Here we are at Chapter 41. Fuyumi's party's time in the Dragon Alliance continues as they work on completing their mission. I do not own Code Vein or Skeleton Knight. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 41. Enjoy.
Chapter 41: A Dragon's Secrets
As it turns out, the elves are not the only ones who have embarked on missions to liberate their kin from the slavers. The beastkin have been conducting similar operations, and Yukio has been orchestrating them. She own more than just the building their in. She essentially controls all the brothels in the Dragon Alliance and has agents in those beyond the country's borders. Those agents provide intelligence on possible locations where beastkin have been enslaved. Hikaru, who is quite opposed to slavery, aids her in freeing her people. Due to the princess' help, they found many of their kin, for which Yukio is incredibly grateful. Those that were previously enslaved came to live in the Dragon Alliance. Some of them have even continued on to aid Yukio and Hikaru in their operations.
"They might've made more progressed than I have with finding my people," Elane notes in slight awe.
"Pardon me for asking, but why not inform the neighboring countries of this? Surely, they could assist you," Iris asks.
"A number of those who held our enslaved kin were power human nobles. We had no idea who else might've been involved or how far up the chain of that corruption went. We had to remain cautious. Besides, some of my people who have been kidnapped and enslaved have become distrustful of humans. I try to convince them that not all humans are evil. As you have seen, some of my best courtesans are human. But, such traumas leave deep scars," Yukio explains.
"Okay, but is it alright to be telling us all of this? What's makes you so sure you can trust us?" Fuyumi asks.
"The princess seems to like you all, and he's a pretty good judge of character. After hearing how you all have been doing the same thing as us, that practically makes us allies," Yukio replies.
"Have your people heard anything regarding my missing kin. I've liberated many of them, but I know some still remain missing. Please, anything you can provide would be immensely helpful to me," Elane pleads.
"Well, I don't have anything concrete, but I did get some information about a few elves who were taken as slaves," Yukio replies.
Elane leans halfway across the table, "Please, tell me what you know!"
"Calm down. So far, all my people have managed to gather is that they've been taken far west. If I had to guess... they've been taken to the Gravlon Empire," Yukio says.
"The Gravlon Empire..." Elane mutters as it sinks in.
"We've suspected them for being responsible for the slave trafficking, but we've had nothing concrete to go on," Fuyumi says.
"But, if they're the ones responsible, what's the purpose behind it? Money alone doesn't sound like enough of a reason to do all this," Iris wonders.
"I've wondered the same myself. They're planning something, but I don't know what. That's what I've been trying to tell my father lately. We can't turn our eyes away from the outside world, but he refuses to get involved. We can't remain isolated forever," Hikaru sighs. "Thank you for letting us know about this, Yukio. I appreciate it,"
"Of course, Your Highness. Now then, with business out of the way, can I persuade you lovely ladies in partaking any of my lovely girls for the evening? I'm sure there are at least a few that caught your attention, Fuyumi. I know they would love to spend a night with you," Yukio offers, fluttering her eyes. "Perhaps for an extra fee, I might be inclined to join you for a night as well," she eyes Fuyumi up and down.
Fuyumi blushes, but shakes her head, "A flattering offer, but I'm afraid I must decline. I'm engaged now, so I don't want to upset my fiances,"
"Fiances? Plural? My, my, someone is quite greedy," Yukio only smirks.
"I'm surprised you're not going for it, Fuyumi. I mean, you're engaged to Emilia, Anelia, and I, but you also have Elane as your mistress," Iris deadpans.
"That's true. You attract women, and vice versa, like moths to a flame," Elane adds.
"Iris! Elane!" Fuyumi's blush gets a little worse.
"Well, that just makes things easier. So, care for a night with my girls? I promise you won't regret it," Yukio isn't helping.
Luckily, Hikaru saves the day, "A very tempting offer, Yukio, but I'm afraid we'll have to pass tonight. My father wishes to speak with Fuyumi in private tomorrow, and she'll need her rest for that meeting. So, we must bid you a good evening," she stands up, prompting the others to do so.
