Whew, the last chapter was by far the hardest to write. So many characters, so many perspectives, so little space. Haha. I had to keep the mystery and it's H-A-R-D. This is a chapter of Love Love Love. Hope you like it! :D Btw, I might take an indefinite hiatus from stories to focus on the writing forum. For those who are interested, visit us at Ressha no Kansou! :D

Princess-of-doctors: Why, thank you. I find Ashitare a cute boy since I'm into wolves. Heehee. Oh, Nakago's eyes just widened and his face, panic-stricken, not really much different from his usual surprised reactions. :D

ThePinkMartini: If you check Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden, you'll see Hakei there-he's sooo cute! :D

Obsessed Dreamer: Yeah, its a toss up between Nakago and Tomo. Heehee. :D

Khryztinne: Yeah no holds barred but I'm still cautious. ;)

Disclaimer: FY is not mine.

The Lovers' Lake

By Slavedriver2008

YUI COULD NOT feel her body even though she was awake. She was floating as the horse traversed slowly on the dry damp ground. The early morning wind blew and she shivered involuntarily, pulling the blanket closer to her body. She licked her chapped lips but the broken skin did not disappear. Instead, it seemed to have left her lips drier. A hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her, closer to blue steel armor.

"Lean on me. Rest until we reach the capital," Nakago whispered and she nodded, not finding enough strength to resist. He arms moved closer, warming her but not too close to warrant attention. Yui coughed and she immediately tasted rusty blood, oozing from the broken skin at the sides of her lips.

Her head was dazed and heavy and when she leaned on his strong chest, fog formed as she breathed heavily. The troop left Eisei before sunrise to reach Shinryu by nightfall. The shogun doesn't want to stop in any town for another night. He had promised to bring back the princess in five days and today was the last day. He always kept his word, she thought. Yui snuggled to his chest, still trembling involuntarily.

Fever hit her the night before, after being attacked by two of his soldiers. She could not feel the bruises on her body. There was nothing but the cold and his strong arms and the warmth of his body underneath steel armor. She wrapped the blanket tighter around her body, hoping the heaviness would disappear and she would feel better. She was tired. She wanted to sleep but she felt dizzy whenever she closed her eyes. And the falcon kept on making shrill noises above them, cries that drilled through her head, as if breaking it open.

Half-lidded eyes instead looked at the path they were treading with utmost slowness. She could make out trees and birds chirping in the misty morning. Shadowed trees were blanketed over indigo skies, which slowly turned to blue, gently being washed in red as the sun started its ascent into the heavens. Dew glimmered on the leaves, rolling down to drop on the grassy plains, hitting a little grasshopper that immediately hopped away from the water. She laughed lightly but the act made her weaker. The shogun looked down on her, he probably realized she was going crazy.

The gentle rays of the sun hit the surface of a long and wide lake, the light shined in tiny drops over the surface. Her breath caught as the color turned from dark indigo to lavender and then shifting back to darker hues, as if dancing in graceful steps along with the music brought by the wind. She has never seen a lake with such beauty and it made her smile.

"The Lake of Seiran," Nakago whispered for her information, not leaning down, not moving, not staring. He said it without the usual coldness in his voice but it also lacked gentleness and warmth.

"It is very beautiful…" she whispered back, too light she doesn't know if he heard. "I wonder if this is the same lake where Koyuu-sama found her…"

"Her…?" he whispered very lightly and for a moment, she thought her ears deceived her. She leaned closer to his body. She could not hear his heart over the armor. She liked the sound it made last night, soft drumbeats that eventually cradled her to sleep.

"His beloved. A woman with eyes like the clearest lake and hair that rivaled the sun… whose beauty would make the goddess of the dawn envious…"

A slow blink left her eyes and when she opened them, she saw a beautiful woman with long wavy golden hair, standing across the lake. Her eyes shone like sapphires and her skin was smoother than pearls. She followed them in those big knowing eyes. A smile graced her tiny face when their eyes met and the sun's rays seemed to have intensified.

"She gave him a pearl… and he spent the rest of his life searching for her. I wonder if he managed to find her while I'm away…"

The woman walked slowly, pacing with their horse. Yui wondered if she was dreaming or hallucinating or if there was indeed a woman at the other side, smiling at them in those motherly kind eyes. Nakago shifted from his seat, back still straight, looking ahead. Yui was tempted to point at the woman, but she was too weak to move. She simply wanted to look at her. The princess doesn't remember what her mother looked like but she knew she has light hair and eyes that were the color of chestnuts. Yui wondered if she was as beautiful and stunning as this woman.

"The general… You are close to him?" Nakago asked, momentarily sweeping her away from completely closing her eyes to sleep. The woman was humming a lullaby, a very faint song that made her sleepy. The tune was lifting the heaviness in her body.

