jychan: I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari so no suing please….
13. A Rebellion
"Hidari-hime, is there a problem?"
Himeko asked the younger girl, who was silent through out their trip going back to Shinyen,
"Even back when Ryuuki-ten'no, Yuushun-dono, Shi-san, and Kogo Shuurei saw us back, you were very silent."
She added as the younger girl was just sighing on a side,
Flashback
"That's good. Well then, I'll tell you this. Don't make anyone go inside your heart except for me. I'm the only one allowed to invade your heart."
End Of Flashback
Hidari continued on sighing as she thought of what the older guy told her the night before,
"Hidari-hime, are you listening?"
Himeko asked as she snapped her fingers in front of Hidari, who was brought back to reality,
"Ah, Onee-sama... Is there a problem? Are we back already?"
Hidari asked as Himeko sighed and said,
"No. Not yet. It would take us a very long time before we return to Shinyen 5 days at the least."
Hidari nodded at what Himeko said as she looked at the outside of the carriage, through the window,
"Is that so... Onee-sama, what do you think would happen in Shinyen, when we're back?"
Hidari asked as she looked at the sky,
"Don't remind me of those things first. Because I am pretty sure that they would keep on bugging me to marry someone, when I declared and proclaimed already that I would not."
Himeko replied as Hidari looked at her and said,
"Of course. After all, you would never marry anyone but Seien-nii-sama, but too bad he is at the other side already."
Himeko just sighed at what Hidari said and replied,
"I suppose... But I probably would marry."
"Eh?"
"...but that would be after I see Shinyen at its best."
"Shinyen at its best? Isn't Shinyen at its best already, Onee-sama?"
"There is yet to see in the future, Hidari-hime. This is not yet the time when Shinyen would be in its best. I am not yet content with its current status."
"Eh? What do you mean, Onee-sama? Are you kidding me? Shinyen has been in its very best! Much more better in Otou-sama's time!"
Hidari said as Himeko sighed and said,
"Again, I am not content yet. Currently, Shinyen is still depending on other countries when it comes to some resources. So, no, it is still not yet in its best."
Hidari turned to her sister than sighed,
"If you say so, Onee-sama, but don't force yourself, OK?"
Hidari said as Himeko nodded and replied,
"Don't worry, Hidari-hime, I'll be fine. And when I see Shinyen in its best, then I shall resign from my throne. I do hope that you'll take over well."
"Eh? Onee-sama are you serious?"
Himeko just chuckled at her younger sister's response,
"Maa, maa, who knows. But if I resign my throne or I die, shall you be the Empress?"
"I don't want to!"
"Well, I guess it would be passed to Kaori-hime. We know how deserving she is. If she weren't the second princess, then she must've been the Empress."
Himeko said as Hidari nodded in agreement,
"But, Himeko-nee-sama, do you think Kaori-nee-sama would accept your decision?"
Hidari asked as Himeko said,
"Well, she would deny that, but that is if I won't prescribe it. I will do that in secret, Hidari-hime. So, please don't mention it to anyone."
"Nnnn!!!"
"But then, Hidari-hime, why would you not want the Shinyen throne?"
Himeko asked as Hidari thought about it for a moment,
"Well, that would mean I would do a lot of work for Shinyen, and I have no ambition for that throne."
Hidari replied as Himeko just chuckled,
"Why is it Onee-sama? You have another guess?"
"You're correct. I was rather thinking that you would want to be with someone else, not someone that the Court would choose for you, since if you're an Empress, that would happen."
An image of Ran Shuuei popped in Hidari's mind at what her older sister said,
'Why did I have to think of him this time?'
Hidari replied to her Onee-sama with a
"Chigau desu! There's no one as of the moment! None!"
"Is that so? Don't tell me, Hidari-hime, that you would be doomed to be an old maid just like me?"
"No! I don't plan to be an old maid! But there's no one as of the moment. Unlike you..."
"Well, I do have one on my mind, but I'm going to be an old maid, no matter what Kaori-hime tells me or if the court forces me."
Himeko said as Hidari sighed,
"What was that sigh for Hidari-hime?"
"Don't you think that they're going to make me have an arranged marriage?"
