Silent Lamb

by xeveningx

In silence lay secrets that have haunted her for years and she's ready to give up everything in order to take them to her grave. At this point,there's nothing to make her waver.Or is there? In the end,it's her choice: unravel the truth and destroy everything she's come to love, or forever be the scapegoat and lose herself in the process? (Rated M for themes.)

5. Occam's Razor

Chapter Five:

Occam's Razor

---

It was barely the morning after the attack and the day already wasn't going so well.

First, her new training session with Kouen fell short in time when he was called to assess the repercussions that were still left from yesterday. She didn't take it much to heart because a few things were still leftover to take care of; the recovery time of the city took her by surprise, however. Most of the citizens were already up and running through their normal routine with only remnant problems. She tried searching for Seijin after breakfast to spar but the boy had shown concern over the people and wanted to help. She let him go to the city and help with what he could if he so wanted. He thanked her and swiftly left without another word. His compassion was something she liked very much but without him she had fewer choices as to how to pass her morning. Neither Kouha nor Kougyoku were free either and the twins had gone out to help as well.

Everybody was busy. It kind of made her wary to not be, actually. But knowing her time could be better spent doing something else, she headed to the study. Perhaps putting in some hours to more studying would help her pass the time. What she hadn't expected was to find the second prince napping there.

Out of everybody, she thought he would be in charge of scheduling repairs throughout the city with his expertise on strategizing and all. Yet here she found him, sprawled across a desk with scrolls beneath him. His mane of red hair spread everywhere, it hid his face but by the soft snoring she could tell he was out cold.

Speaking of cold, it was freezing in the study and it amazed her how he found any comfort sleeping like that. Feeling sorry and a bit of obligation, she removed her outer cloak and put it over him where he sat.

At least this way he'll be warmer.

Kohaku's fingers brushed against his hair as it poked out and a rare thought came to her. Despite being full brothers, Kouen and Koumei were distinctly different. For one, Koumei's hair was a slight bit darker than Kouen's. And something she had duly noted after they met had been that Koumei held slightly softer, dare she say more feminine features.

Taking a scroll and sitting herself across from the desk where he slept, Kohaku found her mind wondering to their younger days as she watched. If she remembered correctly, Koumei's attitude hadn't changed much since back then. As he was now, sleeping so peacefully without a care, Kohaku could picture him perfectly laying down out in the courtyard with pigeons lazing around him. Her mind wondered off more remembering how she liked sitting with him humming as he read, liking the nature around them. His pigeons liked it too and at times he would ask her to sing as he fed them. She liked the birds just not touching them; animals, especially birds, weren't too friendly when she approached them. So instead she would stand behind Koumei as he fed his pets.

Other times she found herself napping with him only to be awakened by his brother who'd been out training with Prince Hakuyuu and Hakuren.

Ah, that's right.

She forgot that she was actually friendly with Kouen at one point.

We're three—no, five years apart.

Back before the fire and before her family left back to Shika, she had been a little over eleven. The twins had just turned five, and Masami was at her peak at fifteen. Thinking back on it, she found it rather curious how much time she actually spent with the two brothers either lazing around or learning how to wield a sword or spear. To say she was an odd child would be an understatement. But before her mind could drag on the past, she shook her head and began her studying.

Already having gone through a quarter of the library in her month there, she was quickly running out of topics to focus on. She understood the basics in most and kept a separate stack of scrolls with those and the slight modifications she'd made through her studying. So far she had three completed and a fourth in the making. Kohaku had a few doubts, however, of how it'd work in an actual scenario. She was brushing the tip of her feathered pen across her nose, thinking, when her ears caught the click of the study's doors opening. The steps, loud and thumping, approached them and she cringed at every one. Her eyes came over to Koumei as he still slept but gasped at seeing him shift. Not wanting anything to disturb him as sound asleep as he was, Kohaku rushed out of her seat towards the entrance and met Kouen halfway across the study.

Of course it's him.

Who else walked around making such a ruckus. She swore, for as much as the man was well built he had no grace whatsoever. Dashing forward to stand before him, Kohaku blocked his way.

"Please, refrain from making so much noise."

"Whatever are you talking about?" Kohaku frowned before stomping her foot as lightly as she could, mimicking his movements. He didn't acknowledge any of her remarks and instead sidestepped her to walk further into the study. Wanting the place quiet for his brother, she skipped ahead of him again and blocked his way one more time, a frown now marking her face. In turn, he raised an eyebrow, incredulous of her actions. Instead of wasting words on him, Kohaku lifted a finger and shushed him before slowly walking the few steps left into the study. Following her inside, Kouen finally laid eyes on his brother sleeping and turned to the woman beside him who motioned at Koumei. Her point made, she walked over and took her sit again, tucking her legs beneath her and putting the scroll on her lap. "So this is where he's been."

Kouen sighed and walked over to Koumei before he started reaching towards him. Seeing this, Kohaku scrambled out of her seat, knocking over the things on her lap, and got to him just in time to grab at his forearm to stop him from waking Koumei up.

"As amusing as your previous attempts were, this is getting old," Kouen mentioned, merely tugging at his arm and pulling her along a bit from the sheer strength. "He's been neglecting his duties. Again." She shook her head unable to talk and not wanting to let go of the hold on his arm. Instead she glared at him as if daring him to wake Koumei up. He pulled at his arm again and she came with it, scraping at the floor as she tried to use her minute weight to hold him back. Sighing, he dropped his arm and turned to her. "Fine. I need to speak with you either way."

That caught her attention. She released him, her expression changing from anger to perplex in a second. "What for?"

He didn't waste time either. "The three mercenaries you captured yesterday were murdered last night."

Kohaku's blood ran cold at those words, her arms coming up to wrap around herself. "Murdered?"

He sighed and went to take a sit himself as she followed wanting to know more. "They were decapitated. Single clean cuts from what the healers could discern."

"That's...horrible."

Kouen eyed her for a moment as she stared down at her lap mulling over the information he'd given her. There wasn't much regret about their deaths but certainly a bit of sympathy. "Every guard assigned to them has been questioned and none know who could have gone in to commit the murder."

"Were any proper interrogations able to take place?"

"A few. There was still more to answer though." It was here that he came to glance at her. The longer he stared the more her brow furrowed until she gasped and glared back.

"I did not—"

"Of course you didn't. You were with me the whole of last night," he replied, reaching over to take one of the scrolls that she had laid on the small table between the two chairs.

She nodded and thought herself dumb for thinking he'd blindly accuse her of something like that. That's a relief. And of course, if she didn't do it, then surely the others— That single thought made her stop in her tracks before turning back to Kouen. "You're not doubting them, are you?"

He eyed her over the scroll as he skimmed through it before going back to it. "If you mean your siblings, no. I inquired and they have alibis for last night. According to Kouha and Kougyoku, Suisei was with them. Masami claims that Sousei was with her, as well."

She sighed in relief. If they found a shred of evidence, they'd persecute. Murder was something taken very seriously here, against a prisoner or citizen didn't matter. She thought of it as a 'guilty until proven innocent' system and although it was unfair to the few innocent, she knew that most murders, as they were, were pretty open-and-shut cases. That left a bigger question: who did it? But as she inquired further herself about what would become of the case, he only gave vague answers. They'd look into it, was all he said about it. Kohaku supposed that if they wanted to keep some things hidden, they had all the right to. Her thoughts were driven out of her when she heard him starting to move.

Kohaku stood quickly to follow him in case he planned to do what she thought he would. And like so, he began to walk towards Koumei and she instantly blocked him. He sighed, this time out of frustration. "Why are you so adamant of keeping me away?"

"If he falls asleep while working, then it's reasonable to think that he's exhausted. Why not let him rest?"

"This isn't new," Kouen replied. "He's not exhausted."

"How can you be so sure?"

Kohaku sort of regretted not keeping herself in check when she saw a small tick on his jaw. "For having no voice, you talk much."

That's a first. Regardless of her confusion, she stood her ground. Might as well since she already started to dig her grave. But she did try to at least soften the dirt a little. "It's tactless as both his brother and commander to not let him rest if he's this tired, wouldn't you think so?"

"He's rested enough, I'm sure." But as he was reaching out to shake Koumei awake, she diverted his hand. Unfortunately, he struck the desk and the sound itself startled Koumei awake. Kohaku pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed as Koumei looked groggily back at them.

"My brother and king." Koumei yawned before turning to glance at Kohaku. "General Kohaku. Forgive me, I must've dozed off. It's been far too long of a day and I haven't slept for three days straight."

"Stop lying," Kouen said rather straight forward and crossed his arms. "I thought you were going to assess the damages."

"Oh that," he said, rubbing at his eyes and yawning again, "I did." He passed the scroll he'd been napping under across the table. Curious, Kohaku eyed the parchment, carefully watching for each number and subtraction and addition of them as it talked over the damages done and their cost.

Before she could read all of it, though, Kouen took it from the table and read it at a surprisingly fast pace before rolling it up. "Go give this to the treasury and let the city officials handle the reconstruction of the damages." But as both turned to Koumei, he had already fallen back asleep. Kouen, out of the blue, slapped at his shoulder with such a resounding smack that Kohaku jumped in her skin and reached to cover her ears as the sound bounced roughly in her eardrums alongside Koumei's cry of pain.

As the two bickered back and forth, she had to fight back a chuckle that threatened to bubble out. Young or not, they truly hadn't changed. And perhaps that made it a little less stressful being in their presence, princely title and all. Both turned to face her at hearing her laughter coming out. Since it'd already surfaced, there wasn't any point in hiding it. She laughed some more before meeting their gazes and shrugging.

I'll laugh if you won't.

Koumei scoffed before yawning once more and rubbing at his shoulder. "Where you in need of anything, General?"

Kohaku blinked a couple times at being addressed amidst the 'tender' sibling quarrel before shaking her head. "I came to study since there wasn't much else to do."

"If you've got enough time to lounge around with Koumei, then training will do for you," Kouen commented.

This made Kohaku raise a brow, confused. "It's late, isn't it?" If one could call the bright afternoon late that is. But for him who trained before the crack of dawn, she figured it would be. "Besides, wasn't your highness busy this morning?"

He clicked his tongue at reading that sentence. "I've seen enough to know you have no respect, so might as well not bother." She flinched but smiled regardless. "My schedule has been cleared. Might as well continue where we left off this morning if you have so much free time."

She couldn't say to the contrary, so she nodded.

"Meet me at the training grounds in half an hour," he said sternly.

Not wasting any time, Kohaku put her scrolls away before sprinting of to prepare for the late session. Kouen remained with his brother in the study; half an hour gave him some time to relax.

"You weren't joking about helping her."

Red eyes tinted gold met the much lighter, almost pinkish eyes of his brother. Koumei stood up, putting away what he'd used to do his work. Kouen, however, sat back onto a chair nearby. "She's a liability as she is now."

"That much?" Koumei inquired.

"In the wrong circumstances she will be if she doesn't fix what's wrong now."

Koumei mulled over that, tapping his chin with his fan. He leaned against one of the shelves and eyed one scroll that she'd neglected to put away. Must've forgotten it. Walking over to it, he unrolled it to find strategies of more recent wars. The first his brother and king had been a part of, actually. What dampened his mood, though, was seeing the names of the late princes of Kou. Thinking back on those times, he recalled spending time with the woman he now referred to as General. "She hasn't changed, has she?"

"She's grown since then, Koumei," Kouen replied not missing a beat as to who he was referring to. "We all have."

"Not in that manner. What I mean is she still has that..." Koumei paused, tapping his chin a couple times more while thinking of the right word to use. "Peculiarity?" When he saw his brother giving him an odd look, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what else to call it."

"Stubbornness. Recklessness. Idiocy. There's plenty to pick from."

"Perhaps it's all of those. Then again, maybe not." Koumei rolled his shoulder from the ache that panged at it. "It's the same from back then but I still can't put a name to it."

"Whatever it may be, I'm sure it's of no importance." Kouen stood from his sit before heading for the door, "Be sure to have dinner. You've skipped it the last couple of days."

Koumei blinked, amazed that he'd noticed such thing. But he smiled while watching his brother's receding back as he left the study. The younger prince sighed in defeat knowing that he had more work to do. Turning towards the desk in order to put away the scrolls he'd use, he barely noticed the coat that laid sprawled against the chair he'd been sitting on. It was of a light blue color. A shade lighter than the ruqun that the general had been wearing. At seeing it there, he scoffed.

Attentive. Perhaps that word described a good part of them both.

---

Son. Of. A...

"You're falling short still," Kouen declared from across the field as he brandished his sword. "Again."

