Chapter Thirteen

"You're moping out here again?" Nobuchika Ginoza's voice was the only thing disrupting the otherwise silent and peaceful night. Shinya didn't even deem to answer and kept his grey eyes away from his lifelong best friend, as silent as the night itself. A few moments later, he heard Ginoza sigh, and half expected him to turn around and go back inside the palace, which had just recently got back on its feet again. Ginoza had taken over the general running and relief effort, and he had managed to pull things together just within a few days. Shinya would have congratulated him, maybe even had a laugh at Gino's expense, but he wasn't in the mood for any sort of joy. To his slight surprise, Ginoza came and sat next to him, holding a cup of water. "Drink this. Stay hydrated." Shinya accepted the cup mutely, but didn't take a single sip. "If you're not going to drink it, I will pour it down your neck." Kogami chugged the water before dropping the cup. "That's it for you then? You're just going to sit here, feel miserable, and drink the palaces's remaining alcohol supply."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"No, no, it doesn't," Ginoza's voice had lost that soft edge in it, which meant he was well and truly done with Shinya's current behaviour. "You know it's not just you that feels guilty!" Shinya said nothing, knowing he was right- everyone else must be feeling terrible as well. "If you just feel that terrible, why don't you just go and see her?"

"I don't think she wants to see my face." Shinya looked away. "Fucking hell, Gino, I was meant to look after her- and look where that got her!" He tamped down his anger again. "I don't deserve to be called a warrior, and I never deserved her either. She deserved a lot more than me."

"She doesn't seem to think so," Ginoza disagreed with the bruised samurai. "I think you did her proud in the battle. You stopped Makishima, didn't you? He's dead- you did something for her, didn't you? She's proud of you!"

"Well, she shouldn't be. She should hate me. Maybe its best if I took off-" he was silenced by an incredibly hard and fast punch to his jaw that sent him flying. Sitting up and rubbing his jaw, he glared at his friend. "You should help people with their grief, you know that?"

"If you take off, I will come and get you and drag you back, kicking and screaming, I don't care." Ginoza sounded dangerous. "And she'd do the same, you know that. Besides, this place needs an interim ruler, and she'd name you anyway."

"I would be a complete and utter disgrace. It should be you- you've been getting things together and sorting this place out, and I've been here, staring into space and drinking endless bottles of sake."

"How many have you had today?"

"One."

"One?"

"One barrel."

"Huh, that's quite low for you."

"I couldn't find anymore."

"That would explain it. Well, you're not completely off your face, so I suppose as your 'interim ruler' as you say, I order you to go and get cleaned up and your wounds attended to before you start stinking and get an infection."

"I'm okay."

"It's an order."

"What if I'm going rogue?" He challenged. Ginoza sighed, and went back inside, and Shinya expected him to have given up. Not two minutes later, he returned, accompanied by Yayoi and Kagari, who easily lifted him up over their heads and dragged him to the bathroom, where it seemed a bath had already been run for him. Without a shred of embarrassment, Kunizuka silently stripped him off and threw him into the bath. The three of them left without a word to him, but a few minutes later a servant scurried in and washed him- it seemed Ginoza didn't trust him enough to properly wash over stewing in the bath for an hour or so. Sighing, Shinya realised he was probably right. When he was finally dressed in new clothes, which were a dark blue colour, he found Ginoza waiting outside for him, nose buried in a book.

"Took you long enough." He scowled. "Hurry up. Were going to go see her. I already have, actually. So it would be more correct say YOU'RE going to visit her."

"I'll be sent out in two minutes," he replied flatly.

"Now do you seriously believe Akane is the sort of person to hold grudges? Especially to one she loves as much as she does you? Really?" Ginoza challenged. "If so, I think you've completely misjudged her. I know you love her too, Kogami. Don't even try to hide it."

"I probably will for the rest of my life."

"Good." Ginoza smiled, before it quickly dropped off his face. "I knew the two of you were rather... Intimate, as I understand it."

"Yeah we kissed a couple times-" Shinya began, thinking that's what Ginoza, the famed 1000% virgin meant by 'intimate'.

"Right. Kissed." Gino continued. It wasn't like him to joke, but the samurai was trying to cheer up his closest friend. "Among other things."

"What do you mean by that?" Shinya asked as they approached the door.

"Well, to put it bluntly..." Ginoza trailed off. "You guys are fucking loud." Shinya spluttered and coughed to cover up his laughter. "Well, here we are. And if you don't get in there in 5 seconds, I will kick you in."