"He is like a father to me…" she answered softly. "He has a son, but I never met him… I wonder what he's like…" The general smirked.

"He's probably a monster," he stated, the coldness returning to his voice.

"Koyuu-sama said he loves the sunrise, and waits for it everyday…" she managed to whisper despite the sleepiness. The lids of her eyes were falling as the melody continued to fleet in her ears. "A monster cannot love something beautiful…"

The sun finally emerged from the heavens, wrapping the horizon in reds and oranges and yellows, overpowering the blue skies and lighting the branches of trees engulfed in the shadow. Yui realized that the best sunrise was the one she was seeing from the lake. She wondered if she'll see it again.

"I love the sunrise too…" she whispered.

The woman had stopped walking and stood still, watching them pass by, still humming a light beautiful song. Yui slowly hummed the melody as she closed her eyes, it was stuck in her head. The general shifted again, this time, he looked down, surprise registered over his handsome flawless face. Lightness filled her body and the gentle movements of the horse became a soft cradle that carried her off to a dreamless sleep.

"If he loves it so much then I could fall in love with him…" she whispered before completely succumbing to sleep.

Nakago's eyes bore into her sleeping form and he turned to the lake to find it shining. His jaw clenched. He pulled the reins of the horse and it quickened its pace, his knuckles white from clutching too much into the leather reins.

CHUUIN HEAVED A sigh as the sunrise came over the blue tiled roof of the Imperial Palace. Directly facing the East, the palace was elevated from the kingdom below, making it hard for any army to infiltrate. And for prisoners to escape. A frown made its way across his handsome face, the bruises had all been gone and he was strong enough to escape. But does he even want to escape? She will come, he can sense it. Chuuin was not an oracle but he knew that his princess was near.

The performer fingered his cheek, tempted to place back the paints on his face. Would she recognize him once he does? Ah, of course she will. She knew him too well. The smile widened as images of her face filled his thoughts. She will marry him someday but he had to make her realize it. He had to think of getting a property, probably a farm in the countryside, far from the usual houses and gossiping mothers. They should be alone so they could farm in the morning and make love at night. And then they will watch the sunrise, naked under the sheets; they would make love again and this time, he'll make her scream. He fingered the shell, tempted to open it and let his illusions devour him.

"A pleasant morning, Seiryuu shinchiseishi Tomo," an old voice broke his reveries and he turned to the man, eyeing him sharply. He hated being interrupted, especially when he was thinking of her. "Is is true that you bore the mark of the scorpion?" Chuuin made a face. Another commoner who wanted to see his mark, how annoying.

"I do not understand what you meant, old man." He turned away, gritting his teeth.

"The shell is very beautiful. May I inquire how you got it?" Chuuin immediately turned back, surprised.

"I do not share my treasures with strangers," he said sternly. The truth was, he never knew how he got the shell. He grew up having it close and it had become as normal as breathing.

"I am Aoi of the Shi House, the oldest royal family in the Empire." The man smiled wide, long white eyebrows moving lightly as he spoke. "I am intrigued, what does your treasure do?"

"Why do you want to know?" Chuuin hit back. There was an aura in him that he could not define. One that probably rivaled his. The old man's status intrigued him and Chuuin moved his fingers over the light pink shell.

"I am but an old man, hiding behind numerous masks. New things fascinate me, especially powers that come from the middle of the sea," the man stated and Chuuin smirked.

Numerous masks, eh? He will find those memories and make it his own. And when he's done, he will use this man to escape the Palace. He was too prominent anyway, might as well find a use for him.

"My power does not come from the sea."

"Oh, but your treasure is," Aoi said, laughing. "Be respectful to the old man and show me what's inside."

"If you insist… Do not blame me for what you are about to see," Chuuin whispered, smirking. The man only responded with a smile, in a face that could not be surprised.

THE FULL MOON shone brightly over the tips of pine trees blanketed in thick evening fog. The land below was as dark as the shadows and the only thing that glimmered beyond the fog was a wondrous lake of blue. A woman cupped freshwater from the lake and lavished it upon a pink clam shell. She gently opened it and a bed of flesh appeared. She poured water over the glistening white pearl in the middle of the shell.

Footsteps came behind from behind and she snapped it closed. When she turned around, a young man met her gaze. His hair was as white as the moon and his eyes were of the color of dark wood, moving over her naked body. The woman pushed her jet black hair back, letting the man see her skin that was the color of snow. But his eyes never bore the same desire like the soldiers she killed and sent to the bottom of the lake awhile ago.

"Is it a Noperabo, Ryuki-sama?" one of his attendants asked and he hushed him, lowering the man's sword.

"I am Yue. The oracle predicted that I will meet the Emperor tonight," she spoke and a smile left his handsome face. Her heart beat loud and she clutched the shell closer to her heart.