Kohaku grimaced as she lifted her head from bending over, beads of sweat rolling off her face and down her neck. Being djinn equipped for so long was starting to take a toll on her stamina. Kouen had argued with her that if she wanted to gain control, then training with the form that forsake her of it would be best. And because simply djinn weapon equipping didn't give the same output that fully equipping Marbas did, she knew that he had a point. But after four hours and as exhausted as she was— both mentally and physically—she was starting to lose both her temper and her restraint.

No, don't fall for it.

That was exactly why she was training. If she gave up control now, it'd be all for naught. Shifting back into her child form, she squatted down and buried her face between her knees before scratching at her head and ears. Kouen watched as Kohaku scratched and scratched, apparently trying to dispel her emotions. And as she lifted her gaze, he saw the red rims around her dark pupils disappear alongside her mounting emotions.

"Learning a way to get rid of it?" he asked twirling the sword about himself.

"It's...hard." Her signs were much sloppier in this form, he noticed, and it seemed mostly because her claws got in the way. Falling back to a seat, she brought her front paws against the ground before raising her hind leg to scratch behind her ear. A few scratches were all it took for her to stop in her tracks and turn up, pink dusting her cheeks. "S-Sorry. Force of habit."

Kouen supposed that, much like he was in his Agares equip, she too took on some animal instinct. And although he now had better control of it, he remembered a time when he too would be overtaken by such habits on occasions. "Change again."

She stood in all fours, shaking all around before getting up on her hind legs and stretching her arms over her head. She shook one last time before coming down on all fours again. Her tail swayed from side to side as she bent low, readying her pounce. At seeing her claws digging into the ground, Kouen took his stance and readied himself as she dashed forward. Kicking her talon down, she jumped up, tumbling through the air before changing in midair into her grown form and extending her clawed hand down for the impact. Brazing himself for it as well, Kouen stood his ground with Astaroth's djinn weapon equip at the ready.

Her claws clashed against the steel and fire with a deafening screech. The sound that the flames gave when her claws, soaked in energy, dug into his sword was almost like thousands of birds chirping loudly. The sound was so high-pitched and loud; he saw her ears flick back against her head for cover as her head flinched. She clicked her tongue as he blocked it but didn't give him a second to think. Dealing slash after kick after slash, Kohaku's breath came in short pauses every time she attacked but she refused to yield even when all her attacks were being thwarted.

Parrying her away on her last attack, Kohaku jumped back to give herself some distance. He scoffed at the poor attempt to barrage him, making her snarl. But before he could reproach her for being so easily taunted, her Djinn Equip transformed back to her child form. Panting heavily, she sat back. Kouen drew back at seeing her so dead beat; her magoi must be reaching its limits. Almost four hours, he mulled. Not terrible but could be better.

"We're done for today," he told her as he sheathed his sword. "We will resume from this point tomorrow."

Glad to finally have a breather, she laid back but held onto her equip liking much better what she felt now in it. It was somewhat strange and new. With Marbas, her mental or emotional state came closer to fury or emptiness. Never this lightness. It wasn't bad. It actually felt...nice. But as she laid there taking a breath and basking in the new feeling, her ears perked at a strange sound.

A sharp swoosh.

It was distant but it was coming towards their direction fast. Distinguishing the threat, she jumped out of the way in time to dodge an icicle that whirled through the air. Instead of hitting her, it pierced the tree trunk behind her with the ice quickly consuming the tree in ice. Kouen turned at the noise and watched as Kohaku skidded to a stop, her ears perked and eyes strained where the icicle had shot from. They twitched a split second before she leaped away to avoid them as they struck different places, piercing them all the same. She vaulted from the ground to tree branches and back again, avoiding each ice shard as it came at her. Not caring where she went, Kohaku skidded past Kouen letting one of the shards past her to his direction. Kouen drew his sword and with Astaroth's flames melted the ice to nothing.

A resounding thump was followed by the crackling of ice. He turned about to see that as tired as she had been, one icicle finally caught Kohaku and, although it didn't pierce through her, it burst out to pin her against a large trunk. High and in the middle of it, the ice sunk deeper against her, freezing her over the tree and immobilizing her. Panting and sweating, she didn't relent from undoing her equip and continued to struggle to get out of the ice as it began to freeze the tree to its core.

"That was fucking pathetic, Taozi!"

Kohaku's struggle halted for a split second at hearing the voice that called to her. More importantly, she knew exactly who it'd been. Only one person ever called her that nickname: the same person that gave it to her. Lifting her gaze, she saw as her country's magi descended and stopped before her while floating in midair. Judar twirled his wand in one hand while the other laid on his hip. A smug smirk came to his face and those dark red irises gazed into her own with curiosity. "Five years and this is what I find? A weak woman who can't even control her djinn? What a fucking waste you were!"

A waste?

Her ears perched back against her head as she snarled under her breath. Already fed up from exhaustion and training, she forced what magoi she had through her and changed one more time. The change shattered the ice that trapped her and before Judar could stop her with any more attacks, she leaped to catch him in midair. Claws extended, she met the magi's borg. The two quickly tumbled down onto the ground. Kohaku used her magoi to coat her claws before slashing the barrier across, effectively shattering it. But instead of slashing him next, she bopped at his forehead with her fist.

Confused by the action, Judar stared back. She smiled and stood to give him some space to sit up. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and let her djinn equip vanish for good. Kohaku laughed a little, her laughter somewhat throaty.

"I win."

Judar's confusion left him and he scoffed. "Like hell you did." Getting up, he leaped into the air and floated there while twirling the tiny wand in his hand. "I caught you first anyway, so I won."

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Kouen asked coming up to stand between the two.

"I'm talking to Taozi, Entei. Can't you hear?" he called somewhat annoyed.

Kohaku raised an eyebrow, perplexed, and finally understanding what caught Kouen off guard. She hadn't signed anything. Yet he responded to what she thought.

"No," Kouen firmly replied. "Because she's mute."

"Mute?" Judar's red irises bore onto Kohaku as she blinked just as baffled as Kouen. "I heard her."

And she wondered just how the hell that was even possible.

"That would be my doing, my king."

Bele?

"That's right," Judar added. He stretched lazily as he hovered a few feet away from them. "I don't understand why you've got everybody learning those stupid hand gestures when you can use Beleth just fine to talk."

Kouen glanced down at Kohaku who shook her head vehemently trying to disprove what Judar had said. "That's not true. Beleth can't do that."

"Of course he can!" Judar commented with a smirk. "How ya think I hear you even without knowing those damn hand signs?"

"He's not wrong." Kohaku listened as Beleth's voice rang through her head. "But my esteemed magi, it is only because you are one of the magicians of creation that you can understand my king through me. So connected are you with djinn that my powers allow as much."

Judar clicked his tongue and frowned before he 'stood up' and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Use him to talk to me then. Fuck if I'm learning those boring signs."

Kohaku blinked, his demeanor reminding her of the stark image from when she first met him. He'd been but a kid. Somewhat spoiled even back then, but he'd been good-natured as well. Forceful even, but she chalked it up to him not knowing any better way.

And he really hadn't changed.

---

Thankfully, the session ended shortly thereafter. Both prince and magi left together on their way, leaving her to herself. Exhausted as she was, Kohaku wouldn't deny that it felt great to be spent. It'd been maybe five hours in total of intense training and it'd been worth it. Not caring for food so much, she opted for a long hot bath to help her unwind. Her bath wasn't large enough for the unwinding she wanted, though, which included some light drinking so instead she headed out to the bathhouse of the palace. And she couldn't have been more delighted that no one else was in. Undressed with only a towel wrapped around and a bottle of sake in one hand, she entered.

Kohaku let herself sink in, loving how the hot water enveloped her as she sank slowly down to her shoulders. Once acclimated, she let out a long sigh of relief as her whole body relaxed.

Heaven.

Although most was held up, she still spotted some strands of her hair swimming along as she submerged just up to her cheeks. Blowing some bubbles for fun, she pulled back again and walked to the edge where she could sit comfortably. Leaning her arms over the edge, she looked up to the open sky. Dusk began to come, she noticed, as she watched the orange hues dominate the skies. Soon, evening would come and it'd be time to study then.

The thought alone made her mind tired. Perhaps having a part of her exhausted beyond words made it harder to want to do anything else. A smile crept to her lips, though, as she thought it thoroughly. Pouring herself a cup of liquor, she decided that, if for tonight, she'd show herself some leniency.

One day off won't kill me.

The taste of the peach-flavored sake made the idea that much more pleasant to her. But as she drank and the water warmed her so lovingly, her mind wondered to the news of that morning.

The mercenaries from Hakucho murdered.

Decapitated.

Executed.

She grabbed at her own neck, her fingers brushing against the protruding scar. Despite how much she despised the men for what they had done to her, her family, and her beloved city, she wouldn't wish such fate on anybody.

And yet someone had dealt that sentence out of their own volition. She thanked God none of her siblings were involved, even Masami. Implication would plant doubt and right now, divided as the palace was, it was the last thing she wanted for her family.

Still...who would even be capable enough to do it?

That's what she couldn't fathom. Anybody could kill anybody, just like anybody could betray anybody. But only a few could get past the soldiers, locks, and traps set throughout the palace, let alone the ones in the prison cells beneath it.

Just thinking of the countless of possibilities made her head hurt. At least the liquor alleviated some of the aching but even that was small. But she wanted something to ease her mind as the bath would ease her body. As far as she knew, alcohol was the best bet for both. After almost an hour there, though, Kohaku thought it better to leave.

All the while she dressed, her mind wondered again. Sneaking past soldiers and traps, magical or other, would take precision and knowledge of the layout. But the latter was workable. One wouldn't need to know the layout if they maneuver themselves well undetected. If anything, had she theoretically done it, it would've been doable.

Step lightly. Make no sound. See without seeing.

With Beleth's powers, it'd be comically...easy.

The simple thought stopped Kohaku in her tracks on her way back to her room. Her hand reached out to the nearest wall to stabilize herself, the idea oddly convenient.

"My king."

It couldn't have been...could it?

"No, my king. His highness himself said so. Your brother was with the wretched woman the night of the murders. He has an alibi."

Are you lying to me?

Although she knew that neither Beleth nor Marbas would ever do such a thing, she had to ask.

"I would never."

His reply calmed her but something still unsettled her greatly.

I need fresh air.

Maybe she was just feeling sickly from spending so much time in the bathhouse. Yes, that could very well explain it. Walking away from the wall, she stepped back towards nowhere in particular and walked. Didn't matter where just away. She busied herself with anything she could, from listening to the winter breeze bare the trees from what leaves they had left to watching the shapes the shadows took from the gaslights scattered around the dark hallways. The last thing she wanted her mind on was on the idiotic—highly probable— idea.

It wasn't him. Beleth said so himself. It couldn't have been.

An odd mix of noises made her mind stop; as she turned about trying to locate its source, she found herself far from her room and in the East ward of the palace.

Part of her mind told her that she shouldn't be there. This was where the private quarters of the royal family and altars of the priests were. General or not, she shouldn't be around those parts uninvited. A loud smacking and fluttering, though, kept her put, wanting to find out the source of that obnoxious sound. Her feet took her where her ears told her to and followed the route towards the inner gardens. Although it was already quite dark out, the gaslight around illuminated pretty decently for her search.

As she treaded through the countless of trees, her eyes wondered around to gander. The trees were mostly leafless. The grass, although green for the most part, began to brown in some parts from the harsh cold their eastern winters brought with them. But as she stared at the floor, a brown seed rolled down from above...right from where the loud smacking noises where coming from. At tilting her head, she also caught the other sound that had been mixed in with the smacking. Fluttering, like wings. Kohaku lifted her head, her eyes widening at recognizing a very familiar young man with his long braid falling off from the branch where he sat. Walking closer to the much larger oak tree that stood around the garden, she watched as the magi ate peaches he had at hand. Carelessly, at finishing one, he tossed the seed over his shoulder where it landed near the base of the tree where Kohaku now noticed a pile.

"Judar."

Glad that at least he could hear her, she smiled when Judar glanced down at hearing his name. Kohaku had to hold back a laugh from seeing the peach stuck in his mouth between his teeth as he glared down. Taking the bite, he chewed loudly—now she knew from where that annoying sound was coming from. Wiping at his mouth with forearm, Judar gave her a smug smirk before saying, "Well if it isn't the little failure."

"Excuse you?"

He scoffed and finished eating the peach in his hand before tossing the core her way. Purposefully by the looks of it. She stepped to the side to avoid it and glared back up at the magi. "You heard me. Now back off, I'm eating." That said, he went back to doing so. Loudly. Mad at his dismissal, she eyed the tree. Surely it'd be fairly easy to climb but in her attire climbing the tree would be a hassle.