"I don't doubt it." Shinya replied before pushing the door open, and silently closing it behind him. He didn't show what he was feeling on his face, and as always, got down on one knee and kissed her hand. "Hello." He whispered, but it fell on deaf ears.

Akane was paler than he'd ever seen her, and she was pale to begin with. Shinya felt his own blood drain out of his face at the sight. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing seemed somewhat ragged. Perspiration laid in a thin sheen on her skin and she was hotter than what was healthy. A fever. She'd kicked the cover off her, probably because she was too warm, but inadvertently revealed her wound to Kogami. The bandages were bloody, but not soaking- Shion had been right when she said she'd managed to stop the bleeding after an extremely long hour. Kogami made a mental note to tell Shion to change the bandaging once he'd left. She was also in quite a deep sleep. No wonder; she was mentally and physically exhausted. Just by looking at her, he could see how weak she was. It seemed that each breath she took tired her out even more, but again, according to Shion, the danger had passed.

Gently, oh so gently, he raised the sheet over her body again, just to have it kicked off an instant later. The movement made him smile, but it was replaced with his usual glum expression a minute later. He put the sheet back on stubbornly, and held it in place when he sat down on the bed next to her. She moaned in sleepy protest and began to twist and escape the heat. Shinya held her hand and tried to calm her down- if she twisted too much she could open the wound again, which would lead to another stressful hour with Shion. At the contact, her hand tightened- if one could even call it that- and her eyes groggily opened.

"Shinya." She croaked, and despite how awful she felt, her mouth twitched in a smile. "Water please." Shinya complied mutely and poured her a glass. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her struggling to sit up, so he placed the full glass down and helped her sit up, careful of her injury. When it seemed she was too weak to even hold her cup for an extended amount of time, he helped her drink it. "Thanks." Her voice didn't sound as raspy anymore, which Kogami took as a good sign. "Could you carry me to the baths? I'm kind of sweaty."

"You're too weak. If I took you, Shion would screech at me." He smiled softly. "But I could give you a sponge bath." She went bright red at that, but he waved her down. "What? We've done more personal things." Akane made a raspy noise which could have been a laugh before allowing Shinya to bring a tub of water and cloth to dab her down. She really was warm, Shinya sighed, before deciding to say what he wanted to say. He wrung the cloth out and returned the tub before speaking. Akane had laid down on the mattress again. "Akane." He looked away. "I'm really sorry. No, I'm more than sorry. If you wanted me to get out, I would understand. If you never wanted to see me again, I would understand. I'm sorry."

"What? You're leaving?" She sounded panicked, and shoved herself up. She threw her arms around him and clung on, as hard as she could manage in her current state. "No! No! Don't leave me!" She broke off into a painful coughing fit. "Please don't." She whispered hoarsely. "I just want to be with you." She released him, but held onto his hand all the same.

"Idiot," he laughed. "I'd only leave if you wanted me to, and I'm going to guess that you don't, if your reaction's anything to go by." He looked away from her. "I want to stay with you, too. For as long as I can, if that's okay with you."

"I want to stay with you forever," she confessed before lying down again, feeling quite dizzy. "Would you?"

"I would." He replied without wasting a single heartbeat. "Akane." She smiled when he said her name. "And if it's okay with you, then..." He broke off. Wow, he thought to himself. You've killed a man for this woman, and you're now getting embarrassed?

"Then?" She prompted.

He took a deep breath. He was not about to fall short at the last hurdle. "Would you..." He swallowed. "Would you-" Akane thought nervous Shinya was kind of cute, but she didn't say that out loud. She would tell him later, though. "Would you marry me?" His face was bright red, which was an odd expression to ever be on Shinya Kogami's face, who was normally quite placid and calm.

Look at you! You killed a man- provided, he was just a terrible human being- without so much batting an eyelid, and you're getting all hot and bothered now? You are as smooth as sake, Shinya Kogami. As smooth as sake with ground glass hidden in it.

Akane's face split into a happy smile. "Of course I will, Shinya. I've never wished for anything more."

Akane Tsunemori sat alone in her rooms, where she usually dealt with matters of the land, brought to her by its citizens. The window was open, allowing a slight breeze to cool the back of her neck on such a sweltering day. It had taken a week for her fever to subside and a month or so for her wound to heal. There was still a strange looking scar there, but Shion promised it would eventually fade, but never disappear. Since she wasn't particularly busy now, since she'd passed all the laws and implemented the justice system she had planned to do, so there had been an overall sense of peace.