"Kutou has yet to choose an Emperor," he answered in a deep voice that seemed to have reverberated across the trees.

"It is my destiny to marry him," she answered, staring straight at him. Will he be the new emperor? Only a man of noble blood with good intentions can speak calmly in her presence. She was the daughter of the moon, she can drive men insane with a look. "To meet him tonight… the man with the mark of the dragon in his armor."

"Three families are fighting over the throne, my Lady, all with the marks of the dragon," he noted, shaking his head. He bowed down. "Pardon us for interfering with your bath—"

"Ryuki-sama, the troops of the Hongou clan is arriving—" one of the soldiers called from the trees, panic evident in his voice. The calm brown eyes showed surprised and then his brows creased. He stepped closer and she stepped back, surprised. He offered his hand and she merely looked at it.

"Come—it is not safe for you," he said.

"I am to stay here until he comes…"

"The soldiers will abuse you—" he answered, voice tight. A sigh left him and she saw the way his eyes softened. "I will be Emperor—For you I will fight for the throne." He moved his hand closer and his shield showed. The light of the moon hit the steel and it shone, showing off a creature that made her eyes widen.

"A white dragon…" she whispered and then smiled. "Hai, I will come with you and be your wife," she said, taking his hand.

DARKNESS FILLED CHUUIN'S image as the images dissolved in front of him. He tried to control the image but his mind ended up being pierced by an unknown power, drilling into his subconscious and forcing images into his head. His eyes widened as his soul seemed to have been pulled out of his body and thrown into another piece of memory. His hand touched a heavy expensive door and it opened, showing the same woman and man. The full moon shone bright, lighting the room.

"It is a boy, Yue… a very beautiful boy," Ryuki said, touching the sides of his beloved's face.

The woman slowly sat up and the man helped her lean on the majestic headboard of the bed. The man took the babe from the cradle and showed it the woman, who eagerly took it into her arms. A smile spread on her beautiful face and she fingered the cheek of the baby.

"My son… he is mesmerizing. I wonder how many hearts you'll break, my love," she cooed and the baby moved lightly, showing off a glimmering mark on his right thigh. A blinding blue light filled the room and the woman's eyes widened. "A Seiryuu shichiseishi…" The man cupped his wife's cheek and caressed it, looking back in soft brown eyes. "Ryuki… The words of the Oracle…"

"Shhh… " A smile left his now older face. Time has passed quickly for them and they were no longer young men fighting for the throne of the dragon.

"Ryuki… Tell me I will not lose you…"

"This is my punishment for taking what is not mine…" He planted a kiss on the woman's forehead and a solitary tear fell from her eye. "He was destined to be Emperor. You were destined to be his wife. My weakness—"

"I chose you… I could have stayed in the lake… I chose you, Ryuki. I made my choice, against Fate." She leaned on the man's chest and snuggled to him, careful not to squeeze the child between them. "My place is by your side…"

"No, our son needs a mother—"

"—And I need a husband," she said, looking up to meet his eyes. "You made me believe that I could go against the will of the gods. You made me a woman, Ryuki. You made me a mother. You gave me everything." She smiled sadly and looked down on the boy. "Our son will live because he is strong… he will be strong. At least Seiryuu blesses someone in our family… Hold him." The man took the child and smiled at its sleeping form, the mark slightly inconspicuous from the cloth of white.

"His name is as beautiful… Tomo."

Deep gray eyes widened and the performer's head was close to cracking as the images passed through his consciousness, abrupt and clear and unforgiving, leaving a breaking pain that drilled his head, repeatedly, without mercy. The past and the present revolved together, imagination and reality meshed as one, swirling in an infinite abyss of memories and imaginations he never thought possible.

The vein in his head throbbed, his heart beat unbearably fast, various emotions emanated one at a time in his heart as the images continued to move, on a life of its own. Various emotions whacked his heart and he fell on the ground, the shell dropping from his palms. The pearl rolled and shined in the light of the sunrise, showing off marks of a dragon around a silver ring. His head reverberated with the new images, voices stinging in his ears. He shook his head and looked up to the old man. He smiled slowly.

"You…" Chuuin stuttered and the old man bowed before him.

KOYUU LIFTED THE necklace and let the sun's rays hit the sole blue pearl, making it in a shade of indigo, sparkling beautifully in the morning. He gently fingered the pearl, as if touching her face, and heaviness filled the general's heart.

"Our son is in the wrong side, Matuta…" he whispered under his breath. He placed the pearl on his palm and looked toward the sunrise, a burst of colors that brought him wariness. He used to watch the sunrise and wait for her, like him. Why had Nakago chosen a different path?