"Since when have you cared?" She scoffed at the comment both her djinn threw at her. Crude yet true.

Hiking the long skirts of her ruqun up and tying them haphazardly with the sash around her hips, Kohaku found her footing on the bark of the tree and began to climb. Exhilarated she went, not believing that something from her childhood would come in handy as it was doing now. As a child, she loved climbing things: trees and some roofs among the few. The latter always gave her parents and Masami heart attacks while the twins would tell her to teach them. Climbing had always been fun, and by how happy she felt at the moment, perhaps it still held a light with everything else she enjoyed. Finally reaching the top, she grabbed a hold of a sturdy branch before hoisting herself up and taking a sit.

Her breathing slightly ragged, she reached over to Judar who sat at the branch over and took one of the peaches that he had about him. He jumped briefly as Kohaku retracted her hand and turned to watch her. He grinned but she could see the slight tick on his jaw. Liking the fact that he'd been peeved, either from her audacity to ignore his request or because she stole one of his fruits, she smiled before taking a small bite from her own.

"Damn Taozi," he mumbled under his breath before turning his body towards her. "You're annoying."

Kohaku shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

Looks like we have something in common.

But she flinched at remembering that she could hear her think, too. After so long, she'd gotten used to thinking that whatever was in her head stayed in her head because there was no way she'd burst out unconsciously. With Judar, though, it was like having a voice again.

And it was somewhat nice.

"What're you doing up here all alone?"

"Fucking bored of the old priests nagging every five seconds." He took another peach and dug in making Kohaku cringe from the obnoxious sound he made as he ate. "They're stupid and won't let me do what I want."

Is that so. Kohaku took another bite and swallowed before speaking. "So you ran off to hide. Here. Where they'll most likely find you."

At having been pointed out the obvious, Judar glared back at her. "Shut up, Taozi," he called and chugged the half-eaten piece of fruit her way. Hearing it in time to dodge, she glared back at him before throwing her own in reflex. It struck him but sadly his borg activated itself to protect him. The fruit harmlessly fell down before the shield disappeared and the boy's grin grew. "Try harder. But knowing you, you'll fall short just like you're doing with Marbas. Fucking pity, you are."

Oh, that's it.

Quickly taking peaches from him, she began throwing them at him. Although they resulted in the same outcome as before, she threw as many as she could. Judar, not one to sit still, began doing the same. Soon the two, sitting only feet away, were throwing fruit after fruit against each other. Some tagged Kohaku on her body, but she got some good shots in. Despite that, she hated that the stupid borg was still up to protect him. A thing that she disliked from fighting magicians was exactly that. But seeing as she herself had a similar shield with Beleth's sound, she couldn't complain. That thing made her shots fall short every time, though, and it irked her. She'd only picked a few peaches and only a couple were left. If she wanted her shots to count she had to put that borg out of commission.

And only other magicians could break it. That and djinn equips. A smirk grew on her lips as she reached up to her hair where her feathered pen laid. Without having to call to him, she activated Beleth's weapon equip. Judar's eyes widened but a grin split through his face at the same time apparently liking where she was taking this little quarrel. She saw his hands reach under his garments for his wand a second before she sent a razor of sound out towards him. His borg caught the attack head on before he could counter it with his own magic.

"Tough shit, Taozi!" he shouted as he floated above the tree where she stood with her staff in hand. "Puny attacks like those won't do."

"Yeah, yeah," she bantered, her own smirk still showing. Twirling her staff in one hand, her other occupied with her one last peach, she jumped from her place before propelling herself upwards towards Judar. "I'm puny with Marbas but I've mastered Beleth enough to kick your ass."

Liking her response, Judar raised his wand up summoning purple thunder that crackled all around him. Sweeping his arm downwards, the thunder followed striking down at her. In midair it was a bit harder, but she managed to swipe her staff across, producing enough vibrations to raise a wall of sound to protect herself from the magic. As soon as the thunder struck, Kohaku didn't miss a beat. She swung down twice towards Judar, sending razors of sound his way and using the backfiring of her breaking shield to propel even more sound his way. Judar let his borg take the hit, but that'd been what she wanted. Judar's borg began to crack under the immense pressure before it shattered, shooting the magi off from the force. Following after him, Kohaku jumped through the air to reach him.

Eyes wide at seeing her feet away, he went to raise his wand but she was faster. Right arm raised, she threw at him before he had the time to stop it. The peach struck him straight in the face, splattering all over. A triumphant smile spread across her lips as she threw his fist in the air. Judar fell straight down, too distracted by the juices in his eyes, and hit the ground with his borg activating again to take the fall. Kohaku, having more leeway for patience, slowly swept her staff beneath her to temper the sound as a soft cushion. She hovered slowly down until her feet touched the ground just some feet away from Judar. The magi sat there, his wand on his lap as he rubbed at his face angrily.

Cautiously, she approached him and brought his hands away from his face. She chuckled at seeing his face red from his incessant rubbing, parts of his hair plastered whichever way they went, sticky with juice. "Fucking rot. Look what you did."

"You had it coming for insulting me," she replied before dissolving her djinn weapon equip. Running over to the small pond in the gardens, she took an end of her sash—at least one of the clean parts—and soaked it in the water before returning to him. Judar snapped at her a couple of times but as she continued to swipe away his hands from his face, he found it easier to just not argue. Quietly, he sat there while Kohaku wiped the wet clothe around his face and hair to clean the stickiness off him as best she could. "There. See? No harm done."

"You're still a bitch for dirtying me," he commented. She let the insult fly, though, seeing as he pouted. Instead she went over to the tree where they'd been at and reached down at the floor where some peaches had survived. They were a little bruised but still edible. She took a couple before returning to him. Taking him by the hand, she got him to sit beside her on the floor of a nearby hall. Now that everything was calm, she handed him the peach that was less bruised with a smile. He eyed the fruit for a moment before growling and taking it. "Just because it'd be a waste to leave it."

Kohaku watched as he ate doing her best to ignore the sound of it. He really hadn't changed.

The first time they met was during her time at the palace, fairly early on their arrival. She'd been out climbing trees when she heard someone crying. Glancing down, she saw the little magi dressed, back then, in attire more fitting of Kou. The little boy—maybe around seven—was crying and pouting because the priests wouldn't let him do what he wanted which, to the little pampered wizard of creation, was eating delicious things. Wanting him to calm down, she offered him from the bounty of peaches she'd been picking and ate with him so that he could calm down. Once he did, he introduced himself and what he was. That had been the first time she'd ever heard of magis or magicians in general.

It'd been back then that he'd given her the nickname he seemed to remember even now: Taozi. The fruit she'd given him. And despite how rudely he ordered her to eat peaches with him again, she agreed. He'd appeared so lonely back then that she couldn't deny him. Perhaps that pampering was what had turned him somewhat rotten now but she didn't regret it. The lonely little boy that had likened her to a sweet fruit needed some company.

Kohaku placed aside the small core of the fruit as she finished it and turned to Judar again as he ate his. Surprised, she found herself thinking the same thing as she had almost a decade ago.

He seems just as lonely now as back then.

"You're amazing, Judar."

The odd comment made him turn with the peach half-eaten in his mouth. He took the bite before a smug smirk came over his face. "What'd you expect? I'm a magi. Of course I'm going to be great."

"Yeah, I suppose," she added with a nod. "But you've come a long way from that little boy who cried because they wouldn't let him eat sweet things."

At the reminder, Judar began to choke on a piece of fruit. Kohaku chuckled harder as she patted his back. The magi glared back with a tick on his jaw before answering, "You're very preachy for a mute girl."

That again.

"A lot of you seem to think so, yes." But instead of taking it the wrong way, Kohaku smiled. "But I can't help myself. It's nice to not have to sign to converse with someone else. It's almost like I have a voice again. And it's because you're you that I can do this. So, in a way, I suppose I have to thank you, Judar. You are pretty amazing."

He blinked owlishly at her before turning back to his peach. "You got that right, at least."

Kohaku stared up at the sky, letting him eat in peace. She hated seeing people like him— the lonely ones. They may be strong and well off but loneliness was something that anybody could suffer from and nobody could face it alone. Suffering alone was the worst. She would know. But if one can bear that with others, it becomes less heavy. In a way, it becomes easier to breath.

Reaching out to pat his head, Kohaku smiled when he turned to her confused. It was absurd that she would be comforting one of the powerful magicians of creation. But that would be acknowledging a part of him; he might be a magi but he was also a young man. And just like Sou and Sui, he didn't belong in war or in the hands of the organization. And yet things just were. All she could do was try to lessen that burden. All she could hope to do was make it easier for them to breath.

"You're weird..." he mumbled, pulling her hand away from him.

"Yes, I'm often told that too," she agreed, smiling. If they saw it as being preachy, obnoxious, or weird, it was fine. So far as she could do something for them.

Out of the blue, the calm fluttering of wings became loud and piercing. It sounded like crackling and it began to hurt her ears. But just as soon as it came, it calmed down, letting a much more frightening voice take over.

"My, what a lovely sight." Kohaku and Judar both lifted their gazes to find the empress, Gyokuen, in their midst. She wasn't alone, either, as a couple of priests followed behind her. Her cold stare came down to them as they sat somewhat in her way. And although smiling, Kohaku felt nothing caring about it. It was just as fake as her tears had been in the funeral. "How pleasant to have you back in the palace, my girl. I never got to say that to either you or your siblings."

Out of respect, Kohaku scrambled to her feet and bowed. At doing so, she noticed that her attire, besides being inappropriate for having gone out, was completely smeared in fruit juices and dirt. Her cheeks dusted slightly from the embarrassment, she swallowed it down and stood her ground. Letting herself be vulnerable wouldn't win her anything. Strength under pressure was what she did best. This wouldn't be an exception. Coming up from her bow, Kohaku smiled warmly while standing straight before signing their way. "Your Imperial Majesty, what an unexpected pleasure it is to meet you here. I hope you are having a wonderful night."

"Yes, I am." Gyokuen chuckled daintily and covered her mouth with her sleeve. "But no need to be so tense before me. After all, your father and the first emperor were well acquainted. As such, I do hope you remember that your father and mother were great friends and allies of both him and myself."

"Of course. Regardless, I am only their child. I do not deem myself worthy to be so lenient where your Majesty is concerned."

"If that is how you see it, I won't argue," she replied. "But I am glad that you and your siblings have returned to the palace after so long. It would be a lie to say you were not missed."

"Likewise," Kohaku added.

It's then that Gyokuen turned to Judar with a smile. "Judar, you snuck out again."

Turning to him over her shoulder, Kohaku watched as Judar, who'd been sitting down all this time, finally stood up. "The priests were being a nuisance."

"But you must listen, my boy," Gyokuen reminded him. "It's for your own good."

Kohaku heard the distinct clicking of the boy's tongue but was surprised to see him grin back at her, "If you say so."

Before she had time to react, Kohaku heard Gyokuen's soft steps as she came to her. The empress stood before her and although Kohaku was a few inches taller, the petite woman still held an air of dominance. In the end, she chalked it up to sovereignty and how it changed her but another part of her felt that this was something she'd had for a long time. The way she held herself told as much. The older woman reached out her hands and cupped Kohaku's face to bring it down for their eyes to meet—pale blues meeting a pair of a starker hue.

"What beautiful eyes you have," she commented, a sickly sweet smile on her face—one that reminded her too much of Masami. "Much brighter than the rest of your siblings, to my recollection. Bright like a blue sky. Tell me, my girl, wherever did you get these from?"

Kohaku's breath hitched ever so slightly but she recovered herself quickly. Faking a smile, she nodded. "My mother always said that I reminded her a lot of our late grandmother. That I resembled her very much."

"I see," she said with a sigh before letting her go. "I'm glad to see they remain so untainted for a war-prone woman such as yourself. Thank you for your services. I am sure you make your family proud. They sure are working hard for you four to remain here, after all. Regardless of their brazen approach." Kohaku was confused at her words but bowed down deeming it necessary before standing. Gyokuen then turned to Judar and reached her hand out to him. "Now come, Judar. Return with us. There are still matters to attend to and I would appreciate your company." Judar sighed but walked up to her. Putting her arm around his, she smiled to Kohaku. "Well, I bid you goodnight, my girl."

Kohaku reciprocated the gesture and bid them all goodnight. As she watched them walk away, she followed only Judar's frame. He seemed just as fake as Gyokuen did, if not more. Perhaps among many is where he felt most alone. So instead of letting him leave in the quiet, she asked Beleth to deliver one last message.

