jychan: I don't own Saiunkoku Monogatari… Enough said.

19. A Second Meeting

"Kiyou at last."

Ryuuren said as Chika looked around,

"Eh? Seriously? We're at Kiyou already? Then, that means, I will meet your Aniue, then."

Chika said as Ryuuren nodded and said,

"But who knows that he might be your Aniue soon."

"Ryuuren-dono, I have already told you."

Chika replied while blushing as Ryuuren sighed,

"Well then, I'll guide you towards the Ran Residence here in Kiyou, while I visit a friend of mine. Or rather, my Soul Friend #1."

He said as Chika nodded,

"Eh? I wanted to meet your Soul Friend #1!"

Chika said as Ryuuren replied,

"That's not possible. Too bad. You also need some rest. Because if you'll look so tired and worried, then I might lose my interest on you."

Chika narrowed her eyes and glared at Ryuuren,

"It's not like I agreed on the proposal you gave, anyways. Who knows. I have might already loved someone else. And I tell you that once I get those memories of mine back. Ha!"

Chika said as she turned to a side while the two of them stopped in front of a big residence,

"Ara... Who owns this place? Chotto matte. Ryuuren-dono, you own this place? I mean your family?"

She asked as Ryuuren nodded,

"Go inside. Here, I'll give you this Ran Clan Pass so that they would recognize you."

"But how can you go in-?"

"I have my ways. OK? Ja nah."

He said as he left Chika, who sighed and went inside, presenting her pass to the maids that passed by,

"Sumimasen desu, where should I stay? Ryuuren-dono told me that I should just go in and pass by."

She asked as she went near a lad, whose back she was facing at,

"Oh? Ryuuren asked you? Could you be an acquaintance of his? Really... That brother of mine, he doesn't pass by here first."

The lad replied as Chika chuckled,

"So you're the brother of Ryuuren-dono, then? Nice meeting you. Watashi w-"

"Hidari-hime?"

The lad said as he turned,

"Excuse me?"

Chika asked as he went near Chika and hugged her, who was still in a state of shock,

"I missed you so much, Hidari-hime. I thought you were gone already. I'm thankful to that brother of mine for finding you. Where did he find you? Was someone able to recognize you?"

The lad asked as Chika was dumbfounded,

"Hidari-hime, your Onee-sama, Kogo Himeko-sama would still be going here to Kiyou."

The lad said as Chika tilted her head and said,

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?"

"Eh? I called you, 'Hidari-hime'. Matakun... Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already. It's me, Ran Shuuei. I'm quite disappointed that you've forgotten about me especially since I told you that nobody should go inside your hea-"

"Chotto! Chotto matte! Chotto matte kudasai! So, you're telling me that my older sister is an Empress? Wait. That makes me a princess then. And Ran-dono, what do you mean? So, you've known me before already?"

Hidari asked as Shuuei nodded, but blinked and asked,

"Matakun... Don't tell me you've got some amnesia or something?"

Hidari nodded as Shuuei sighed,

"You're a princess from Shinyen. But then the problem is that, you and your sister was charged of some crime that you didn't commit and so you two are being chased. But don't worry, your Onee-sama is fine. She is fine. We received a letter from her. So, don't worry, Hidari-hime or rather, what are you called already now?"

Shuuei asked as Hidari replied,

"Chika."

"Chika, eh? That's good, I guess. Knowledge and Excellence, I suppose?"

"Nn. Neh, Ran-dono, how did you know about the kanji?"

"I know much about you."

Shuuei said as Hidari nodded,

"Why do you know much about me? What kind of relationship did we have in the past?"

Hidari asked as Shuuei thought about it for a moment and smiled,

"Oh, I know a lot about you, Hidari-hime. For the relationship, I'm not so sure. But as long as I can remember, there's no one who's allowed to go inside your heart, except for me, that is."

He said as Hidari was dumbfounded,

"What do you mean by that exactly?"

"You know, those things. Should I tell you that we've spent the night together before? Oh that was absolutely the best night I had. I was so full back then. You know eating those stuff..."

Hidari blushed at his words while asking,

"What stuff?"

"You know, the usual. Especially when I lied down beside you. Oh and before I forget, we tried to get back to the Saiunkoku Palace before it was dawn, unluckily we were found ou-"

"STOP IT!!!"

