The Laws Of Love

Chapter 5

"In the face of attack, I hope you'll forgive me, my love."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, sir, but the only vermin I see is you." Misaki bit.

"Hold your tongue, Misaki." Takumi warned quietly. Yu glared at her.

"Persistent brat." He spat. "I thought you would've learned after your situation fifteen years ago. But I guess a commoner never learns to obey, do they?" Patricia cleared her throat, sending a warning glance at her husband. "Don't you interfere, Patricia, you know plenty well what you're doing is wrong."

"The fact that they found each other again is telling me that maybe you were wrong, dear." Patricia replied calmly, playing with the edge of her bed sheets. Yu balled his hands into fists.

"Patricia." He warned lowly. Patricia said no more on the matter and sighed. Yu turned to Misaki and Takumi whose fingers were still clasped together. "Come with me, vermin," He demanded, pulling Misaki up by her wrist. Takumi made to object but his father glared at him. "Stay put, boy, and maybe I won't do too much damage." Misaki pulled her arm roughly out of Yu's grasp and turned to Takumi, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine." She whispered, kissing him gently. "I love you." She murmured under her breath so that only he could hear her. His eyes widened as he watched her pull back and follow his father out of the room. The door closed behind them sharply and Misaki winced before regaining her composure, morphing her features into that of disinterest. "What do you want?" She asked coolly.

"Firstly, you can learn to hold your tongue. I didn't ask you to talk." Yu snapped, leading her back down the marble staircase. He led her out into the main hall and crossed to a door on the left. A suitable king would have left the door open, however Yu let it start to close before snapping at her to hurry up. Misaki followed and looked around the room. They were in a large study with walls decked out in bookshelves and a mahogany desk placed near the back of the room. This must be his study, Misaki thought to herself. He did not invite her to sit, however, so she remained standing near the closed door. "You need to leave." Yu said sharply.

"Well, if you brought me down here just to repeat what has already been made clear, then I really don't see the point in my being in your study in the first place." Yu ignored this.

"I take it Patricia told you that you and Takumi have met before?" Misaki nodded briefly. "But she edited out what she thought you ought not to remember, I'll bet."

"What are you talking about?"

"My son has a fiancee, you see." He said the word 'son' with such disgust that Misaki balled her fists once more. "He was never allowed to run around with you in the first place. I banished you from this kingdom long ago to make sure that things would run smoothly, Misaki, and you can surely be beheaded for returning."

"You're telling me that you banned me fifteen years ago because you were scared a three year-old was going to ruin you picture perfect plan of marrying your son off? You're pathetic."

"Maybe so, but things always go my way in my castle, you see? I wasn't joking about beheading you. I can do it in a snap of my fingers if you don't leave now."

"And what do you get out of this?" Misaki demanded.

"Enjoyment." Yu answered simply, giving her a cold smile.

"You are sick." Misaki bit. "Forget about me for a moment, what about your son? This is the life he's chosen, why can't you just accept that!?" Yu twirled a pen around in his fingers.

"Because it doesn't suit me. You see, you commoners are worth nothing if you marry one of us. A neighbouring princes, however... well, she doubles in profit when marrying another royal blood."

"So you're basically trying to profit off of your son's arranged marriage? How selfish can you get?"

"You're starting to get the concept." Yu murmured. "Now, get out if you know what's good for you."

"And if I value my life, right? Don't make me laugh." She stood her ground. "I'm not going anywhere." Yu hissed.

"My patience is running thin,girl." He snapped the pen in two. "Don't test me."

"I don't have anything to lose." Yu laughed coldly.

"Don't act all high and mighty. You have plenty to lose." He stated. "You forget that I too knew you once. Your sister, for instance, would detest her older sister if her life were to be taken for something so selfish as another's deluded love." Misaki froze and faltered for a mere moment.

"You wouldn't dare-,"

"Oh, but I would." He cut her off, his eyes like ice. "Go and say your goodbyes, girl. I'm going to quite enjoy seeing the look of betrayal upon his face."

"I could always tell him, you know."

"Tell him and you're dead. Do you understand?" There was no point in arguing with the king; she would devise a plan in her own time and stay silent for now. Acting as though she had lost, Misaki hung her head and nodded.

"I understand."

"Good girl. Now, come on, back upstairs with you." Yu led her back upstairs to Patricia's room where she and Takumi still sat, talking on her bed. They turned their heads at Yu and Misaki's entrance and the words caught in Misaki's throat. He was going to have to forgive her... he would understand that she wasn't really giving up... wouldn't he? Yu pushed his way past her and came to sit by Patricia at the head of the bed. "You had something to say, I believe?" He asked, as Takumi walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Misaki?"

"I'm leaving." She said quietly. Takumi's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" He made to turn on Yu when Misaki caught his sleeve and shook her head. "I- I decided it... I'm going home, Usui." She felt his arm tighten on her shoulder as he frowned.