"Let's eat peaches together some other time, Judar. Okay?"

She couldn't be certain if he heard her but he had turned his head slightly over his shoulder. That was enough to convince her he had.

---

The idea was ludicrous. So ludicrous, in fact, that it could work.

"It's really..."

"Pretty, isn't?"

Kohaku's vassal glanced over her shoulder to look at Kohaku's beaming face. She seemed so proud of her idea but the girl had her doubts. Her vassal pursed her lips and stared at herself in the mirror that the two stood in front of. Despite having done this plenty of times before, they never attempted to deceit so many. It was fine when Kohaku convinced her vassal to do this so that they could skip her lessons and run around town together as mere servants. But this—perhaps Kohaku had grown to be too daring after three years.

"I don't know if 'pretty' is the word I'd use."

"Of course you are!"

Kohaku came to stand beside her and joined in the gazing of their reflections. Kohaku wore the simply gray clothes of a servant while her friend wore the elegant robes from one of Kohaku's dresses. Despite being apart by two years—one at eleven and the other at nine—their bodies appeared no different. Actually, nothing much told the two apart. If anyone were to look at them, they would appear as each other and no one would be the wiser. Except...maybe their eyes. Their eyes were a slight hue different, ones brighter than the others. But Kohaku assured her only someone who looked very hard to find that difference would be able to tell.

According to her, none would bother. Only the two of them would know.

"Oh wait!" Kohaku cried and ran over to get something from the bed where they had laid the clothes previously. Clutching it in her hands, Kohaku came over and neatly placed the silver carnation hairpin into the small bun that they'd fixed onto her vassal. "There. Now you're perfect."

"I'm not very sure about this, Haku." Her vassal wrung her fingers anxiously.

"You want to see him, don't you?" she asked fervently.

Her vassal's eyes widened before she nodded. More than anything and if only to say goodbye. "I just want to see him before he leaves again."

"Then tonight's party is perfect," Kohaku assured her. "You'll go in, waltz around, find him, and pull him away to say—"

"Goodbye."

"No, not goodbye." Kohaku's vassal turned to her as she smiled warmly. That smile, more than anything, reassured her. "You'll tell him that you'll wait for him to come back. It won't be goodbye. Goodbyes are too sad. So just say 'I'll see you when you come back.'"

"He will come back...won't he?" the vassal asked, nervously.

"I'm sure of it." A couple of knocks came to the door. Anxiously, the two girls took their positions feigning as each other. If only for the night. The vassal called out for whomever had knocked to enter and before long Kohaku's older sister, Masami, came in. "Oh, Kohaku, you look gorgeous."

"T-Thank you."

Masami, too busy thinking about the farewell party happening for their father and his troops before they went out came up to her and grabbed her hand. "Come along now, father and mother are waiting already. Let's not keep them any longer."

She nodded and was dragged along. She glanced back a bit nervous but only caught sight of Kohaku. Kohaku smiled and ushered her forward with conviction. The girl returned the smile and took a deep breath.

It wouldn't be goodbye. Just a simple 'see you when you return.' That will be all. And then all this will be over.

---

Startled awake, Kohaku jerked to a sit in her bed. Her breathing hoarse and heavy, she sat fully up, feeling the cold sweat running down her whole body and making parts of her clothes cling as well. That dream—it'd been years since she last had it. Or any related to her. Still shaken and seeking comfort, her hands scrambled under her pillow but found nothing. She flew into a panic until she remembered that her journal along with the carnation hairpin were in Seijin's hands. Safe.

But she didn't want them safe. Not now. She wanted them with her. Not caring for the time of the night or her own attire, she dashed out of the room and towards the servants' quarters. Although a fair distance, it shortened in her desperate sprint to have her things close. Sneaking herself in, she came to Seijin's small room. He hadn't much but looking around, she found the floorboard he'd shown her the first time she asked him to hide her things. Moving it aside to open it, she quietly pulled out her journal and made sure that the hairpin was in-between the pages.

Heaving a sigh at having them close to her once more, she put the board back in place before leaving as quietly as she came. She would tell Seijin about it later. For now, she needed them close. Returning to her room, she went over to the farther corner, between her bed and the wall and used that small alcove to safeguard herself. Relieved that everything was in place now, she sat with the journal and hairpin in her arms. Laying it down, she opened its pages towards the beginning—rummaging through loose pieces of paper, letters in between its pages.

I dreamed of you again tonight. I cried. It's impossible for me to not cry whenever I dream of you. It's like something compels me to do so. It must be my guilt. I wish I could talk to you—apologize to you—but I know I can't. It hurts too much to even pretend. But it also helps me in a way. But I don't know—does it hurt me more than it helps? If it does, I deserve it for what I've done.

I'm sorry— I'm so—

It sh— me. —die—

Blurred. The rest of the words were unreadable. Tears had smeared the ink away years ago when she first wrote them. It amazed her that even after this long those words described how she felt. Even after so long, those words perfectly described what she still felt. Kohaku closed the journal and held it close, feeling the familiar sting in her eyes. Emotions often stirred in her—anger, annoyance, regret, and glee were a few—but seldom did sadness. Nothing brought her remotely close to the same grief as this.

If she was going to weep, she might as well lay down. She knew from experience that once she started with this it would exhaust her just the same. With the journal in hand, she stopped just as she sat on her bed. The journal couldn't stay in her room. Not again. Bringing these back to danger's door was something she wouldn't do. But she also didn't want to return them to where Seijin was and have to go so far to reach them.

There has to be a better place.

And it surprised her that she didn't have to think so hard to find one. Picking herself up, she trotted to the study. She listened for a few seconds to make sure no one was inside before opening the doors herself. It was empty as she wanted it. Going off to the furthest corner of the study, she found where they kept most of their western references before kneeling down and searching for space on the bottom-most shelf. Finding a small opening at the far corner, she tucked in the hairpin before pushing the whole journal in. Sitting back, she looked at the full shelf.

A tree amongst a forest.

No one would be the wiser.

Happy with its new hiding spot so close to her room, she went back hoping to at least conceive some sleep.

But sleep eluded her for weeks to come.

Who would have known that a simple reminder would trigger such a cascade of nightmares? Night after night they struck like lightning, quick and forceful. And they kept leaving her in tears. In the middle of the night, she would awaken in a panic but the haven of her journal brought her solace enough to bear with it and not weep as much as she used to.

Restless nights with her morning routine wreaked havoc on her health but she knew well how to care for herself so that others wouldn't notice. She knew her body and how resilient it was. She knew her limits. The nightmares would subside with time back into the darks of her mind and then she would be able to rest. The days turned to weeks that went by uneventful; soon those weeks turned to two more months.

The dreams almost all gone by then, Kohaku could say that her life had returned to some semblance of peace. It lasted for only those short months, however. One morning before breakfast, Seijin sent word to her about being called to Masami's room along with the twins. According to him, their older sister had gotten news from home.

Kohaku hurried through the palace with Seijin behind her as she headed to Masami's room. She threw the doors open to see that the twins were already there, Masami patiently sitting and holding the unopened envelope in her hands.

"What word comes from home?"

"If you would settle down," Masami replies, motioning to the chairs surrounding her. The twins take her suggestion but Kohaku opted to stand idly behind them. "That shall suffice, I suppose."

She carefully opened the letter and read it quietly to herself. Kohaku watched closely as Masami's eyes scanned the paper; she saw her eyes widen for a split second before they returned to her usual composure.

"So?" Sousei asked, impatient.

"It's a letter from mother." She reads over it again before turning to them with a smile. "Father's health is getting better." A collective sigh sprung throughout the room. Those were indeed good news.

"That's great..." Sousei said with a grin as he sank back in his chair, relaxed. Kohaku reached her hand to his shoulder and squeezed it, reassuringly.

"Anything else?" Suisei said with a perk to her voice.

"Yes," Masami said. "It appears that father and mother have been exchanging correspondence with the Eastern Isles."

"Mother's homeland?" Sousei asked to ascertain himself. Masami nodded in response.

Kohaku couldn't fathom why they would reach to them. Despite being their mother's homeland, the Eastern Isles stood aside any national power. A band of islands strewn closely together, they were far enough from any large nation that none could influence them directly. Kou couldn't because any attempt to reach them via the ocean would be quickly shut down. The Reim Empire that sat to the other side of the Isles couldn't for the same reason. Even the Kina Kingdom rarely wagered a visit to them. Then again being part of the Seven Seas Alliance didn't leave them room to invade such small yet forceful people. Their purpose wasn't to conquer, just to live and be left to peacefully exist.

The only way outsiders or islanders could come and go was via the trading route they held with the aforementioned nations. It was a small route but because of its rich resources, it flourished even years after its establishment. Father had been a conniving man and knew that if he couldn't reach the place from the outside then he would do so from the inside. Kohaku questioned at times if their marriage had actually been out of love or out of merit. Regardless, none of them could possibly think of anything that the Eastern Isles had for their parents to be speaking to them.

"What for?"

"Treaty. Between them and...the Kou Empire."

That's absurd.

"The island chiefs won't accept it," Sousei burst out. "There's no need—"

"There is now, apparently." Masami read over that certain part again before turning back to them. "The Eastern Isles' resources have started to noticeably dwindle. It's not unexpected if you think about. A single land's resourcefulness can only last for so long."

"Did they specify the terms?"

"No," Masami said, shaking her head. "Only that the pact had been made with the Empress' and First Prince's consent."

Kohaku's brow furrowed at hearing mention of Kouen. Why would they need permission from him when this concerned more the state than military?

"Father wouldn't just give over something like that," Suisei called out with a puff of her cheeks. "He's not an idiot."

"Sui's right," Sousei agreed. "What did he gain in exchange for handing over the Eastern Isles?"

"A marriage...between the First Prince and myself."

Kohaku froze.

What...?

"M-Marriage?!" Suisei blurted completely taken aback. Her chair was tilted so far back that she would have fallen had she not recovered so quickly. "B-But Sami-nee is part of the Southern army with us!"

"She won't always be, though," Sousei clarified a tad bit calmer. "Once father fully recovers, he will take over Kohaku's and Masami's positions. I'll...join him as his second-in-command and all of you three will return home."

We'll be put back to our original duties.

Daughters of a general due to marry. And their father had already given away Masami in exchange for a better position for the Reizei Family.

Suddenly, Gyokuen's words from months ago made since. A brazen approach for the four of them to remain in the palace...as part of the royal family.

Goodness.

Their father had laid out the board and new every move possible. He caged in any other player so they would take the moves he wanted them to take. Did he really outwit both the Empress and Kouen? She couldn't believe it, much less where Kouen was concerned. Despite only being three months, the time she'd spent with him told her plenty. Intelligent eyes refusing to give and the stance of a conscientious man despite his impassiveness. She highly doubted he fell blindly to one of her father's plans.

No. If he's agreed to this, then it truly was under his own volition.

That didn't lessen the slight bitterness she felt. What she hated most was that she didn't know where it came from.

"Mother wrote in father's stead what we're to do now as well." Masami continued verbatim the letter from there.

Masami's marriage would be taken care of by them and the Empress. Because of the timing, the ceremony would have to be delayed. Masami stopped briefly in her translation before continuing. "And Kohaku—father's reconsidering the declination of your position as his second-in-command."

That struck her just as hard as the news of the marriage.

"But why? I openly declined that position."

Masami frowned but sighed. "Father's reconsideration was persuaded, apparently, by his highness, the First Prince."

What? That's—

...why?

Sousei and Suisei didn't disagree with it, however. They were more than pleased. Almost too much. Kohaku turned to them both with a frown. "What have you two done?"

"Spoke to Prince Kouen," Suisei answered with a smirk.

"Convinced him that you had what it took to lead alongside father, " Sousei added with a shrug of his shoulders. "It worked. We got you a second chance to prove yourself, to him this time. If he approves of you, nothing else will coerce your decision. Not if the prince himself recommends you. And this time, you won't throw the opportunity you wanted away."

"It wasn't something for you to meddle in."

The twins turn to Masami then and together answer her. "Haku-nee deserves it."

Kohaku couldn't have been more pleased. At least one little thing went well.

"Regardless of what you accomplished," Masami reproached, "nothing will change."

Masami turned her way and she saw in her eyes a punishment to come. She didn't like what the twins did at all. Masami stood, placing the letter away before the twins stood and the four of them stood together. "Once father has fully recovered, he will take his position back. And when Sousei's ready, he will replace Kohaku as father's second-in-command. After that, all will go back to how it should be."