The only disruption she could recall recently was sending Sakuya Togane and Mika Shimotsuki to Sasayama, where she'd learned the former had become a labourer, endless hours of ploughing fields where Sasayama sent him, and Mika had become a handmaiden to Toko, who was now living with Sasayama full time. Akane didn't mind- she didn't have a need of handmaidens, but if she did need assistance, Shion or Yayoi would step up.

Happily she gazed at her left hand, looking at the ring she now wore there- Shinya had vanished two weeks after his proposal and returned with it, a thin band with a rose pattern twisting around it. Behind his back, she then charged the most skilled jeweller in the kingdom with making her ring for Shinya, and since their wedding day, he hadn't taken it off.

(Unbeknownst to Akane, Ginoza was still laughing at the pair of them, especially his dumbass best friend. "Going in expecting exile, and coming out with a wife!")

The memories made on that day in Sasayama's safe house never had to be forgotten, and each time he was just as attentive and careful as always, and even when she didn't feel like it, he simply sat up and read books to her, and at one point they even had a pillow fight, feathers flying everywhere, and getting stuck in Shinya's hair. For tradition's sake, Akane was still known as Tsunemori to the public, but in private, Akane Kogami. She couldn't get used to it, but she liked the way it sounded. No. She didn't like it. She loved it. Her heir would take on Tsunemori, but any others, if any, would take Kogami. And she supposed it wouldn't be so bad if the Tsunemori line turned into the Kogami line.

Shinya had vanished again, as had Ginoza and Kagari, to explore another land they had found, but he left with promises to return before their first anniversary. For once in her life, Akane was finally getting the peaceful and quiet party she'd wished for, but if others wanted to celebrate too, she was in no position to stop them.

A quiet rap on her door snapped her out of her reverie. "Come in!" She stood hastily to her feet, I think she'd been advised not to do, and momentarily felt dizzy, leaning on the table for support.

"It's me, O..." Sho's stammer had been improving, with encouragement from Akane, his beloved big sister. "Onee-nee!" He rushed to her side, trying to support her, unsure of what to do and evidently confused. She waved him down and say carefully in her seat.

"Sorry, Sho-kun," she giggled. "I didn't mean to worry you. Calm down, I'm fine. I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise." She held out her pinky, and he hooked it in his own.

"Pinky promise," he repeated. "Onee never breaks promises, so you're really okay." He straightened, remembering the purpose of his visit. "Aah! I forgot to tell you! Onii-nii came back!"

"Which Onii-nii?" Akane joked.

"All of them," he replied honestly, with too much innocence. "I'll send Koga-nii up right away!"

"Yes please," she nodded and watched him sprint away. She leant back on her chair and waited, closing her eyes. When she opened them two minutes later, he entered, his gloomy expression turning into one of blissful joy.

As always, he knelt in front of her and brought her soft hand to his lips, where he would always whisper, "Hello." He straightened up and kissed her properly. The kiss was like that of a drowning man's first breath of air after escaping a lonely sea. "I've missed the both of you."

"And we've missed you more." Akane joked, before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him again. The sky outside was quickly darkening, and it was roughly time for dinner. Akane usually went and got changed before the meal, but Shinya scooped her up into his arms, bridal-style, cuddling her as close as he could. She leant her head on his chest, shifting closer to his warmth.

"I have lots of stories to tell you this time, and you'll have to listen to my official report, I'm afraid," Shinya laughed as he kicked the door open. "Duty calls, Empress Akane!"

"That's so weird," she wrinkled her nose. "Princess was bad enough. I think 'Akane' will do." That made Shinya laugh again, and kiss her forehead. They were interrupted by retching noises, which were made by Kagari at the other end of the corridor, making the two of them roll their eyes in derision at the young samurai, who sloped off. Shinya carried Akane down to the dining room.

It had only been laid for two, and Akane was grateful for a quiet evening alone with Shinya. After the battle, she had found herself appreciating peace and serenity more. When she sat down, Kogami handed Akane a small box, and she knew it was a present from that foreign land. With curiosity, she opened it up- this time, there was no Makishima to tarnish how precious they were to her. The lid opening revealed a closed paper fan, which she carefully opened. The fan itself was white, but the images painted on it told the story they'd created in the last year. Akane noticed that Shinya had left out the most intimate parts. "Hand painted. I told the guy who made it the abridged version. I thought you'd like it."

"That's us defeating the demon there?" Akane couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. "I like it. And..." Her eyes fell on the last picture, and tapped it.