"You're kidding me, right? After everything we've been through, you're prepared to just, what, walk away?" He was getting angry, a trait he had clearly adopted from his father. Misaki looked up, her eyes tear glazed and glassy.

"I- I'm sorry." She pressed her lips to his one last time and turned away. "Goodbye..." She hurried out of the castle and heard Yu shout "Don't go after her, boy, she's made her decision." The tears of frustration dripped from her eyes. Didn't he know she didn't mean it? That she could never leave him, she'd just gotten him in the first place! She pushed open the castle doors and froze on the small staircase, thinking of something Takumi had told her before coming here. "If something goes wrong, if for some reason you're forced to do something you don't want to do, there's a garden through the hedges that run along the left hand side of the palace. No one uses it anymore. If something happens, go there." Misaki gripped her skirts and took a breath. She would wait there. She located the white wooden gate that Takumi had spoken of in the the corner of the left hedge and pushed it open. It opened up to a large square space adorned with a lake, a seating area and a white pavilion that glowed lightly with twinkling white fairy lights. It was incredibly serene and tranquil and Misaki felt very out of place within such elegance. She moved towards the pavilion and touch her hand to one of the pillars that was becoming devoured in vines and purple pansies. She knelt down and picked one of the pansies, twirling it between her fingers. 'And by the end of that day, if I remember correctly, Takumi had handed you a purple flower and asked you to marry him one day.'

"I'd forgotten... mother loved purple pansies..." She murmured to herself, sitting on the top step leading into the pavilion. She studied the wilting flower and tried so hard to remember the day in the meadow. Her mind remained stubbornly blank. Misaki looked up towards the entrance to the garden. How long was she willing to wait here for? She'd promised Suzuna she'd be home before morning... Maybe this was a bad idea... How much was she willing to sacrifice for this? "I'm being selfish," She laughed, a tear dropping onto the pansy and sliding down the petals. "So entirely selfish."

"Then I'll be selfish with you, shall I?" Her head snapped up. She hadn't heard the gate open and yet there he stood, his eyes dimmed with worry.

"Taku...mi?" He crossed the garden quietly and sat beside her, taking her into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into her hair. "But I had to accuse you in order for it to look genuine." Misaki nodded, her face buried in his shoulder, but she didn't reply. "You said something earlier, before you left with my father, and it made me come after you," He tilted her head up so that she had no choice but to look him dead in the eyes. Those enticing pools of emerald... "Let me do that equivalent law theory of yours and say it back." Misaki's eyes widened as she realized what she had said. She pressed a finger to his lips.

"You don't have to say it, you know?" He shook his head.

"I'm not saving it for desperate times to catch you off guard like you did," He laughed. "I'm not that sneaky." He smiled, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I love you." He whispered. A rosy hue danced across her cheeks as he peered over her head, his eyes not meeting hers as she spotted a very subtle blush upon his cheeks.

"As... As hard as it may be... I think we need to be apart for a while..." Misaki murmured. "To give the illusion that we're following orders." He finally looked at her and ran his thumb along her cheek, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I'll write to you every day until we figure out how to fix this." She nodded and he took her lips in his, kissing her sweetly and slowly as he hand tangled into his hair. She tilted her head to the side a little and he kissed lingeringly down her jaw and he neck, burying his face in her shoulder. "I don't want to leave you. Remember that, okay?"

"Hmm," She murmured. "I know. I don't either, not particularly. But sometimes the right choice doesn't feel right until it's over." Takumi chuckled.

"You sound like a wise old lady... How are you so comfortable with this?" Misaki smiled sadly.

"Because I see no other choice."

~o~

Takumi led her to another exit through the opposite hedge in the garden on a path that spilled out into an overgrown meadow.

"This will lead you to the right side of the hill by the river, where you wash your clothes. If you follow it straight through the next three meadows, you'll be there in about ten minutes." He hugged her close.

"This isn't goodbye forever, you know?" He laughed.

"I don't think I've ever been this attached to anyone in my life, if I'm being honest... I'm going to miss you." Misaki smiled at him.

"I'll miss you too. Naturally, because now I'll only have one person to annoy me for a while." He tickled her sides and she squirmed. "You get my point!" She laughed as he leaned down to kiss her and she put a finger to his lips, shaking her head. "Save it for the next time you see me." He pouted his lips out slightly.

"I don't want to." And he threaded his hand into her hair, one arm around her waist, and kissed her until she was out of breath, her cheeks blazing scarlet.

"You'll never learn to do as you're told, will you?" She mocked, ruffling up his blonde locks and staring at the moon rising high above them in the indigo sky. "But I really do have to go. I'll write to you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself, okay?" He said awkwardly and she burst out laughing. "What!?" He demanded, slightly flustered.

"Nothing, it's just- you're really cute... I don't like goodbyes either so let's just say I'll see you soon."

"Then, I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Takumi." And her fingers slipped from his.