---

That meeting left a bittersweet taste on Kohaku's mouth. On one hand, she was happy. Once their father returned to take over the Southern Subjugation Army, she could stand beside him. All she had to do was prove to Kouen she was capable of such position. She would still be able to fight for the country that she loved. She would be able to protect the people that couldn't protect themselves. She would aid those that strived to make their world a better place.

Then there stood the other hand—Masami's marriage to Kouen. That left the bitter taste in her, one that seemed to overwhelmed the sweetness of the moment. She knew Masami like she knew her own mind. And she knew for a fact that Kouen didn't deserve such a double-faced person. Sure, Masami could be sweet and extremely caring of those she loved but she hated just as strongly those who've done her wrong. Kohaku's case would be very well an example of such. She doubted that someone like Masami was suitable for him.

Why are you even thinking about this?

Shaking it off of her, Kohaku took a deep breath. That's right. It didn't concern her. If anything, she should be happy about their union. This meant that now she and her siblings would belong to one of the three most powerful global powers of the world. Once done with, the marriage would secure their place in the world.

Then why...does it sting me so much?

Not wanting to think about it, Kohaku sought out a way to push it aside. Having no stomach for breakfast, she excused herself after their brief meeting and had been wandering around the palace aimlessly. When her mind swam with thoughts or problems, her body tended to go on its own. This time it brought her back to the West Wing and towards the barracks.

It was rather empty, however, being so early in the morning. So it amazed her to hear the clank of metal against wood from afar. Someone must be training by themselves. It surely didn't sound like a spar between two people. The closer she got, the easier it got to discern at least that much. She could only hear the movements of a single body along with their deep, controlled breathing. Coming up to the outside of the training grounds, she watched the Fourth Prince from afar as he spun around with his polearm at hand.

Hakuryuu.

It'd been quite a while since she'd seen him. Ever since the fiasco with the mercenaries, she hadn't met with him. It wasn't that she hadn't tried, either. The sparse amount of time she had between her training and studies she invested in spending time with those she previously lost connections with. Kougyoku and Kouha were a prominent example. Recently, Koumei had been added to that equation as well. She found it easier to apply what she learned with an actual strategist looking over her shoulder. Funny enough, Judar had also been added to the roster. Although few, they would eat together or simply play, roughly but still. She would admit time spent with Judar was never bland. The times she spent with Hakuei were few, too, but very fruitful. She enjoyed spending time with someone she actually saw as a proper older sister figure.

As for Kouen, well, she spent enough time with him during training and then at times during studying. She'd grown more accustomed to his presence and that meant being less proper when they were together. In a way, it felt like they were kids again.

But Hakuryuu? She'd neglected him for far too long. It was time to attend to broken ties.

Steady and mind made up, Kohaku ambled his way. At spotting her as she approached, Hakuryuu stopped and turned, breath ragged and sweat beading down from his forehead.

"General Kohaku." He quickly twirled his polearm to rest beside him and bowed before her. Raising her hands to bring him up again, she did a few of her charades to communicate. This time, however, he stopped her. "T-There's no need, General. I've taken the liberty to learn your language."

Really?

"That's...quite a task you've put onto yourself, my prince."

"Not at all," he said with a small smile. "It was interesting to learn, as a matter of a fact. But I digress. Where you in need of something?"

That's right. Making her way to the stand where more polearms rested, she picked one that more or less matched her staff's height. Taking it and twirling it a few times to test it, she returned and took a stance with the polearm against her left arm and her right free.

"Let's spar."

"I don't think that would be appr—" his sentence ended when he saw the peeved frown on her face.

Kohaku smacked the blade against the ground, making a high screech to emphasize her decision. "It's much more boring to train by yourself, don't you think so?" Sporting a smile once more, she didn't give him time to reply on that front. She sprinted forward almost catching Hakuryuu off guard. The young prince was quick enough to lift his polearm and block her attack. She didn't stop there, though, and kept going at him; with each twirl she gave of her weapon, he was sure to see it and block. But that's all he was doing.

Come on, dragonet. You can do better than that.

She knew of one attack with a spear that'd force him to attack or take it. Grabbing the polearm firmly with both her hands, she took a step back and held it at her side before swiping horizontally at him. Hakuryuu stepped back at the simple attack but when he did, Kohaku thrusted hers diagonally. But as it came Hakuryuu recognized the move. The attack tested the opponent's resilience. If dodged, it would only hurt him anyway he went. He had to take it head on. Coating the tip of his blade with magoi, he remained in place and attacked with the same move.

Kohaku grinned at his figuring it out but seemed perplexed at the strange hue of his blade. Her doubt turned to shock the moment Hakuryuu's blade sliced cleanly through her own, the momentum not stopping there. Seeing no other way, she sidestepped, the blade still catching part of her hair and sleeve. Hakuryuu went forward with his attack and sliced at the ground, the blade coated in magoi piercing through the ground.

Hakuryuu abruptly rose with a shocked expression on his face. "G-General, are you all right?"

Kohaku grinned while brushing her fingers through her hair, startled when she saw some caramel strands fall. Hakuryuu panicked and rushed to her side as she picked at her torn sleeve.

"My deepest apologies," he immediately began. "It wasn't my intention."

"Don't worry about it." Hey eyes wandered to the blade still somewhat covered in magoi. "Is that magoi manipulation?"

"Oh," he quipped. Quickly, he undid the coat on the blade. "Yes, it is. I didn't mean to use it. But I knew no other way to stop your attack." Kohaku then watched with curiosity as his concern changed to perplex. "If I may, General—"

"Kohaku is fine." When his brow furrowed even further, she clarified it for him. "I find it quite easier than calling positions."

"Likewise," he replied before continuing. "Where did you learn that technique?"

She held her tongue for a second. Would telling him do any good?

He asked out of good nature. All he wants is to know.

And there was no harm to that.

"Yours brothers taught me. Both Hakuren and Hakuyuu."

He lifted his gaze at seeing her sign their names. "My brothers?"

Kohaku nodded and took him away to sit down before continuing. "They taught me a lot when I was smaller. It's from them that I learned how to fight well with a staff, and what urged me to learn even after they were gone."

Hakuryuu remained quiet. It lasted a little too long and she thought she'd spoken too much until he spoke again. "Do you remember them well?"

Kohaku took in the question, weighing her reply. "I do. They were wonderful people. I remember the times we spent together, happy, back then. I also recall how happy Hakuei and you were back then too, dragonet."

His mood dampened somewhat at her mentioning Hakuei. That's right. From what Hakuei told her, she and Hakuryuu where still at bitter odds.

It saddened her to see them like that. Of the few beliefs she held close, family was a big part of them. The world could leave and abandoned her but so long as Sousei and Suisei were with her, she could bear a world of pain. And she did.

She didn't wish that on him.

"You shouldn't be at such odds with Hakuei, Hakuryuu."

He lifted his gaze but at meeting her stark blue eyes, he averted his own. "Pardon my saying but that's not any concern of yours."

True. But if people keep calling me preachy and talkative for a mute girl, then I have a reputation to uphold.

"Perhaps not. But just because it doesn't concern me doesn't mean it doesn't matter." That confused him but when he didn't interrupt her any further, she continued. "It's been quite obvious, at least to me, the toll your mother taking over as interim emperor has taken from you and your sister. I may not understand your struggle but I understand how much it hurts to be at odds with a sibling."

Kohaku raised her hands, ready to continue, but stopped briefly. For the first time since she got there, she thought about what to say and didn't simply blurt it out. After choosing what she deemed to be the proper words, she raised her hands once more.

"It's like fighting a ghost. You can't touch it or hurt it but you feel the pain that being beside it brings you. Those feelings linger and burden the soul. They're hard to carry and seldom are they forgiving."

Hakuryuu lifted his gaze to look at her for a second. In that split second, though, she saw a part of his defenses fall as his eyes became slightly gentler. "It's hard. She doesn't believe what I've told her. Even though it's for the best."

Kohaku reached out to touch his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Perhaps it's not what you want but surely it's what needs to be done. Understand that much, Hakuryuu. Whatever your sister does, she will always do it with your wellbeing in mind."

He didn't answer. Instead, he gathered his polearm and hers as well before standing back up. "I will think about what you said." Taking both weapons in one hand and offering the other to her, he smiled. "If it's all right with you, may we continue?" A smile growing on her own lips, Kohaku accepted his offer.

So young and yet so lost. It was sad, really. But she couldn't say she was any better. In the end, she decided to accompany him in his reclusion and spar a bit with him. They spend most of the morning on and off until lunch which they spend together talking. To her surprise, Hakuryuu was much more talkative than she gave him credit for. Not only that but he was an amazing cook. Over lunch, he'd prepared a light and simple menu which she couldn't help but fawn over. Everything was delicious.

But after lunch, he left her saying that he had things to attend to. Before dismissing him, she asked to spend time together again. It'd been nice. Hakuryuu smiled at that suggestion.

"I would like that, yes."

Kohaku left after seeing him leave but as she rounded the corner just outside the small parlor, she met with a pair of pale blue eyes.

"Princess?"

"Kohaku. Hello," she said quietly. Standing before Kohaku, Hakuei fidgeted about, her gaze askance as if trying to figure out what to say.

But just by staring at her it was easy to tell what bothered her. Perhaps calling it her 'sisterly intuition' wouldn't be far off. "Hakuryuu is doing well. A bit downtrodden but otherwise well, Hakuei."

Hakuei blinked a couple of times before sighing and smiling. "Thank you…and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"You didn't. Besides, I caught sight of you when we were in the kitchen." Kohaku walks over to her side before inviting her to walk along with her. "You care, it shows. But perhaps your sneaking around needs some work. Your footsteps are just a tad bit loud."

Bringing her dainty hand up to her lips and letting out an airy chuckle, Hakuei couldn't resist herself from laughing. Once over, she smiled and this time it looked a bit more relaxed. "I'll take that to heart, Kohaku. But besides that, I have to thank you."

She raised an eyebrow at that odd show of gratitude. "For what?"

"For being there for him when I can't be," Hakuei replied. "And it'd be wonderful if you could continue to do so. At least...for the time being of this quarrel."

Kohaku gave her a grim smile and nodded. "I'll support him, whether or not you ask it of me, Hakuei. We spent enough days together for me to care about him. I think of Hakuryuu as a little brother and as such I will always do my best to protect him."

I don't wish for anything bad to happen to him, after all.

Hakuei couldn't keep from smiling. "Thank you, Kohaku."

---

Despite Hakuei's company for the afternoon, they went their separate ways early into the evening. Kohaku had wandered here and there wanting to avoid nothing and everything. The news from that morning still stuck to her and were hitting hard each time she remembered them. What she couldn't pin was why they even did.

I don't give a damn who Masami marries.

In fact, if the world were even the slightest bit fair, Masami would end up with just the right person she deserved for all she'd done. But Kohaku highly doubted that. The world was anything but fair.

And I'm living proof of that fact.

Her spirits and energy completed depleted for the day, she thought the best thing to do would be to rest. Surely some sleep would make her feel better. And if she skipped dinner she would have even more time to rest. Yeah, that definitely sounded like a good plan to her.

The evening light started to crawl over the sky and changing it to a darker hue when she started on her way to her room. On her way, though, she saw a familiar, short figure approaching her from the other end of the hallway.

"Oh, Haku!" Kouha exclaimed with wide eyes. Kohaku couldn't keep from raising an eyebrow, perplexed at the fabrics that he held in his arms.

"Hey, Kouha. What are you up to with those?"

"These?" he asked, raising them and letting the gaslight hit them. The fabrics glimmered beautifully under the faint light and caught Kohaku's eye. "Their Kougyoku's. I'm supposed to get her ready for dinner with Mei-nii and En-nii and she wanted to wear something nicer than what she normally does."

En-nii... Her stomach turned at hearing that name.

"That sounds fun. Hope you four have a nice time—"

Kouha struggled holding the bundles of fabric in front of her. Seeing this, her conscious wouldn't just let her go without helping him.

Just help him take the stuff to Kougyoku's room and go to your own. Rest up.

"Here." Before he could protest, she grabbed some of the pieces and neatly folded them in her arms before smiling. He thanked her and led the way back to Kougyoku's room.

Pushing the doors open, he loudly announced their arrival. "Come help us, Kougyoku!"

The young princess turned to them, at first a bit annoyed but it all disappeared when she saw Kohaku behind Kouha. "Anegimi!" she exclaimed and sprinted to them with a gleeful smile. Taking the clothes from Kohaku, Kougyoku set them aside before going to embrace her. "It's been long since I last saw you. You seemed so busy that I didn't want to bother you."

