Twitch Twitch

Kayami's eyebrow was twitching with annoyance and barely contained anger...now you must be wondering why she was annoyed and angry. The reasoning is very simply and that reason why is because Kouen seemed to be a mood to harass and bully her.

Not the sort of attention that she had wanted to receive from him and she wasn't a masochist into taking enjoyment from this sort of attention. She may be in love with the man but it didn't mean she had to take everything he did to her.

"You're boring me...where's those sharp tongue responses that you normally give to the Oracle when he bullies you?" He had heard the conversations between her and Judar, which always ended in Kayami yelling at him.

Snap

Flip

"Well excuse me for being boring!" Kayami said as she flipped a table over...luckily one that was empty otherwise Kouen wouldn't have been too happy if she flipped the one that he was at. "But what the hell is wrong with you today?! You've been out of character since this morning and no offense, I want the normal stoic Kouen back! Actually offense was intended! Because you're pissing me off!"

She ended that rant by pointing her index finger at Kouen and poking his chest as she glared at him. Kouen has a smirk on his face as he calmly stared up at Kayami, his household members were silently watching from the sidelines...this wasn't a new scene to them because Kayami always ended up yelling at Kouen for angering her in some form or another. In fact, this was their cue to leave before she started throwing things...they didn't want to be caught in the sidelines of her intense and rarely seen anger but they will be outside as they waited until she calmed down. Kayami wouldn't harm Kouen or his siblings during these bouts of anger but it didn't mean that anyone or anything was safe from her.

"My, my what a short temper...I can see why you haven't married yet." Kouen said.

"Shut your mouth!" Kayami yelled. "My not being married isn't a part of this so don't bring it up!" Her cheeks were now red with embarrassment mixed in with anger.

"Oh? I think it should be brought up since every time I see you, you're always yelling." Kouen said smoothly.

"And who do you think always triggers that yelling?! Uh?!" Kayami asked. "Because let me just say this! It's not your siblings!" She was really getting pissed off now and Kouen seemed to be enjoying winding her up.

"You better calm down, Kayami, or you'll pop a blood vessel...or give yourself a heart attack."

"And we'll know who to blame if I do, won't we?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The hell you don't!"

"Such language...are you sure you're a Princess?"

"Drop dead!"

"Is that any way to talk to your King?"

"King'? Ha! All I see is a bully and a tyrant!" Kayami said huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sometimes I wonder why I keep you around..."

"Because life here will be boring without me and you're siblings will miss me!" Kayami snapped. "And let's not forget the fact that we don't have a choice in that matter either! Otherwise I would have been packed and on my way back home by now!"

She shook her fist at him, glaring at him.

Kouen smiled at her then and she twitched and back away, afraid and calm now...it never bode well for her whenever he smiled. It always meant that he was going to do something she wasn't going to like.

"I think I like it better when you're showing your true emotions and don't have that emotionless, polite mask that you wear when you're front of our retainers and mother." Kouen said looking up at her.

Silence

Twitch

"Is that what you were doing all day?!" Kayami yelled, pissed again because of his reasoning for bullying her all day. "You could have just said something instead of bulling me, you know! It would have been a lot easier for everyone around us as well as us if you did!" She pauses to catch her breath before adding. "And you should know why I have to act like that too!" Otherwise if she acted how she normally acted with the ones she cared about in front of that woman and her creepy followers, that Empress Bitch would have found a way to send her back to her homeland in order to keep Kayami from them and to make sure that she wouldn't be able to do anything to help them should the Empress decide to harm them in any way. So Kayami pretended that she only cared for them as someone who was only given to them as a political hostage and not as someone who had formed strong bonds with them.

"True but that would have easy and I was bored anyways." Kouen said with a smirk.

"Grrr...you piss me off so much!" Kayami yelled. "I'm not a toy to play with because you're bored! Gah! I'm leaving before I give in to the desire to choke you!" She stormed out of the room, mumbling angrily under her breathe.

Kouen is silent and just sat there until he no longer heard her angry stomps and mutterings then he let's out a soft chuckle, "She's also very pretty when she's flushed with anger...and when she shows other emotions for that matter."

