A/N: Been a while? Sorry about the very, very long wait. This is NOT the next chapter in MFM, but rather an interlude. There will be an interlude in-between each chapter. Thanks for reading. :)

Can I once again say that I hate writing from the POV of a young child? Yeah, I do.

Also this is for my Two Year Anniversary Celebration of being on the site. Yay! Celebration. More updates to come! ;)

XxX My Father's Mistress XxX

XxX Halfkyuubikat XxX

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Interlude: Naivety

She was pretty.

"Are you alright?"

She was nice too. If he had run into anyone else they would have scolded him and said his actions weren't 'proper behavior.' He still felt the need to react how he was taught though.

"I'm sorry for my mistake."

For a moment she was silent and then she was titling her head back while laughing.

"You don't have to apologize to me. You were just playing."

He didn't know what to say to that. Most people didn't talk to him for more than a few minutes and it was usually about something related to his teachers. Nobody had laughed like that in front of him before. But the lady had it wrong; he had not run into her while playing.

"I was not playing! I was—was in a ru... ra-ru—" Katsurou faltered at the end, the word he wanted to use escaping from his memory.

She bent down slowly so that she was level with Katsurou and although her actions were strange, he rather liked not having to look up at people. With her so close he realized that her eyes were the same color as the grass in the garden, and for some reason that made her seem even nicer.

"In a rush?" she asked softly.

"Yes! I wasn't playing, I was doing that. I didn't mean to run into you."

She smiled again.

"That's okay, you were in a hurry. But you should probably be more careful, you don't want to get hurt."

"Ah." Katsurou agreed, giving a small grunt to hide his embarrassment. He never liked to be corrected by others; his face always felt hot when he was.

The lady seemed to find his answer funny though, because she laughed softly again. When the laughter faded she lifted her hand and ruffled Katsurou's hair, a motion that was unnatural for him. However she stopped quickly and stiffly pulled her hand away; he noticed that her hand looked funny… the palm was red and puffy.

Katsurou reached up and flattened his hair, even though the small spikes would not stay down like he wanted them too. When Katsurou focused on the lady again he realized that she was staring at him. Her eyes had become more focused like she was trying very hard to see something on his face. His cheeks for some reason felt very hot.

"...You look li—"

"Sakura."

A deep voice called from somewhere behind the lady; a voice that Katsurou recognized immediately.

"Sa—ah...Your Majesty."

"Father!"

The nice lady went strangely rigid when he shouted, but his attention had already fled from her. He stepped to the side of the lady and smiled with joy when he saw his father standing only feet away from him.

His father was dressed in his military uniform, his sword still in its sheath, and his figure still as mighty and powerful as Katsurou remembered it. After not having seen his father for two months, the sight of the man before him left a warm feeling in the center of Katsurou's stomach.

His father wasn't staring directly at him though. His dark eyes were on the lady, but they quickly landed on Katsurou's form and remained there.

"Katsurou-sama what are you doing here?" Katsurou's retainer walked up beside his father along with some other men, but Katsurou didn't answer his question, not paying attention to anyone other than his sire. However when he heard a hiss of breath came from a maid followed by a quiet mutter of "Is that…?" he turned his attention to the rest of the crowd.

Nobody looked happy; in fact most of them had frowns on their faces. Katsurou followed the line of gaze of a few people and saw that the lady had shuffled backwards a few steps until she had placed some distance between herself and the gathering group. Her face was bright red. Katsurou looked away from her and instead looked up at the tall man in front of him.

"You're home!" Katsurou shouted excitedly, bouncing on his toes overflowing with energy.

He had desperately missed his father. Katsurou's mother had been busy often and wouldn't let him into her rooms at all. He had spent most of his father's absence either sitting in the gardens or playing quietly in his room.

But with his father back now, Katsurou's mother would have more free time and Katsurou would get to spend time with both of them.

"Katsurou-sama, you—"

"It's fine Suigetsu." His father gave a long look towards the other man before giving Katsurou the complete attention he wanted. "Were you good while I was away Katsurou?"

"I studied very hard and practiced everything the teacher gave me. I didn't get in trouble with the teacher once!"

"That's good then. I can give you the present I brought back with me."

"Present?"

"I brought you back some sweets from the Land of Rivers. One of the maids will bring them to your room later."

Katsurou didn't say that he was much happier to have his father home then get a few treats after a long absence.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, a smile brightly lighting his face. His father's lips twitched upwards and he lifted his hand and reached forward, but then suddenly stopped the movement. His hand remained halfway raised.

"I have to leave now; be good and practice your studies. I will see you at dinner." His father retracted his hand from where it hovered in the air and brought it down to his side.

"I will!" Katsurou answered eagerly; wanting his father to be proud with all his actions.

His father nodded and then turned, walking toward the pretty lady whose name he had originally called. She hadn't moved since Katsurou had begun talking to his father. She was standing very still and for some reason had an expression on her face that Katsurou had only seen on sick people; she looked better when she smiled.

"Follow me."

Katsurou's father walked a little passed her, but she didn't move. She was staring toward Katsurou with that sick look on her face. Her eyes were looking funny, like they were covered with some shiny material. His father didn't seem to like that she wasn't listening, because he stopped and looked back before calling her name. This time however it was firmer, an order; like the ones he gave to the people who worked for him.

She looked at Katsurou for a short moment more, before she turned and stepped toward his father. She seemed stiff in her moments and Katsurou really hoped that she wasn't ill. But his father reached out and grabbed her arm, walking her down the hallway and probably supporting her if she felt weak.

Katsurou figured that he was taking her to the healers. His father really was the greatest person for helping everyone in the castle.

"Don't—" It was the only word that he heard before his father and the pink haired lady vanished down the hall.

Suigetsu was quiet, as were the rest of the adults, but their strange behavior didn't interest Katsurou at the moment. He was too excited about making his father proud to worry about anyone else. Grabbing at Suigetsu's cloak, Katsurou tugged until the white haired man looked at him.

"Hurry! I wan' to go practice!"

(Note: This takes place around 2 to 3 years prior to "Hatred.")

So is this confusing people more? Muahahaha.

The Next Update? I have no idea. :) But if you would like to keep better updated on when and what I'm updating. Check out either my livejournal or blogspot account. I will post previews for stories too. It's a nice place to check out. :) Links on my profile!

~Kyuu-chan