"We saw her last week." Kouha tried calling over the pile he carried. His stature didn't let him maneuver over the clothes and when he kept trying only to fail, he exploded in annoyance. "Help me too, Kougyoku!"

"Oh. I'm sorry, Kouha," she replied with a wry smile as the two women helped him with the rest of the clothes.

Seeing everything ready for them, Kohaku pointed to the door. "If that's all you needed then I'll—"

Kougyoku's eyes widened a bit before her little puppy eyes came over her face. "You're leaving already?"

At hearing this, Kouha immediately perked up from where he stood over the clothes. "What?"

"She's leaving, Kouha," his sister announced sadly. Kohaku kept inching towards the door in a weak attempt to reach it before he could do anything about it.

"Oh no, you don't!" he exclaimed and jumped over the clothes to tackle her down. Straddling her, Kouha grinned mischievously before speaking. "You won't be going anywhere."

In the end, half-threatened and half-guilt, Kohaku remained with the two younger Ren siblings as they squabbled about what to wear for their family dinner. All the while they went about searching for what'd be best for Kougyoku to wear, the young princess explained it to her.

"Kouen oni-sama and Koumei oni-sama are always so busy. Luckily, they tend to leave sometime for us when they can." Kougyoku smiled warmly and held one of her favorites close to herself. "It's one of the few things we get to do as a family and it's something I enjoy."

"Yeah but since most of our other sisters are married the numbers have mostly dwindled to us," Kouha explained all the while searching for a good pair for Kougyoku's ruqun. From time to time, he would place two up against Kougyoku for contrast before setting them aside into different piles. Kohaku surmised that each meant he either approved or disapproved of them for the occasion. "Tonight is supposed to be us four only since Kourin has other things to do."

"Don't be like that, Kouha," Kougyoku reminds. By the looks of it, however, Kohaku could tell that perhaps she agreed with Kouha's disdain. "Surely Kourin one-sama does have something important to do."

Kouha scoffed as he continued to dig. "Whatever. She's dissing En-nii and Mei-nii when they're giving up precious time to spend with us. That's a sorry move in my books." His attitude changed when he spotted a couple of clothes that he liked. Taking them and lifting them up against Kougyoku, he frowned. "Damn it, Kougyoku. You match with nothing but pinks and reds."

"Golds too!" Kougyoku added with a puff of her cheeks.

Kohaku couldn't help but laugh at their small bickering. They surely seemed tight knit like her own siblings. But unlike the twins, these two held a different kind of chemistry. It wasn't peaceful but rather rambunctious instead. Nonetheless, it appeared formidable.

At hearing her, Kouha turned her way making her stiffen a bit. His pink eyes wandered down to the garments he still held in his hands. Picking them up to place against Kohaku, he smiled. "Haku's color is definitely blue and silver, though."

What?

"They do look beautiful with her eyes, don't they?" Kougyoku asked as she stared at her too.

"No, it doesn't." She turned to Kouha then to plead when Kougyoku didn't seem to budge. "Shouldn't you be dressing her instead?"

"Yeah, but hers are rather simple to find since she doesn't match with anything outside her pallor." Kouha took advantage of Kohaku's confusion to decide to himself. "All right, you're wearing these then."

"Excuse me?"

Kouha grinned smugly before taking the two garments and setting them aside atop Kougyoku's bed. "Join us for dinner."

"I couldn't—"

But they spoke faster and louder than she could sign. "That's a splendid idea!" Kougyoku burst out, her eyes gleaming with happiness. Turning to Kohaku and laying her eyes on her, she could almost swear that they glimmered. "Won't you, anegimi?"

The more the two got into the idea, the harder it seemed to be to convince them otherwise. So instead she went for the logical path instead of arguing with them any other way. "It's for your family, though, isn't it? I wouldn't want to intrude on that."

"Doubt they'll mind." Kouha's words only seemed to light the fire in Kougyoku's mind further. She really liked the idea. "Besides, what's so bad about having dinner with us? Unless...ah—" he gasped, feigning shock despite the glint of a grin pulling at his lips. "You don't want to have dinner with us."

This little twerp.

But Kohaku didn't have time to strangle him for saying those words. Immediately, Kougyoku reacted and her puppy eyes returned, this time with a glint of sadness in them. "You don't want to have dinner with us?"

Kohaku gaped her mouth like a fish, her hands fidgeting like crazy not knowing what to do. Her eyes came to Kouha then to Kougyoku and seeing the mismatch of mischief and letdown on each made her indecisive. She didn't want Kouha getting away with pinning her against a wall like that but she didn't want to disappointment Kougyoku either.

But I can't say no to her.

Well, damn her conscious.

"No, I—I'll accompany you to dinner if that's what you want."

The two burst out in glee from winning. And although she wasn't at all happy about being tricked like that, she did enjoy that her mere company brought them such joy. Their sincerity was appreciated.

So if enduring a few hours of dinner with them was what she needed to do to keep them that way, then she would go. She'd suffered through worse, anyway. Dinner wouldn't be that bad.

What she hadn't counted on was on Kouha's meticulous hand.

"Stand still, will you?" he reproached for the tenth time. Kohaku grimaced but knew it best to listen.

From her own mirror, Kougyoku stopped applying her make-up and leaned back to see what Kouha was doing. "It's coming out really pretty, Kouha."

"Yeah," he admitted, wiping off a mistake he'd made around her eye. "But if she keeps moving, I won't get done in time."

"I didn't ask for you to put make-up on me." After having dressed her, Kouha wanted to apply some to go with it. And despite her refutes, he didn't leave any room for her to decline. So in the end, he won the battle.

"If I don't, you'll look plain with the robes you have on now." Kouha finished with her eyes and gently blew away some dust from her face. "Don't move. I just need to put something on your lips." Kohaku let her neck rest for a bit from all the pushing back he'd done and turned behind her at hearing Kouha's exclaim. "Ah, Kougyoku. I've told you before not to put on so much."

"It's not much!" she countered. Instinctively, Kougyoku turned back to the mirror and pouted as she touched her powdered cheek. "It's not."

"You look beautiful, Kougyoku," Kohaku signed, using the mirror to let her see.

Kougyoku smiled warmly before she turned to Kouha with a triumphant grin. "See? Anegimi says I look pretty."

The young prince then scoffed at hearing this. "Yeah, pretty painted. Seriously, Kougyoku, what's a woman that doesn't wear make-up gonna know about how much is and isn't enough?"

A grimace came to her at that, not knowing whether to take that as a compliment or insult. Her pride told her the latter. Nonetheless, she let it slide because, in reality, he wasn't wrong. Despite being in her early twenties, Kohaku new little about beauty and what trended. Usually for women her age, it would be a must. Yet seeing as she commanded troops of her own, make-up and the likes had to take a step down on her priority list.

Looking off onto Kougyoku's mirror as the two continued to bicker over the princess's make-up, she saw herself clearly for the first time since they started. Although not complete, she had to admit that Kouha had a hand for such things. Never in her life had anyone done such a number on her. It felt heavy on her but that was because she wasn't used to it. Besides that, however, she could tell the fine details that Kouha had struggled to do. The fine lines that followed her upper eyelashes were prominent and the slight darker blue shadow on her eyelids made her eyes light up. Her cheekbones had always been something many complimented her on but with the faint rosiness that he'd applied, she could see their appeal. Her lips, although small, were full but in contrast fell pale and bland.

Out of curiosity, Kohaku reached up to touch her face but got her hand smacked away by Kouha as he returned.

"Don't you even think of touching it." A small dish in hand, he damped something onto his index finger before turning back to her. "Let your lips fall open and don't pucker them, all right?" Following him as he seemed to know what to do, she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she let her lips fall apart on the exhale. Gently, Kouha rubbed at her lips with the balm. They were simple brushes and only a couple or three before he smiled and nodded. "There. All done."

Opening her eyes, Kohaku saw Kougyoku's shocked face along with Kouha's prideful gaze. All at once, she became self-conscious and it made her want to hide her face.

"Don't!" Kouha exclaimed, stumbling forward and taking her hands away from her face. "You'll mess it up."

"It looks weird."

Kougyoku sprung forward at reading that, shaking her head. "You don't," she assured. "We were just...amazed."

"Really?"

"Never seen you like that. What with all the training and studying you do, you don't get to enjoy being a girl," Kouha suggested while fixing his own clothes.

"I don't get what's to enjoy about this."

"You get to look pretty for one." Kouha went behind her and asked her to sit by Kougyoku's dresser. Once situated, he began playing around with her hair trying to see what fit with her outfit best. Kougyoku stood to the side giving him advice while Kouha kept talking. "And guys fawn over you. Have you not seen the palace soldiers following your sister around?"

She tended to ignore her in general so no. With a shake of her head as an answer, Kouha mumbled a small reply.

"Masami one-sama is beautiful and she does tend to herself quite well, too." Kougyoku gazed away to the ceiling a bit in thought. "But I've got to say, her eyes are nothing like yours, anegimi."

"Right?" Kouha called with a glance over his shoulder. "They're—I don't know—brighter maybe?"

"Definitely," Kougyoku said and came closer to her, leveling her face next to Kohaku's. From that position, she could see Kougyoku's bright magenta eyes sparkle. Surprisingly enough, her own blue eyes shone brightly unlike she'd ever seen them before.

They looked a little more...alive. It was an odd thing to think but she couldn't help it. Years of looking herself in a mirror had given her that impression. Despite their natural brightness, they lacked vibrancy. But now they had 'something' she couldn't place.

"All done," Kouha announced putting one of Kougyoku's silver hairpins on her hair. "It's simple but cute."

Kohaku looked at herself one more time. Her make-up complete with lips a slight peachy tan, her dress in perfect place thanks to Kouha, and her hair styled. He'd grabbed half to spin into a small bun at the nape of her neck, keeping it in place with a small hairpin, while the rest of her hair was let down over her shoulder. Her bangs were swept to the side with a few short strands unwilling to be put into place. It looked nice, however; she had to admit that much.

"Thank you, you two. It came out really beautiful."

"You're beautiful, anegimi," Kougyoku corrected with a tight hug.

"Stop it," Kouha reproached the two with a swat of his hands to their shoulders. "You'll ruin it before dinner. Which we might be late to, by the way."

Kougyoku's shriek so close blew her eardrums away as she began to panic. "Oh no. We have to go."

The little prince grinned before standing to escort the two. "Then let's go."

Kohaku took his invitation and grabbed him by one arm while Kougyoku took the other before they exited the room. She had to admit that it was nice to spend time with them. It contrasted a lot with when she first met them.

Her encounter with Kougyoku had been out of curiosity. All she had wanted back then was to have other girls to talk to. Masami spent most of her time with Hakuei. The twins were too young and mostly played with Hakuryuu—if one could call their bullying that. Kohaku had already paid the other six Ren daughters a visit and although a few of them were around her age, none wanted to have anything to do with a general's daughter. Kougyoku was different, though. The shy six-year-old girl lived in a palace annex being the youngest of Koutoku's daughters and daughter to a prostitute. Back then she knew little of what that implicated, just that she wasn't viewed the same as the others. But in her eyes, Kougyoku was just a lonely girl wanting friends. Kohaku related much to that.

As for Kouha, that had been pure chance. She found the annex where he and his mother resided on one of her evening expeditions of the palace. And he'd attacked her by accident when she startled him. Almost impaled a knife through her palm, too. But letting bygones be bygones, she wanted to know more about the little boy and his mother. So she approached him the best way she knew how: food. Baking small goods for the two, she would often go and leave it for them. He caught her one of those times. It was after she told him that she was glad his mother liked her food that he became a tiny bit less hostile. She didn't get completely through with him but she at least got as far as staying in the same room as the two—a safe distance away—and telling them stories of anything she could think of as they ate what she'd brought for the occasion.

Sadly, before any further progress could be made with either, her family left the palace. The last time she saw them Kouha was still exiled as the son of a madwoman and Kougyoku was still alone and unable to speak above a murmur. Looking at them now, she was amazed at how much they'd grown in her absence.

It impressed her. She didn't have a clue of the hardships they went through but she knew that what they had now they deserved. They won it with their own strength and will. And that was something to admire.

They arrived at the dining hall a little later than the set time. Unfortunately—thankfully where Kohaku was concerned—neither Kouen nor Koumei where there. Kougyoku's spirits plummeted the instant she saw this, though.

"They're not here..."

Kohaku accompanied her to her seat and took a seat beside her. Kouha sighed, taking the remaining seat by her other side before shrugging his shoulders. "I had an inkling but didn't want to say anything."

That was curious. "How come?"