Later, Kayami was lying on top of a roof of the palace with a piece of straw in her mouth. She chewed at the end as she stared up at the sky, watching the clouds float by. With her arms behind her head and her legs bent with one of them crossed over the other.

"Why are you staring into space with a dumb look on your face?"

Kayami felt her temple twitch when she heard Judar's voice and then seconds later, his face appeared in her line of vision staring down at her. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and said, "What? I don't have a dumb look on my face..."

Judar sat down next to her and said, "Whatever...so why are you staring into space?"

"I was thinking..."

"About what?"

"How to kill an annoying Magi."

Silence.

"Did Kouen make you cranky?"

Twitch.

"Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?"

"Nope~ Besides I'm bored with annoying the old hag."

SMACK.

"Ow!"

"Stop calling her that."

"Why are you not afraid of me like everyone else?"

"Because I've known you since we were children," Kayami said. "And I know you won't truly hurt me."

"Oh? That sure, eh?"

"Mmhmm." Kayami hummed out as she closed her eyes.

"Ugh, are you going to take a nap?!" Judar said. "I didn't come up here to watch you sleep! I'm going to find someone else to harass!" And with that he leaves and Kayami opened her eyes.

Wow, she didn't think that work but it did.

Now she was able to to think about her and Kouen's relationship...an odd one that it is.

Kayami was in Kouen's bedroom...there's a very good reason why she was in there and it's because he had gotten injured on the battlefield...why he didn't use Phenex to heal his wounds was beyond her but here she was, taking care of his wounds. Propped against the chair that she sat on, was her Ki longsword which was in its sheath and she had revealed a hidden secret; its hilt was hollow to store a small vial of healing ointment, which Kayami can access by removing the hilt's pummel. She dipped her finger into the ointment and spread the dab over his shoulder/chest room.

Kayami kept her eyes on her hands, she didn't want him to catch her staring at his muscular chest...she knew him well enough that he would tease her about it.

"Your hands are cold." Kouen had spoken for the first time in a while, surprising Kayami.

"Oh...sorry," Kayami said. "But it helps if my hands are called, I don't want the ointment to get too sticky or wet." She repeatws the process of dipping her finger into the ointment and smearing it on his wound. "There...done." Kayami pulled her hands away and wiped her hands clean before she returns the pummel to her sword.

She laid the sword down next to her chair before she looked over at Kouen, "Do you want some water?"

"Yes."

Kayami stood up and goes to pour him a glass of water before walking back and sitting on the bed next to him, "Here."

Kouen sat up slowly and, with Kayami's support, drank some of the cool liquid before lying back down.

She watched him silently for a few minutes before saying, "Why didn't you have Phenex heal you?"

He looked at her before he looked away, "Because I forget to and by the time I remembered, it was too late."

"Oh really?" There was that tone again, he could tell that she didn't believe him at all...even though it was true, Kouen was too focused on winning that battle that he had pushed the thought of using Phenex to heal his wounds that by the time he had remembered it was too late and he was already back in Kou Capital so he had called Kayami to his chambers to help heal the wound before he used Phenex to heal it completely.

Kouen looked at her again, frowning now, "You don't believe me?"

"Nope...you never do something as foolish as that," Kayami said shaking her head and waving her hand in front of her. "It'll seem to me that you want me to take care of you."

She wasn't expecting him to be able to move so quickly or like that so imagine her surprise when she felt his hand lash out and fist a handful of her top and yanking her towards him until their noses were softly brushing against each other...and she could feel his breath on her lips.

"What have I told you about opening that mouth of yours before thinking, Kayami?" Kouen purred out threateningly as he glared down at her surprise face and wide brown eyes.

"Y-y-you have told me numerous times, Prince Kouen." Kayami squeaked out, shuddering.

Kouen smirked at her fear and now submissive nature, "Shall I punish you now, Kayami?"

Kayami violently shook her head at that, not at all liking the look in his eyes...it never bode well for her, "N-no! I'll try to think before I open my mouth! I swear!"

"Mmm, are you sure?" He leaned a little closer now so that their lips were barely touching, not full contact but if he should lean even more they would be kissing fully.