Himeko thought for a moment and replied,
"That would be possible."
"But then, Onee-sama, I don't want to. I want to marry someone because of my feelings, not for political reasons."
"Well, I am pretty sure that would be impossible. The best that you could do, Hidari-hime, would be falling for a prominent man. That would be very much anticipated and would also be accepted by the Court."
Hidari sighed at what her Onee-sama said as she bit her lip,
"Onee-sama, tell me. How did you know that you fell in love with Seien-nii-sama?"
"Eh? Wha-what do you mean, Hidari-hime?"
The older sister blushed at what the princess asked,
"How will you know if you fall for that certain person?"
'Eh? What should I tell Hidari-hime?...'
The Empress thought while she was sweatdropping as the younger princess was waiting for her answer,
"Eto... How do I say this... when you fall in love, you will definitely love his presence and then, would die or would be impatient when he's not there beside you... You'd be missing him... Actually, I don't know about it, but if you ask me, then I guess that it would be like that. You know, you like the person's presence. You feel definite happiness... I don't know how to explain it..."
She replied as the younger princess nodded at what the Empress said,
"I wonder if I'll be able to feel that one someday..."
"Someday, Hidari-hime, someday. And what was this I heard that you were pairing me off with..."
"Shi-san told you?"
'Seiran? She was pairing me off with Seiran?'
"So, you were really pairing me off with someone, and at the most, it was someone 'younger' than me..."
"I-I really thought that h-he would be good with you... Well, he looked so mature and I thought he was older, OK? I thought he had the same age as you! I never thought that he was so young..."
Hidari murmured at the end as Himeko just sighed,
"Seriously, Hidari-hime, you have got to stop that one. So, what's this between you and Ran-shogun?"
"Eh? What do you mean, Onee-sama? W-We're friends at the most!"
"At the most or at the least!"
"ONEE-SAMA!!!"
Himeko just chuckled at the younger girl's reaction, while the said younger princess was fuming in a side.
The trip to Shinyen, true to Himeko's words, was done in 6 days, since they had to stop in several places before continuing. They were welcomed back to their own country by the other Princess, Kaori-hime, in the pier.
"Kogo Himeko-sama, Hidari-hime, Okaerinasai."
"Tadaima Kaori-hime."
Himeko said as she went down the boat with Hidari at her back, saying,
"Tadaima Onee-sama!"
"Hidari-hime! Where are your manners?"
Kaori scolded the younger sister, who hid at the back of Himeko,
"Maa, maa, it's OK, Kaori-hime. There's no one here aside from you, I believe?"
"Hai, Kogo Himeko-sama. It is like what you had wrote on the letter. I told no one of your arrival today."
Kaori said as she bowed before the Empress,
"Rise your head, Kaori-hime, you have no need to bow before me now. We are not in the Court, right now. Just think of this scenario: You are welcoming your sisters from their trip. That would be much fine, Kaori-hime."
"But then, Ko-"
"Kaori-nee-sama, just follow what Himeko-nee-sama says."
Hidari said as she went near Kaori,
"I suppose. Then, Okaerinasai Himeko-nee-sama, Hidari-hime."
"That's much better. Then, Tadaima."
Hidari chuckled at their actions as Himeko gave a smile to Kaori, who was blushing on a side.
"So, tell me what has happened lately, Kaori-hime."
Meanwhile in Saiunkoku...
Ran Shuuei gave a big sigh as he looked at the skies,
"Oy, Shuuei. What was that sigh for?"
Ryuuki asked the older lad, who was just sitting on a side,
"I wonder if Hidari-hime has caught on what I said that night."
"EH?"
"What's with that eh, shujou? You have also confessed to the current Empress before."
"But then, it's not like you, Shuuei. And I thought that you were not serious with Hidari-hime."
"Don't take my feelings towards Hidari-hime very simple, shujou. I am very much serious with the princess. Take this, I have not gone to Kougarou for sometime now."
"EH?"
"What's with the 'eh' again?"
Shuuei looked at Ryuuki, who widened his eyes on shock,
"Wow. I must say. Wow. You were really struck with Hidari-hime, then. You're pretty serious with her, then. Very much serious. Much serious than your past loved ones."