"Council meetings. Expeditions. Stuff in the near future and the like." Kouha smiled wryly at Kougyoku and patted her hand. "It's all right, though. I'm sure they'll apologize and set up another date later."

At hearing this Kougyoku smiled before nodding. "Yes, I'm sure they will." She patted daintily at the small tears on her eyes before her smile grew back. "Let's enjoy this, though. Anegimi is with us and that's something to be happy about."

The two asked for dinner to begin being served after that. Kohaku remained generally quiet only replying to whatever they asked. She found it much more relaxing to listen to their amusing conversations about trivialities. But the calm soon got interrupted when her ears caught a couple of voices entering the room.

Lifting her gaze, she blinked at seeing the twins coming into the dining hall. Both stopped utterly perplexed but quickly changed as they ran to her side. Almost tackling her out of her chair, they began speaking all at once making it rather hard to understand them. From above the noise of the four speaking, she barely caught anything.

Someone said that they were glad she was coming out to eat at normal hours. Most likely Sousei. Another that said they couldn't believe she was having dinner with the prince and princess and not them. She chalked that complain up to Suisei. Kougyoku and Kouha ended being the ones saying that it wasn't their fault that she liked them better.

Hearing that, Kohaku finally saw fit to end the quarreling and speak for herself. "I was caught out, you two," she signed at the twins but did so over her head to be seen by the four of them. "But I also thought it'd nice be eat with them."

That appeared to calm them somewhat. Seriously, what was up with them four bickering about where and whom she spent her time with? But as they mellowed down, the dinner for three turned to a dinner for five. And like before, she didn't eat much. Instead she listened.

As the conversations got more interesting, she asked for a bottle of sake for the occasion. If she was going to stay here and idly sit by, she might as well enjoy it too. By the time desert came around, she had already downed a bottle and a half and there was still room for more.

"Oh, peach flavor. For being a rot, you sure have taste."

Judar. There was no need to turn to see it'd been him with the rude comment. Instead, she took another cup and poured him some. "How about you shut your mouth and we have a little drink instead?"

"Ha!" he burst out, taking his cup and spilling some over from so much moving. "You'll fall over before I even start on my third drink."

Kohaku scoffed; she highly doubted that. But since she was currently on a quest to seek some amusement, she didn't question the high regards he had of himself. "Is that so. Care to prove it?"

"Get ready to lose." The first drink was downed faster than she could see. He let out a huge gasp as the alcohol ran down his throat. Kohaku giggled and raised her cup to give cheers before downing her own cup much slower than he had. The table rattled when Judar slammed the cup down onto the table before her. "Fill it, rot."

"As you wish," she replied with a smug smirk, filling both their cups. Judar quickly drank his cup again but before she could follow suit, the other four came around to notice their little duel.

"Haku-nee, you shouldn't be drinking!" Suisei gleefully called. Her hand reached over for the bottle but Kohaku withdrew it before she could touch it.

"Didn't you say you were laying off the liquor?" Sousei inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"A couple drinks won't hurt."

"A couple drinks?" Kouha repeated with a smirk himself as he reached down beside her chair to snatch the already empty bottle. "Or a couple bottles?"

"Same difference." Before the twins could keep nagging her, she asked the servants for more cups which she came to fill up to the brim alongside Judar's. Motioning to them with the hand holding the half-empty bottle, she grinned. "We're celebrating, right? Let's do it right."

"Celebrating what?" Kougyoku asked. Nearing her lips against the rim of the cup, she grimaced a tiny bit before smacking her lips. The taste of the alcohol vanished pretty quickly and all that was left was the sweet taste of peaches.

"That we're here, alive." The morbid comment made them all turn to her but she dismissed it with a shake of the bottle. "What? I've come back to the palace after a decade and I want to be happy about that. Is it so hard to believe?"

"You're much chattier when you're tipsy, ain'tcha?" Kouha commented smugly.

"Alcohol loosens the lips. Or...hands, in my case." She shook her head, her smirk widening as she raised her glass. "Forget about that. Let's just forget about tonight and drink till we drop!"

"And you'll be the first to fall dead drunk, Taozi." Not minding the underlying promise of defeat, Kohaku knocked her cup with his before raising it for the rest of them. Giving up to her cheerful endeavor, they raised it and called for cheers.

---

Many dares and four bottles of peach liquor later, Kohaku realized she'd been right to underestimate their capabilities. Surely, none of them had messed up their bodies with as much alcohol as she had to last past a bottle.

She held still a half full cup as she gazed at the terrible mess the five young ones had done of themselves.

Kougyoku began drifting off after her third drink and dropped to her current mellowness in her fifth. Being the baby among the group, alongside Kouha, she hadn't expected much from her. Suisei dropped along the same time but instead of calming down, she went into this giddy and chatty mood. Yet no matter how much she kept talking, Kohaku couldn't understand a single thing from the slurs that came out of her little sister's mouth. Kouha held on until the seventh or eighth round. He was currently bickering with Sousei about...fishes? At least that's what it sounded like; that or another word she didn't really like to hear from Sousei. Speaking of which, Sousei had lasted longer than she'd expected. He actually lasted until they finished the second bottle. After that, he spiraled down faster than a change of the wind. And he became rowdy as could be. Kohaku got the feeling that the boy kept a lot more pent up than she gave him credit for. They all had their demons, she supposed.

As for the magi that had initially challenged her, well—she patted Judar's head as he laid on her lap completely passed out. Poor Judar had been the first to knock out just a bit before Kougyoku. Oh, he'd never hear the end of it now.

But as the servants began to clean what was left from dinner, Kohaku noted that she had to wrangle five drunkards out of there.

Damn. I didn't think this through.

In her head, she heard Marbas snicker and Beleth laugh. The former spoke over their laughter, "Wanted to celebrate, didn't ya?"

It couldn't be helped, she supposed. She brought this upon herself. Shaking Judar awake, she got him to wobble up and stand as he rubbed at his eyes, groggily. The image of him tired and sleepy reminded her that she only had a short time before the drunkenness faded and they knocked out like Judar had. Certainly, Kougyoku and Suisei were headed there fast. Kohaku needed to figure out where to take them and fast.

"Your room is the closest one, my king." Beleth's voice made it a bit easier to think above the slight haziness in her own head. Damn, the alcohol was starting to get to her now. She needed to hurry.

Since she couldn't exactly corral them like a bunch of wild horses, she opted for the second best choice. Undoing the ribbon from her ruqun, she tied one end around her wrist before starting the loop. It was a small technique she'd seen out in town in orphanages or schools with young children; a child train, one right behind the other and a rope around them to keep them in line. That'd be the easiest method.

She needed Judar closer to her since he was the most out of it. And because she trusted Sousei's integrity the most, she placed him at the end. Kouha, Suisei, and Kougyoku lined up after that perfectly. Despite their wobble, Kohaku thought it good enough to work the small distance to her room.

Signing to them as they were would be a waste, so instead she directed them forth and a single tug was all it took. Thanking the servants for the dinner she headed out with her little train of drunkards behind her midst. Thankfully, her plan worked up to the parlor of her room. The first to fall was her back line with Sousei finding a snuggly place to sleep on her lounge. Her front line fell a few steps after when Judar almost made her trip by falling asleep in the middle of the damn room.

The girls and Kouha at least lasted to her bedroom where she arranged them well enough to be comfortable. They took most of her bed but she wasn't about to fall asleep either so it wasn't a big deal. Kouha laid between Sui and Kougyoku with the two snuggling up against him as they slept. She went to quickly check on Sousei and Judar, giving them both blankets and Judar a pillow for comfort.

Her mission to bring them safely to bed done with, she thought it a good idea to undress from the fancy robe they'd let her borrow. Cleaning all the make-up off and undoing her hair, she went into the private bathing room of her quarters to change. As she did so, however, her eyes caught the sight of her bare body.

Despite her mind starting to get foggy, her eyes were just fine. They spotted every inch of her scarred skin from past abuse and battles. The scars ranged from small pricks to medium slashes and those were the ones around her abdomen. The ones around her chest were worse; burn marks even deeper wounds from smaller blades. Thankfully, she still wore the small underskirt from her ruqun that hid the ones she thought most hideous. She hated looking herself in the mirror for that same reason. Before with the Ren siblings, she'd avoided any suspicion because she dressed herself. That hadn't made the fear that they'd peek by accident go away, however. There was no denying that if anybody saw the scars her body held, they would instantly know they weren't all from battles. Some—if not most—were too meticulous to be.

Wanting to get that grim reminder out of her head, she changed into the white robes she usually used for sleeping. But she didn't want to really sleep at the moment. And it had nothing to do with the sleeping beauties scattered around her room.

Not resting after drinking so much would bring her hell the morning after; she knew as much from experience. But back when drinking was a bad habit of hers, she had mostly done it to conceive some sleep without waking every other hour. Now it kept her awake. And despite not wanting to sleep, she knew that it would hit her sooner rather than later. Defeated and knowing it was bound to happen, Kohaku thought best to simply go with it. But if she was going to knock out, then somewhere quieter and more relaxing would do.

Falling asleep in the study doesn't sound so bad.

She'd done it before by accident. Sure, her back would hurt but at least she knew she would rest well after letting her mind drift out into far off lands with magic knights and princesses. Fairytales sounded good right about now. Perhaps in this study they'd have some variety like they did back at her home. That thought drove her out of her room and to the study.

Stumbling a bit, she had to catch herself as she reached the doors and quietly opened them. Her hearing was a bit blown from the drinking, though, and were less sensitive than usual. It pretty much was like her normal hearing before Beleth. Perhaps that dullness of the senses was what didn't warn her of the person she found in the study.

It took a couple blinks before she recognized Kouen. Rubbing her eyes to assure herself he wasn't some hallucination from her drunken stupor, her breath hitched. The last thing she wanted was to see him. Not today after all the news. But as she got closer, her ears caught the soft sound of...deep breathing.

Coming closer to the desk, she found him sound asleep. His hand supporting his head as he laid on it while his other hand languidly held onto an open, half-read scroll and a single candle to light the room. Just to put her anxieties to rest, she slowly waved her hand a few times before his face with no reply. Kouen was completely out of it.

That gave her a little peace of mind. But her reading forgotten, she focused on the man that sat behind the desk. Despite how menacing and overpowering he appeared to be, he seemed sort of vulnerable now. And that might be a bit of a stretch. Perhaps vulnerable wasn't the correct word.

Reachable fit best.

When they trained, it was a matter of mentor and student. That was debatable as well. During her studying, he was more of an onlooker since Koumei took over the mentor position there. Anywhere else, he was the First Prince of her country. Any which way, he sat above her. Pedestaled as a prince and commanding general, but never seen for the person he was. It kind of made her sad to think of it that way. His position along with Koumei's and Kouha's changed so drastically after the death of three people. Three lives—insignificant to world itself—that caused a drastic change in the lives of many inside the smaller picture. How easy power shifted.

Terrifyingly easy and no one seems to care.

It bothered her that she could easily assay that about people. They would follow those most capable but never wonder about the strain put on those few. It's why she understood Sousei's fear to lead—his fear to disappoint—so well. If people didn't lead, they followed. If they followed, they didn't need to plan. And if plans failed, it didn't fall upon them. The guilt fell on others. It fell on the handful they entrusted, the same they were so quick to turn on.

For her, there was no better example than Masami. Years ago, she was the sweetest older sister she could have ever wished for. She'd been caring, loving, and all the bit protective of her as she was of the twins. Then reality knocked on both their doors and crashed onto them. It destroyed their relationship and no matter how much she tried, she knew there'd be nothing to appease her.

Masami was as vengeful as she was loving, and she would run Kohaku to the sticking place so long as she drew breath. The worst part was that she couldn't blame her for that. At least not completely.

Thoughts about Masami brought back the reminder of the early morning news of her marriage to the man that sat right before her. A man that, despite being so overwhelming at times, was forthright to a fault. Complete opposite of what she knew of Masami.

You don't deserve her.

They didn't deserve each other and yet—from what their parents and the empress said themselves—it was meant to happen.

But she didn't want those thoughts now. She wanted peace. Stumbling off to her corner, she picked her journal from its hiding spot and took it back. With only the single candle as light, she had to quietly bring a chair close to the desk to sit before sitting down and attempting to write. But nothing came to mind. Instead she kept doodling. Her fingers brushed against the carnation hairpin and she began drawing sad excuses for flowers, carnations or others. There was no way for her to concentrate. Without knowing it her hand began to write nonsensical words. At noticing this, her eyes flickered down to the page.

Marriage. Tied. Gone.