Hidari said as she was blushing, which made Shuuei was laugh,

"Too heavy to accept it, before Hidari-hime? But we were like that before..."

Shuuei continued on teasing on the princess, while the said princess was blushing,

"So you're telling me that we had a relationship before? You know, the one more than friends kind of relationship?"

"Well, maybe."

"Seriously?"

"Nn."

"Wait. So meaning I won't have to accept Ryuuren-dono's proposal after all, I have a relationship with his older brother."

Hidari said as Shuuei replied,

"Yes you're righ- Wait. What did you say? Ryuuren made a proposal on you? Geesh. That younger brother of mine. Don't mind about that already."

"Oh. I guess you're right, Ran-dono."

"Chotto matte, you know back then, you kept on calling me 'Shuuei'."

"Oh, Shuuei-dono, then. I guess, that would do?"

"But I would still insist that you call me just 'Shuuei'."

SHuuei said as Hidari blushed,

"But then, wouldn't that make it more intimate?"

"Well, according to you, we have a relationship, so what's wrong with that?"

Shuuei asked as Hidari nodded,

"Sh-Sh-Shuuei, th-then."

"Good."

Shuuei replied as he patted Hidari's head,

"Ah. I'm quite lucky that you're here. I've seen that you've met Chika."

Ran Ryuuren arrived as Shuuei nodded,

"Oh yes. I've met Chika. But I hope you do refer to her as 'Hidari-hime', especially since that is her real name."

Shuuei said as Ryuuren tilted his head,

"Oh? The 'Hidari-hime' from Shinyen, I suppose? I didn't know that my brother knew such a person."

Ryuuren replied as Shuuei said,

"Neh, Hidari-hime, would you like to go inside? I suppose from your trip you might be tired. You can rest in my room."

"Ah a-arigato, Sh-Shuuei."

Hidari thanked him as she went inside,

"Let me guess, you had a relationship with her in the past, Aniue."

Ryuuren said as Shuuei nodded,

"That's what she said. But then, she's different from the other women I've fell for."

"Oh? That's new."

"Anyways, Ryuuren, you know what's happening to her and Shinyen, I suppose you should not tell anyone. Neither I would tell anyone as of the moment. It's too dangerous for the said princess."

Shuuei said as Ryuuren nodded and replied,

"You're right, I must say. So, what's your plan then?"

"She would be staying in the Ran Residence as of the moment and she would just stay here. She can't go outside. I think that's what's best for her. That would be the safest thing. And if possible, the maids that would be staying here would be the ones we can truly trust."

Shuuei said as Ryuuren nodded once again and sighed,

"Matakun... If I had known that this would happen, then I shouldn't have saved her from that time."

"Arigato Ryuuren."

"Maa, maa, treat her well. After all, she was interesting."

"Oh? So you've lost interest on her, then?"

"Well, after finding out those stuff, I guess that's it."

Ryuuren replied as he stood up,

"Anyways, they sent me here to tell you something."

"Is that so? Well then, start."

Meanwhile...

"Neh, Ro-san, in how many days are we going to arrive to Kiyou?"

Himeko asked as she went near Ensei,

"Hmmm... by tomorrow, hime-chan."

Ensei replied as Himeko smiled and said,

"Yoshi. This is going to be good then. Arigato gozaimasu, To-kun. Ro-san. Kourin-san."

"Eto, no need to thank us, Himeko-hime!"

"I-I was glad to be of service, Himeko-hime."

"They've said it all, hime-chan."

Himeko smiled and beamed as she looked at the rising sun.

jychan: Well, that was it. I wonder what's going to happen next. Shocking! Ryuuren gave a proposal! What's going to happen... A love triangle perhaps??? Fufufufufu...

Stelra Etnae: Shinyen's coming to an end,!!! Ouch? Midnight, you say? Oh of course, they love our princesses so they will most likely perish. But you know from the original storyline of Shinyen, the plot where Himeko and Hidari was thrown out was not part of it... Nn! Yes, it was not part of it, so it just got unto me when I thought that it would be too short to finish. Anyways, in the original plot, Kaori was also going to have to end up with Koyuu.. Hahaha... but Anyways, yes, the way I laugh.... It's like that so that I won't laugh out so loud... Because I had an experience... Fufufufufu...