"Y-yes!" She squeaked out again, clenching her eyes close tightly.

Kouen stared down at her silently, taking in her quivering, blushing form, he figured that he had bullied and punished her enough before he released his hold on her top and lied back down. "Good, as long as you remember that...you may go now, I can use Phenex to finish healing my wounds."

Kayami couldn't get out fast enough, making sure to grab her sword on her way out, before Kouen's voice made her literally freeze in mid-step out of the door.

"You speak before thinking again, I won't let you with just a warning...you will be fully punished, do you understand me, Kayami?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good...now go."

Then she darted out of the room and far away from as fast as she could, she kept running until she reached her chambers. Kayami slammed the door shut and leaned against the wooden surface before she slide down and buried her still flushed face against her knees, wrapping her arms around the top of her bent knees as she struggled to calm her rapidly beating heart down.

He's going to give me a heart attack one of these days, Kayami thought. Gah, why does he do this to me? Okay! From now on, I am really going to think before I open my mouth! I do not need to to follow through with those kind of punishments when we are alone!

Gah, she really did thought she'd die of a heart attack when he did that and it had been the first time he had done something like that to her.

Sometimes she just doesn't understand his way of thinking even though she had grown up with him and his siblings. While she understood them, Kouen had always been hard to pin down and he's even more hard to read now that's he's older.

Kayami pulled the straw out of her mouth and flicks it away as she closes her eyes as she remembers the first time they had meet, it had been during a battle...

Kayami was standing next to Kaisei, over looking the plains below as the Kou army set up camp on a hill above it. They both wore the armor of the Ki Empire, something that made them stand out from the rest of the army but Kaisei had been adamant about them wearing their own armor and not the armor provided to them by the Emperor of the Kou Empire.

She looked up at Kaisei as she grips the hilt of her short bladed katana, since she was too small to use the long bladed one that Kaisei wielded. "When will the battle start, Kaisei?"

Kaisei shifted a little, coming out of the trance that he was in, and looked at the young girl at his side, "Soon we are waiting for some important people to join us."

Kayami just nodded her head to show that she understood before she turned away and walked to her tent, she pushed aside the flap and stepped inside. Her entering the tent awoken the other occupant in the tent.

A small fox-like creature lifted his head and chirped when it saw that it was Kayami, standing up and stretching before it jumped off her cot and trotted over to her. "Hello, Enojo...sorry that I woke you up."

She kneeled down and Enojo jumped into her arms, nuzzling his head against her chin causing the young girl to giggle. Kayami walked back to her cot and put the animal back down on her bed, she rubbed between his ears, "We'll be leaving soon so I need to make sure you stay out of sight, okay? No one knows about you yet and I want to keep it that way for a little while longer."

Enojo purred at her before he crawled under her pillow and curled up into the ball, "Good, smart boy."

Kayami smiled and watched the spot where Enojo was before she looked up when she heard the sound of horns going off then the tent flap was pushed aside and Kaisei poked his head inside, "They have arrived...come with me."

She nodded her head and stood up, following after the man that was her mentor as well as her retainer. They stopped at the edge of the crowd of soldiers and retainers who were paying their respects to the important people, which was the Emperor and his sons from what she could see from her small height and through the cracks of bodies before her.

"Kayami, go prepare our horses for battle while I go talk to our master." Kaisei said placing his large hand on top of Kayami's head.

Kayami nodded her head and ran off towards were they kept their horses tied up, which was near their tents

Her black stallion, Kurodayu, nickered when he saw her as Kaisei's white stallion, Goro, let's out a whinny and stomped his hoof. She could feel their excitement in their movements and tones, Kurodayu and Goro were war horses...they were trained to kill enemy soldiers.

Kayami hugged Kurodayu's muzzle to her chest when the large horse lowered his massive head to her level and stroked the side of his head with her hand, "You can feel it, hm? The battle will be starting soon..." She released him and started to put their armor on, which would be on their legs and foreheads. She was putting Goro's armor on when she heard Kurodayu snort and stomp the ground in a threatening manner...something he did whenever a stranger entered his area.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a boy with red hair standing there, he was older than she was that much was obvious but he looked to be a little more mature than most boys his age.