Extremely irritated, she ripped the page and crumpled it up before throwing it out wherever it fell. Even through the haziness, her anger sprung out at being unable to figure out why she was so irked about Masami's marriage. Shutting her eyes, she ran her fingers through her hair trying to sway those idiotic thoughts away.

"You're not mad that it's her."

Her gaze lifted from her journal and the hairpin to the man that still, despite the small noise she made, remained sound asleep.

"You're mad that it's him."

That can't be.

Certainly, she could care less who Masami got married to. That was something she didn't give two damns about. But Kouen? Kohaku scoffed at the ridiculous idea. She had no right to care. She was nothing to him and the same went for him as far as she was concerned.

"Liar."

I don't...

She couldn't.

"You can't help it. Just like you couldn't be—"

Quicker than she intended to, Kohaku snapped her journal close with the hairpin stuck in between its pages. She was tired of listening to such ludicrous notion.

I don't.

"Prove it."

Her gaze lifted up to Kouen and she watched for a few seconds as his chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed in and out. Blissfully in slumber, he was completely oblivious to the daring conversation going on in her head.

"If you think you're so right, then prove it. If you do and it's nothing, you win. If you do and you feel something..."

I don't.

And she'd prove it.

Rising from her sit, she stood idly for a few more minutes wanting to know for sure that he was sleeping. If she was going to prove it to herself, then she'd need him practically knocked out for what she wanted to do.

Her mind raced as she stared unable to believe what she intended to do.

Do it. It'll be small. Just a brush and that'll be enough.

It'd be enough.

Grabbing her hair out of the way, she moved her chair aside to leave her some room to maneuver. Fortunately for her, the way he'd fallen asleep was more than appropriate for the smallest of pecks. Using one hand to support herself against the desk, Kohaku took a deep breath to keep it from giving her away before leaning in. Scared at feeling his breath as he slept, she stopped briefly but before she could back down and lose, she brushed her lips against his.

Like she'd planned it, it'd been small. Just a touch of her lips against hers. That was all. And yet as she pulled back—as quietly as she could to ensure he remained unconscious—she couldn't help the slight lightheadedness that struck her.

An instant went by before she felt the blood rush to her face. Stumbling back to her seat, her fingers came up to touch her lips unable to believe the warmth that overcame them at such reckless touch. Heaving a sigh, she laid her head down on the desk just atop her journal.

"So...did I win?"

Not deeming the question worthy of an answer, she snuck the journal from beneath her head and slammed it on her lap. Still, she could feel the blood rush through, a bit of adrenaline and euphoria mixed into the bunch.

It was just a touch.

"A kiss."

It meant nothing.

"You're not fumbling over 'nothing.'"

I can't—

"Why not?"

That simple question harbored much more than she thought possible. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the journal, feeling the hairpin jut out from between the pages.

Because...everyone I love dies.

The conversation ended there.

Kohaku felt the tears sting slightly at the grim reminder. She wasn't one to believe in superstitions but that one fact always made it hard for her not to. Anybody important to her died one way or another. Always early, always unexpectedly. Always with her unable to stop it. That prompted her absurd obsession with the twins' safety. If she lost them or even Masami...she wouldn't be able to stand it.

The simple notion of that even happening made her stomach turn. But the alcohol and fatigue were hitting her hard. Her plans of reading or writing left behind, her brain and the little cells still alive after her binge drinking drove her to an edge she tried to fight against. She couldn't fall asleep here. Not after what she'd done. But her body won the battle and before she even realized it, she passed out.

---

The action delicate, Kouen brushed his thumb against his lower lip before gazing over at the woman now asleep next to him. Her head on the desk and one arm tucked underneath it, he heard Kohaku's slow breathing. He caught the hint of liquor when she'd leaned in, so the notion of her being drunk hadn't been wrong. At least he surmised as much the moment he saw her stumble further into the study and come back.

He hadn't thought it important to remain awake. As exhausted as he was, he needed his rest. Not every damn day did he give himself up for military benefits. On the upside, Kouen supposed that it would be the one and only time he'd do such thing. The Eastern Isles were a beneficial asset to conquering what remained unclaimed of the east but Reizei Koujiro had been adamant about his terms for over two months. Kouen had, in the end, caved in and accepted the man's plea. In exchange for the Isles, he'd marry his oldest daughter.

Over the years, he bore witness to the benefits his father had sown from marrying his half-sisters off to neighboring countries. They were nothing more than subsidies in exchange for allegiance. And he stood aside seeing the means to an end more valuable than what they were giving. Certainly his siblings understood at least that much just as he understood the role of his marriage now.

Kouen would go through with it if to obtain the Eastern Isles. But it didn't mean that it hadn't caused him a headache or two. Most likely a chronic migraine by how the aching hadn't given way since a few days now. They didn't seem to stop ever since he sent his acceptance letter to Shika. But he knew surely he'd learn to shoulder that burden with time the same way he carried the rest. Yet he felt a bit perplexed at Kohaku's impulsive action. Surely he blamed it partially on the liquor—the bitter-sweetness of it lingered on his lips still. But he also knew what alcohol did; it was but a temptress in excess and it unbridled whomever fell for it. And by the smell of it, she'd fallen hard. And it knocked her out completely.

Rolling away the stiffness from his shoulders, he deemed it about time to go rest himself. But his conscious caught up to him when he saw Kohaku shift a little in her sleep. If he left her there, she'd wake up sore. He'd live through a series of nights like those before and they hadn't done much except irritate him.

A part of him wanted to just leave her. Another part didn't want to be responsible for anything that could happen to her if he left her there.

It'd be faster and easier to just wake her up. But no matter how much he nudged at her, she was impervious to waking. She shifted from time to time but never more than a grimace of discomfort left her before she went swiftly back to sleep. A bit annoyed, he shook her hard enough for her to jerk in reaction. Throwing her arm out, he stepped back to easily avoid whatever she'd thrown at him along with her open palm. He heard the clattering and scattering of pages that made him turn to the side and click his tongue in annoyance.

A journal. It'd been the journal she'd been holding in her lap that she so haphazardly threw in her sleep. A few pages had flown out along with a hairpin that had fallen closest to him. Picking it up, he turned it over in his hand and noticed the motif, a flower.

Carnation.

"White carnations. They have a beautiful meaning: purest of love and greatest of luck."

Words spoken by a ghost of long ago rang through his head. But he had to settle his mind as he set it aside on the desk to pick up thefallen pages. As he turned each upright to tidy them, he noticed something odd. They weren't torn away pages from the journal itself. They were letters.

Inquisitiveness and desire for knowledge were his biggest folly. And this was no different as his eyes skimmed over the letter stacked above the rest.

My dearest little Ceara,

What to say to you?

It's only been a few weeks since our departure and since I've last seen you. Yet I miss you so. Even through the battlefields and horrid massacres I've seen in this war, nothing can outshine the thought of you. Simply remembering your eyes keeps me sane, anchored to know that I have someone who needs me. Someone that I need to return to.

You have father's eyes, you know. You've mother's name.

I can still remember the day you were born like it was yesterday, too. When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart.

Ever since then I made a vow to myself: I'm dedicating every day to you. Although domestic life was never quite my style, every time I see you smile, you knock me out and I fall apart. It's hysterical, actually. And here I thought I was so smart.

Ceara, you will one day come of age with our young nation. Even without father around, we'll live on. And I will fight for a brighter future for you. I'll do whatever it takes—even a million mistakes—to make the world safe and sound for you. I'll bleed and fight for. And make it right for you. Father always said that if we lay a strong enough foundation that it's only to pass it on to you. I don't just want to pass the foundation of our nation down to you. I want to give you the world because I know you'll blow us all away.

Someday.

I promise. I'll return home.

Always.

No signature. No name except that of the recipient's. And as he skimmed lightly over the rest, he noticed a pattern. They all ended the same. A promise to always return home. None where dated, either, but by the looks of it they were all from the same person.

It isn't your business.

But it made him curious, nonetheless. Not wanting to pry any further, he opened the journal on one end before placing the letters neatly folded inside alongside with the hairpin as it had been. Turning over to the small woman sleeping still, he didn't comprehend why she held such letters. But again he had to remind himself that it didn't involve him.

Tired as he was, he didn't think she'd wake up anytime soon. And leaving her here wasn't an option. Her room isn't far anyway. Foolhardy excuse but he'd take it. While handling the journal in one hand, he lifted Kohaku's small frame from the chair. She shifted slightly but returned to sleep quickly. Kouen knew that, because of the late hour, no one would be out to see this. If for her sake, he thought as much. Securing both the girl and journal in his arms, he made his way out of the study and towards her room.

Getting there was easy like he'd thought. What he hadn't suspected, however, was the people hoarded in her room. The younger twin and Judar were both passed out cold in the parlor. As Kouen treaded into her private quarters, he was slightly caught off guard at seeing his own siblings in the bed alongside with the older Reizei twin.

What in hell...?

But as he caught a hint of alcohol in the room, he could deduce pretty much what caused their rooming together. Because of how the latter three where asleep on the bed, Kouen found himself moving Kougyoku to the side before he could even put down the sleeping woman he held in his arms. After a few minutes, he managed the impossible and placed her down with enough room for herself. Thankfully, the beds in the palace where big enough to make such accommodations.

"Oni...sama?"

Kouen's gaze lifted for a second to stare at groggy magenta eyes. Kougyoku's bleary eyes stared numbly at him as he stood over them. She moved away from Kouha making him snuggle closer to Suisei.

"Go back to sleep, Kougyoku."

"We didn't—" she yawned mid-sentence but continued, "...dinner."

"I know." He reached over and patted her head before undoing Vinea's vessel and letting her hair fall comfortably down. "Next time."

"You promise?" she asked.

"Always."

"Yes."

Kougyoku gave him a small smile before her eyes drifted down to Kohaku who'd turned towards her. Smiling, she laid back down next to her. As if instinctively, Kohaku wrapped her arms tightly around Kougyoku—protectively almost—and both fell swiftly back to sleep.

Kouen couldn't help but watch for a few seconds. After a decade of being away, it took her less than three months to rekindle past relationships. Kouha talked plenty about her. Kougyoku was no different. Simply by this, it was evident they were close to her already. Koumei, at first, had thought her rash. After a while, he changed his tune saying that she was determined to learn; she wanted to better herself. He'd seen such vigor over the past months as well. That, along with the twins' persistence, was what made him send the request to Reizei Koujiro to reconsider his decision of accepting her as second-in-command of the Southern army.

Kohaku had shown she could be formidable, tenacious, and willing. She wielded power and did so with grace and veracity. If she continued on as she did now, soon she'd be a true force to be reckoned with.

It impressed him, really. Such a frail thing having so much power. He'd seen the same tenacity in Kougyoku which had fired his own persistence to give her a chance to prove herself. Kohaku had done that and yet still wanted more. Yet it didn't seem to be greed that drove her. No. Simply by looking at how lovingly she cradled Kougyoku in her arms, even he could tell no such thing as selfishness existed in the woman.

If he had to name her folly, he would have to blame the fondness she had for others. It drove her. It pushed her. And in a manic way, it controlled her. Kouen had witnessed his share of people over the years. He'd seen those controlled by greed, by pride, by fear, or by anger. But by their love for others?

She was the first.

But she was nothing more than a curiosity. At least in the future, his work would pay off. She would be stronger and be able to better utilize her abilities for the empire's growth.

Kouen set the journal with Vinea's Metal Vessel on the bedside table before heading out. For now, that would have to do.

---

A/N:

I keep writing these chapters and they just keep getting longer -w- I hope you guys like long chapters because I can't seem to write them any other way for this story. I hate partitioning them so here it is. Took maybe two and a half weeks to write (Evernote helps a bunch when I'm mostly at school or on the bus to and from). And editing took about two/three days.

Lengthy process. But it's out!

This chapter was more for those who seek to solve the mysteries within this story. Basically, my little children, I took a whole bread piece and spread the crumbs all over this chapter. It may not be complete but they're big pieces. And also don't be scared to be confused after this. It's a huge chunk of information to take.

I finally got to include some scenes with Hakuryuu~ He's a little sinnamon roll and I love him. Also, for those musical enthusiasts out there, the letter has lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, Dear Theodosia. It's a really nice song and it fit perfectly with what I wanted to convey with it. So that's credit where it's due.

Let's give a quick shout out to those new wonderful people who've Followed and Favorited:
- Rimefeather
- Mitsuyuki-Hime
- ailinkliang0
- Yoruno Aozora
- xXYuseiAkikoXx

Alas, it is time to say goodbye again. It'll be tough to write for this story, especially since it's sharing a slot with another new one I posted recently. The main focus will be on this one though so don't worry. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stayed tuned for the next update!