"That's the three of us." Shinya informed her. "Since I have no idea what they look like, or what they will look like, I sort of had to make it up."

Akane giggled at that. "Close enough." She shrugged. "It's beautiful, Shinya."

"And it's paper..." He hinted. "You're meant to get your spouse a paper gift on the first anniversary. And that's just your pre-present."

Akane had already gotten Shinya's gifts. She and Toko (during her rare visits nowadays) had spent three hours folding 365 pieces of paper to form mini cranes, which they'd placed in a rather large box. On each little crane was something Akane had written about why she loved Shinya, happy memories and wishes for the future. The anniversary wasn't for another two weeks, but she couldn't wait. She hoped he liked it, and she had the feeling he would. When she'd told Shion (and inadvertently, Masaoka) about it, they'd both encouraged her. Masaoka had been the most encouraging when she'd told them all she was pregnant, giving her tips on how to deal with back pain ("My Sae always found tea helps with any pains!" "A hot bath helps with cramps too!" "Ko, you'd better look after her or I'll throw you out the window!")

Shinya himself had been utterly ecstatic at her announcement, before saying that if she didn't want it, they would go and find a doctor. Akane had shook her head and said that she DID want it, he had brought her into his arms and cuddled her until she nodded off. Yayoi had been giving the Empress hot water bottles every day, despite the heat, or fetching her cold drinks, or supplying her with whatever food she desired. The bump was barely noticeable under Akane's yukata, but it was there all the same.

That night, after another rather heated night, the two laid side-by-side, panting slightly, but sleep was far away. "Hey, Akane." Shinya called softly, his hand clutching hers. "I think we've finally found the peaceful life we always wanted."

"Yeah," she agreed, putting her head on his chest. "Can we stay like this forever, please?"

"Of course we will, Akane. I've never wished for anything more."

"Shuya-kun!" Nobuchika Ginoza found himself yelling, hands cupped around his mouth. "Shuya-kun!" He sighed. Shinya and Shuya had argued earlier this morning, since the energetic boy had accidentally ran into his mother, and Akane had nearly fallen over. Fortunately, Shinya had caught the Empress, who was in the late stages of her second pregnancy. Shuya cried, as most six-year-olds would when scolded, and also ran off and hid.

When he hadn't returned an hour later, he and the rest of Akane's- and now Shuya's- bodyguards had to go on a child hunt. Ginoza, as Shuya's godfather and confidante, knew where to find the boy, but he knew the prince wouldn't want anyone else to find him. He entered the little side building, and found the prince curled up behind a barrel. Said prince glanced up in fear, thinking it was his father, but relaxed at the sight of 'Uncle Gino'.

"What's the matter, Shuya-kun?" Ginoza crouched next to the boy in his hiding place. "Your parents are really worried about you."

"No they're not," Shuya sniffled. "Daddy hates me."

"No, he doesn't," Nobuchika corrected him. "He was just worried that your mother was injured."

"She's not, is she?" He glanced up, concern clouding his brown eyes.

Ginoza shook his head softly, and smiled when the worry went from the boy's eyes. "He didn't mean to yell at you, I'm sure. He still loves you very much, Shuya."

"But he loves the new baby and Mummy more." Shuya rubbed his eyes.

"No, he doesn't love the new baby any more than he loves you." Ginoza told him, and watched the brown eyes widen- oh hell, the boy thinks I'm the god of truth or something along those lines. "But you're right when you say he loves your mother more. I don't think there's anyone else he loves more in the world than Akane."

"Why?" Shuya asked.

"Why? Hmm, interesting question." He pretended to ponder the child's question, and watched the prince stare at him with wonder in his eyes- he had made the wise Ginoza-Sensei THINK. "She was the light of his life, his reason for living at all. Wouldn't you love somebody like that?"

"Will I ever love someone like that?"

"I hope so. It's a wonderful feeling."

"Have you ever felt like that before Uncle Gino?"

"Me? Yes, but she can never be mine," he replied. "Come on you. You've worried your parents enough!"

"Will they be angry?"

"Of course not, silly. But you'll have to say sorry to your mother." The child nodded a little ashamedly. "Promise me you will."

"I promise!" Shuya piped up and followed his godfather back to his parents, who were both sick with worry, as he had predicted. When his father saw him, Shuya was expecting him to shout again, but his father simply collapsed to his knees and clutched his son to his chest, stroking his hair and apologising.

Behind him, Akane gazed upon the two, and knew she had found true happiness at long last.