A heavy sigh left him and he placed the pearl around his neck. When he saw it on the boy, he immediately offered to adopt him. The Emperor was not against it, he was thinking of the same thing. But the Emperor had violated the boy and the thought was enough to make the general clench his fists. He regretted it, he cried and even bowed before him.

"Koyuu, take the boy and give him a future. When the time comes, he will have everything that is mine," the Emperor told him and as a man loyal to his master, he bowed down and obliged even though he wanted to pull his sword and kill his closest friend with his own hands.

But no, he could not do it. Shin was the man Yuna loved, the man she chose. When they parted he promised to love the man she loves and his heart used to revolt at the thought. The Emperor had taken away his beloved and even broke his child. But deep in his heart, he could not loathe him. He was the Emperor of his country and they grew up together in the Hongou household. He was always behind him, always protecting him. He was Shin's most trusted servant and friend. Koyuu's loyalty will forever be with him. Even in death.

It was a fact Nakago could not understand. Koyuu shook his head. The boy, his son, will never understand the pride of standing beside another warrior, of letting another man watch his back. He never had friends. Nakago had only him while he grew up, he trusted only his foster father. And in the end, Koyuu broke that trust and chose the Emperor. He will never regret choosing the Emperor but he will forever repent the loss of his son.

"Matuta, give me the strength to go against him." He placed the pearl on his lips and looked beyond the horizon, remembering a memory he used to always return to when he was troubled. He remembered the lake very clearly, it was shining in the night, reflecting the moon's meager light and re-creating it a thousandfold.

"Matuta?" he called to her and she turned slowly, looking out into the lake of hundred blue and indigo hues.

"The Lake of Seiran… belongs to lovers," she whispered but he heard it clearly as if the mild breeze brought it to his ears.

"Why does it shine?" he asked and her eyes widened lightly. She immediately looked away, her beautiful eyes the color of a peaceful sky.

"Is he living well in the Palace?" she asked and he smiled. He was her older brother, a warrior like himself, but who preferred to narrate stories.

"Hai, the Crowned Prince and the whole court is enthralled by his narrations," he answered and the woman smiled wide. Koyuu could not forget how they met, he was badly bruised in a confrontation in the West side of Kutou and she healed his wounds. She has very soft hands.

"Even when we were young, he had always seen images, apparitions from the Water Deity." She walked toward the lake and turned toward him. "My father would not permit it, we do worship another god, a fact that doesn't sit well with the ruling clan…"

"Once Shin-sama ascends to the throne, he will give your tribe proper rights," he said proudly, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice. The magistrates do not approve of Shin but he was determined to take the throne.

"He is marrying her…?" she asked, lowering her head but watching him intently. "The princess of Hokkan…?" A nod left Koyuu and he smiled.

"We'd like to believe that she will choose him once he is crowned Emperor," he answered. Another civil war was brewing in the capital but the princess of Hokkan will pacify the commotions. The magistrates will choose Shin once he has Hokkan behind him.

"Does the general's heart not revolt to the union?"

"I am not an Emperor, I cannot offer her a kingdom." The woman walked toward him and he watched her intently. She was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. Even the princess of Hokkan was incomparable to her beauty. "A man who cannot offer a woman a piece of land and a luxurious life is not worthy of her."

"Some women don't want any land or riches. They just want the man." She was an arm's away and her blue eyes shone with the moon. "I do."

"The lake… what does it say when it shines…?"

"They say that if two hearts are destined for each other, the lake will shine when they are together." A sad smile left her face and he lined her cheek with a finger. "Two hearts are beating as one…"

"The lake is shining for us, is it not?" She looked up, surprised, her face as red as plums.

Loud knocks came from the door, ruining the trail of thoughts in Koyuu's head. He immediately turned and clutched the hilt of his sword. It was too early for visitors and he was not dressed properly as a General. The knocks continued and he cleared his throat.

"Who comes at my room with the sun?" he asked, voice stern.

"Koyuu-sama, it is I, Hakei."

CHARACTER INFOCUS

Koyuu Gi – The most powerful general of Kutou. His loyalty remains with the Hongou house and kept the numerous secrets of the family. He was the late emperor's closest confidante and acted like a second father to the priestess. The Empress Yuna was his first love but he met and gave his heart to Matuta. He adopted his own son and trained him to exceed the Emperor upon the latter's orders. His mark is a hawk holding a crystal blade.

Matuta Hin – Ryu's younger sister and daughter of the tribe leader. She stayed by her father's side when the bard left for the capital but she was banished from her position when she was found pregnant with an outsider's son. After giving birth to the warrior Nakago, the village was attacked and she was raped by soldiers, forcing the boy to use his powers to save her. Still unable to control his powers, she was accidentally killed by his own son.

A/N: This is such an aww… chapter. Anyway, I hope you like this one.