Kayami placed her hand gently on Kurodayu's side to calm him down after she finished tightening the straps on Goro's front leg armor. "Can I help you...?" She trailed off, a hint for the boy to introduce himself at least.

"So you're the Princess from the Ki Empire?"

"Yes, I am...I'm Kayami Kishii and may I ask who you are?" Kayami asked deciding that it would be best if she asked for his name instead.

"Kouen Ren."

"Ah! So you're Kouha's, Gyoku's and Koumei's older brother! I was wondering when I was going to met you next." Kayami said with a smile.

Kouen doesn't say anything, he just stared at her causing Kayami to sweat drop a bit but she stroked Kurodayu's side one last time before she moved away and walked over to the older boy. "May I ask why you are here?"

"Just wanted to see the girl behind the stories that my younger siblings tell me," Kouen said. "Thank you for playing with them."

"Oh! It's fine! No need to thank me!" Kayami said waving her hands in front of her. "There aren't any kids where I am at so I am grateful that I was able to meet them!"

Again he doesn't say anything, Kouen just looked over at the horses and said, "Your horses don't seem to like people."

"Oh, they like people just fine but they tend to change when a battle is going to happen," Kayami explained. "You see, they are war horse and they have been trained to stomp anyone who isn't on their side...Kurodayu though tends to get very protective of me so that's why he acted like he did."

The older boy looked at her then, taking in her armor and sword. "Will you be fighting?"

"Yes, I am." Kayami said she wasn't going to tell him that she was still a student though, Kaisei didn't trust anyone back at the palace so he was able to get the Emperor to allow him to take Kayami with him to the battle.

Kouen opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by a horn, the sign to everyone to mount their horses and march to the plains. The older boy bowed and walked off, passing Kaisei who was on his way back to Kayami.

Kaisei watched Kouen before he disappeared from his sight before he looked at Kayami, "What did he want?"

"He was curious about me...I think?"

"Mmm, mount your horse," Kaisei said. "We have a battle to fight." He mounted Goro as Kayami does the same though Kurodayu had to kneel so that she could climb onto his back. He stood up and she gently nudged his sides with her heel, causing the war horse to break into a trot as Kaisei quickly does the same.

They joined the main Kou army, Kayami could see two small helmeted heads through the throngs of soldiers. So Koumei is here too? She thought. He didn't seem to be much of a warrior, he seemed to be more of the thinking type.

She looked away and saw the enemy army heading towards them, she clenched the reins but she kept riding forward. Kayami was afraid, yes but she was taught to not allow it to shut her down and control her. She will fight and survive, war was her life and the way of the Ki Empire...

Her smile that was once happy as she remembered him as a child, he was so cute, but it turned sad as she remembered what had happened afterwards...

After the battle

Kayami was sitting once again on the back of Kurodayu who was carefully picking his way through the body filled battlefield which was drenched in the blood and gore of the dead. Kaisei was a little ahead of her and he would turn every once in a while to make sure that she was still behind him.

Once they were clear of the bodies, they pulled their horses to a stop and turn them so that they were facing the carnage.

"Remember this scene well, girl," Kaisei began. "And never forget the man whose lives you took on this day, this is the life of a Ki warrior and you must never forget what runs in your blood."

"That's a harsh but true lesson to teach such a young girl, Lord Kaisei." said a voice behind them causing the two Ki warriors to turn around to see who it was.

And riding towards them was the First Imperial Prince, Hakuyuu Ren, and the Second Imperial Prince, Hakuren Ren...whom she knew only by sight when she sneaked into the main palace to spy on the ruling family one day when Kaisei wasn't around. The one who had spoken was Prince Hakuyuu who pulled his horse to a stop next to Kayami while Hakuren pulled his to stop on her other side. Kurodayu just snorted and stomped his hind hoof but that's all he does.

"Girl? We don't distinguish female warriors from male warriors in our Empire," Kaisei said. "In the Ki Empire both genders are expected to fight in order to protect their homes, future and people."