Ryuuki said as Shuuei sighed and replied,
"But I don't think my feelings will be reciprocated. After all, she is in Shinyen."
"Eh? But I don't think Hidari-hime has anyone right now."
"Yokatta neh... I told her that she must not let anyone go inside her heart and that I'm the only one allowed to invade her heart."
He said as Ryuuki replied,
"No way!"
He smirked at Ryuuki's reaction as he looked at the outside,
"Neh, Shuuei, have you seen Koyuu?"
"Koyuu? He's lost once again, as always."
Shuuei replied as Ryuuki sighed at this,
"I'm expecting some documents from him..."
'At this time, Kogo Himeko and Hidari-hime might have arrived at Shinyen already.'
Seiran thought as he glanced at the sky,
"Ughh!!! This damn map is a fake! It's a fake! I'm supposed to be at shujou's workplace already!"
Seiran heard Koyuu's nagging voice as he saw the said official walking around with scrolls,
"Li Koyuu-san."
"Eh? Seiran? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?"
"Eto, I was assigned in this post."
"Eh? Oh. Well then, I'll be going first then. I have to deliver some scrolls to him."
Koyuu said as he started walking when Seiran said,
"The shujou's workplace is going there,"
"Eh?"
Seiran sighed as Koyuu turned around and started walking,
'I wonder how Kogo Himeko is doing now. I hope she's fine.'
Seiran looked at the sky before sighing,
"Kaori-hime, what is this? Why are there soldiers surrounding us ?"
Himeko asked as she looked at the soldiers surrounding them,
"Kogo Himeko-sama..."
"Yamamoto Kentaro, what's the meaning of this?"
Himeko asked as the soldiers started to go near them,
"Kogo Himeko-sama, iee. It's just Senshi Himeko. You are hereby arrested because of abandoning your duties as the Empress of Shinyen!"
"Abandoning my duties? Are you kidding me? I went to Saiunkoku because I made a deal with Ryuuki-ten'no of Saiunkoku!"
"And you, Senshi Hidari-hime as well, will be arrested for abandoning Shinyen!"
The man said as Hidari replied,
"What do you mean! I did not abandon Shinyen! I was allowed to go outside of Shinyen, as long as I reach the age of being an adult! It was already approved by Onee-sama!"
"Such disrespectfulness. Don't you think Kaori-hime-sama? No, you are already the Kogo Kaori-sama!"
Kentaro said with a smirk as Kaori slightly frowned on a side,
"I will not allow this disrespectfulness! You might have taken away my crown as the Empress, but I am still of royal blood! I still bare the family name of Senshi!"
Himeko said as she tried to get away from the soldiers,
"Onee-sama!"
"Hidari-hime!"
"Onee-sama! Help me! Tasukete, Onee-sama!"
"Hidari-hime!"
Himeko called as she tried to get Hidari, but she had to run back to the boat, which was about to sail off,
"Onee-sama! Just save yourself!!!"
Himeko hesitated a bit but then, ran back to the boat, and was able to ride on the boat, before it went off,
"Get back here Senshi Himeko!!!"
Yamamoto Kentaro's voice was heard as Himeko was looking at Hidari who was captured by the soldiers.
jychan: Well, that was it. So, surprise! surprise! A rebellion against the Empress? And who's this Yamamoto Kentaro!!! Thanks for the review!!!
Stelra Etnae: Yes, you could say that Himeko was up all night. Waiting for Hidari.... Well, Himeko still didn't change, so that's why Hidari thought that she was up... Yup. I must agree... Himeko was trying to see Seiran's reaction as well, as so that Seiran would think that Himeko doesn't have any suspicions at all. Yup. Finally. Shuuei's words registered on Hidari's mind! Wooo! I wonder as well what happens to Himeko and Seiran's relationship as well as the other two.. LMAO... Waa... That's how Hidari looks like... LMAO... She has 2 buns on her hair... LOL... Himeko in my imagination, has a half ponytail on her hair, but instead of a rubber bond, it's a pin which kinda resembles like a crown or something... Sure! I'll try to see it when you have it scanned already!!! I'll also have mine scanned.. Soon...