a tamed wolf. He's intimidating and a bit wild but he's loyal and protective of the people he cares about.

As she and Hakuryuu enter the palace after him, Morgiana considers Kougyoku as well and thinks that if Kouha is like a wolf, then Kougyoku resembles an ermine; beautiful and friendly but able to strike with viciousness when it serves her. She knows that all of the Kou siblings have an inherent fierceness about them. They are fighters dressed as kings and she will do well to keep that in mind for as long as she stays here.

The moment they step into the palace's entrance hall, Morgiana gets the feeling that something has changed. She stops abruptly. There is a shift in the atmosphere so strong that she can smell it.

Hakuryuu stops as well and looks at her in confusion. "Something wrong?" he asks.

She pauses a moment before answering him. Her eyes dart around the hall but she doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. Still, the feeling of offness persists and Morgiana always trusts her instincts. Always. "I don't know," she says at last. "Something is different. I have a weird feeling."

Hakuryuu frowns. He opens his mouth to say something but he's stopped when a servant approaches him suddenly and bows low. "Lord Hakuryuu, your horse has been prepared, as requested."

Hakuryuu stares down at the servant in confusion. "My horse?" He shares a look with Morgiana and his frown deepens as he turns back to regard the man before him. "Who asked you to prepare it?"

The servant doesn't lift his head. "Lady Hakuei did, your highness," he answers, sounding somewhat confused himself at Hakuryuu's reaction. "She said you the two of you had plans to go riding together in the hills."

Hakuryuu furrows his brow and Morgiana doesn't have to ask to know that Hakuryuu never made any such plans. Morgiana's sense of offness grows. "Where is my sister now?" he asks. "Has she left already?"

The servant hesitates briefly and then nods. "Yes, sir. She departed about ten minutes ago."

Hakuryuu nods. "Very well. I will go to her. Thank you."

The servant bows again and retreats as fast as he came. Morgiana steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder. "It might be a trap," she warns, though she knows Hakuryuu is already thinking the same thing.

He nods. "But I should go, regardless." He places his hand atop her and pulls it away to thread their fingers together. "Will you come with me?"

It's Morgiana's turn to nod. "Of course."

Hakuryuu gives her a quick smile and then turns to look in the direction of the stables and his lips thin into a wary grimace. Morgiana follows his gaze and sees the sun beginning to sink behind the mountains just beyond the doors to the entrance hall. Her skin prickles.

Whatever awaits them out there, she feels like destiny is about to change again.

oO0Oo

Oops. This chapter is way late. Sorry about that. I feel like I spend a lot of time apologizing for stuff in these notes. Huh.

This chapter focused less on Hakuryuu and more on Morgiana's interactions with Kouha and Kougyoku. In that sense it was a bit of an odd chapter but it was something I've been wanting to do. This time around, Morgiana is getting to shine a little more than in the original manga canon and that means she'll get to have more meaningful interactions with the other characters, which she deserves 1000 percent in my opinion. I'm excited about continuing to build her relationship with the Kou brigade in the coming chapters. (Plot allowing, of course.)

Also, be aware that there may be hints of some other romances on the side that come to light from here on, but I haven't decided yet exactly how these are going to play out and how much emphasis they'll get. The focus is Morgiana/Hakuryuu, after all. But I think some of you might be quite happy very soon. (wink!)

Next chapter: Ka Koubun becomes the next emperor. He's so happy that he has a heart attack and dies five minutes later. His rukh are taken to the Sacred Palace and he finds Li Seishun there working with Ugo. The mystery is solved.