"Even if said girl is a Princess?" asked a new voice, a voice that Kayami recognized since it belonged to the man who had taken her from her Imperial family. She once again turned in her saddle and smileed in greeting to the newcomer.

Emperor Hakutoku Ren was riding towards them and riding behind him was Kouen and Koumei, the Emperor rode over to Kayami and pulled his horse to a stop so that he could pat Kayami's head.

"That's right, Kayami is also included because she's a Ki warrior with the blood of the ruling clan running through her body and it's her duty to protect her people." Kaisei said.

"Mm, I see..such a heavy burden to put on such a young girl," Hakutoku said removing his hand from her head and looking at Kaisei. "Though I must say, you have trained her well...she fought just as good as a well seasoned warrior."

Kaisei bowed towards the Emperor, "Thank you...you give me great honor."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Kayami said also bowing.

"Kaisei, I would like to talk to you in private if you don't mind." Hakutoku said before he rode off with Kaisei close behind. The older Ki warrior didn't say anything to Kayami so she remained were she was, looking out at the ocean of bodies before her.

"Is this your first time on a battlefield, Lady Kayami?" Hakuyuu asked her kindly as he placed his hand on top of her head.

Kayami looked at him from the corner of her eye and said, "Yes...killed my first man here too."

"You don't seem to be bothered by it." Hakuren said thoughtfully as he looked at her, Kouen and Koumei were looking at her too but they didn't say anything...yet.

She sighed and fiddled with Kurodayu's reins, "I froze for a bit when I killed him but I snapped out of it quickly when another charged at me." Kayami looked at Hakuyuu at that moment, her brown eyes glowing with an inner strength and spirit. "I remembered then what my mother used to tell me before her death: 'All men must die on the battlefield but women are destined to die how we want to, not by how man wishes'. And I was able to keep fighting and killing without it freezing my movements and bothering me."

"Your mother seemed to be a wise and interesting woman." Hakuyuu said with a smile.

"Mmhmm! She was!" Kayami said with a smile but she loses her smile when she looked back at the battlefield. "But she also told me to pray for the souls of the men whose lives I will take, it's my duty as a warrior and as the person who took their lives."

Then she looked over at Koumei and Kouen then, smiling now. "It's nice to see you again though! I would have thought you would have been busy after the battle." Kayami then looked at Hakuyuu and Hakuren, smiling. "And it's nice to meet you as well." Her tone was now respectful unlike how she had spoken to Kouen and Koumei...and Hakuren noticed it too.

"Hey, you don't have to be so formal with us!" Hakuren said as he ruffled her hair in a big brother like manner. smiling.

Kayami's eyes widen in surprise at the action and his words, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I don't mind if you call me Haku! And I'm sure that Yuu won't mind you calling him 'Yuu'."

Hakuyuu cleared his throat at that and said, "It's up to her, Hakuren."

"Maybe I can call you that when we're alone, Haku." Kayami said with a smile.

"Good girl!" Hakuren said smiling and ruffling her hair even more.

Kayami pushed his hand off her head and puffed her cheeks in annoyance as she fixed her now messy hair, Hakuren laughed at her response to his actions and called her cute before he and his older brother ride off leaving her alone with their cousins.

It was silent at first until it was broken by her stomach grumbling, Kayami flushed in embarrassment. Koumei and Kouen muffled their laughter causing her to blush even more as she sputtered something about her still growing and that's why she was so hungry...it totally wasn't because she had skipped eating before heading off to watch the plains before the battle had started.

"Let's go see if we can get any food from the cooks for the hungry girl who forgot to eat because she wasn't thinking." Kouen said with smirk at Kayami.

Kayami turned even more red now, a mixture of embarrassment and anger now, "Shut your face, Kouen! I already said that wasn't the case! I'm still growing so that's why I'm hungry now!"

The three young warriors rode off, back to the camp as Kouen and Kayami argued back and forth...well, arguing in Kayami's case Kouen was simply teasing her while Koumei tried to calm the angry Kayami down.

She smiled once more but there was a hint of sadness mixed in, Hakuyuu and Hakuren were well loved and respected by their people and family.

Kayami sat up and stretched hugely, she was calmed down now so she'd check on Kurodayu to see how he was doing and if anyone had bothered him.

"Kaya!"

She jerked in surprise and looked down to see Kouha looking up at her and smiling.

"Yes?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Kouha said.

"Why?"

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go horse riding with me?"

"Sure!" Kayami said as she jumped down from the roof and landed in front of him on the balls of her feet.

Kouha smiled at her before he took her hand and started to lead her to the stables. But they weren't even half way there when one of the Empress's Magicians appeared before them.

"Forgive me, Prince Kouha but the Empress wants to talk to Lady Kishii for a few minutes then you can go on your ride." The Magician said with a smile.

Kayami narrowed her eyes at that, how did he know that they were going on a horse back ride but she didn't reply and when she saw that Kouha looked ready to say something, she placed her hand on his shoulder and she shook her head when he looked at her.

"I'll go with you," Kayami said. "Kouha, you get the horses ready."

Kouha nodded his head before he turned and headed towards the stables while Kayami followed after the Magician, silently she refused to speak even when he talked to her.

++

A few minutes later, Kayami was leaving the Empress's private quarters and as she left the woman's area completely her icy mask disappeared and her hidden emotions were revealed. She hated this woman and her thinly veiled threats of having her sent for away from the woman's children were Kayami wouldn't be able to protect them.

She finally arrives at the stables to see Kouha petting Kurodayu's muzzle as the black war horse allowed the touch, which is something he rarely ever does. The horse hated everyone who wasn't her but he had seemed to taken a shine to Kouha, Kougyoku and Koumei while with Kouen he grudgingly tolerated the First Prince. It was amusing really because Kurodayu was an animal version of Kouen if you really thought about it.

"I am still surprised that he hasn't bitten you when you touch his face," Kayami said as a way of letting him know that she was back. "He hates it when people touch his face."

Kouha looked up and smiled at her, "Maybe he knows that I won't hurt him?"

"Maybe."

Kayami walked over to him and patted his head, smiling any anger or sadness she had felt when she spoke to the Empress was hidden deeply inside her...Kouha already didn't like his step-mother/aunt and she didn't want to give him any more reason hate her, his protectiveness of her made hers look pathetic. The last time Gyokuen had threatened to send her away, she had said it in front of Kouha who had then gone on a war path to his older brother and told him what had happened and in turn Kouen had spoken to his father and had told him that he trusted Kayami to protect Kougyoku when he or his brothers couldn't.

In the end, that woman learned to watch what she said when Kayami was with the brothers and sister but it didn't mean that she couldn't summon Kayami to her and threaten her there.

"What did she want?"

"Nothing much," Kayami said. "Now let's go riding."

Kouha grabbed her hand stopping her from mounting her horse and causing Kayami to look at him as he said, "You will tell me if she harms or threatens you, wouldn't you Kaya?"

Kayami stared at him for a few minutes before she smiled at patted his head with her free hand and said, "Of course! You worry to much!"

"I know but I don't want you to leave." Kouha said.

"I can be very stubborn so there's no way I'll be that easy to get rid of," Kayami said. "Come on, let's ride and free ourselves from these sad thoughts!"

Kouha smiled and nodded his head before he released her hand and mounted his own horse as she mounted Kurodayu then she dug her heels into his sides and the black war horse exploded into motion.

"Race you to the edge of the city, Kou!"

"Hey! That's not fair! You got a head start!" Kouha shouted after her as his horse raced after her.

Kayami laughed and said, "Sorry~ But everything is fair in love and war!"

"I really hate it when you say that!"

She just laughed as she urged Kurodayu to go faster causing soldiers, servants and nobles to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed by their horses hooves. This was something she enjoyed to do even more so than sparring, she loved the freedom of horse riding and feeling the wind in her hair and on her face.

Kouha was the only one who liked to ride with her even though it messed up his hair and clothes but he always got Kayami to brush his hair and clean his clothes afterwards since it was her fault after all. She didn't mind because it had became a little ritual between them and gave them a little more time for them to talk.