"Ah, oh well, maybe some other time then. Have a good evening, ladies, and good luck with your negotiations with the emperor," Yukio bows as they leave.
"You never told me about your father wanting to speak with me,' Fuyumi notes.
"I just did, right now. Besides, would you rather I held my tongue?" Hikaru teases her.
"No, thanks for that. I wasn't exactly sure what to do," Fuyumi sighs.
"Word of warning, my father can be very stubborn at times. Be prepared when you see him," Hikaru says as they leave the brothel.
…
The next day, a messenger with an assortment of guards arrives at the inn Fuyumi is staying at in the afternoon, stating that they are there to bring her before the emperor. Meanwhile, Iris, Elane, and Umi would be taken to a guest room while they wait. The guards escort Fuyumi through the palace until they reach the room for their meeting. Inside, she finds the emperor sitting at a small table while sipping what looks like a cup of warm tea.
"Ser Fuyumi Kusanagi, Your Majesty," one guard announces as he bows his head.
"Thank you. You're dismissed," Emperor Kagutsuchi says.
Fuyumi walks inside as the doors close and sits across from the emperor, "The princess said you wanted to see me in private,"
Kagutsuchi finishes his cup, "Indeed. A real conversation between just you and I,"
"Is this in regard to the message I brought?" Fuyumi asks.
"There is that, but we'll get to it shortly. The first subject I wished to discuss with you is your origins. I'm sure my daughter already told you herself. Like her, I too have a keen sense of smell and I do not recognize your scent, Fuyumi Kusanagi. I do not know what species you are, though my daughter did tell me you said you were once human. It's not exactly unheard of for humans to experiment to pursue a higher evolution, but something tells me you're different. However, that also could mean more trouble for me and my home," the emperor explains.
"I am not your enemy, Your Majesty, and neither is my home. I understand you wish to be cautious, but if I may be frank with you?" Fuyumi asks, to which the emperor nods. "Too much caution can be a sign of cowardice. There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect your home, your people, your family. But if all you do is look for potential enemies and not potential friends, you'll only ever be jumping at shadows. Those shadows seek to destroy my home, and if they succeed, they may not stop with Anatolia,"
"My kingdom has fought back against many threats and won. Should they come, we will do the same. Any potential dangers to my home; I must deal with. Now then, you didn't tell my daughter what you are. Would you tell me at least? You can't expect me to trust you when you're obviously keeping a big secret," Emperor Kagutsuchi says.
He makes a good point, for better of worse. He knows that Fuyumi is keeping the truth of her existence to herself. Hard to trust someone that keeps things close to the chest. Still, there's always the possibility that should she tell him, the dragon emperor would turn his rage against her. Worse, he may go after those she cared about that are still here too. And then it could turn into a diplomatic incident between the Dragon Alliance and the Kingdom of Anatolia. Anatolia cannot afford to make another enemy when they still have one working in the shadows.
"You're right in that I am keeping a secret. And you are correct in that doing that makes you harder to trust me. However, trust is a two-way streak, Your Majesty. Sometimes to earn trust, you must give it first. Besides, don't you have secrets of your own? Secrets not even your people know about; that only a select few know," Fuyumi counters.
For s split-second, the emperor's eyes widen, but Fuyumi still noticed it. For what reason he made that reaction, she doesn't know. But, the tension in the room just went up a bit.
"You are very bold, Fuyumi Kusanagi. Some might say reckless," Kagutsuchi says.
"I'd prefer to think of it as being 'gutsy', Your Majesty. Maybe that just shows you how serious this matter is to Anatolia. That I'd be willing to risk my neck by addressing you in such a manner. There are those that know what I am. They are good people. Honorable people. More importantly, they earned enough of my trust to warrant me telling them the truth. You, however, have not. But, you can if you give my people and I a chance. I know you are cautious of others, but not because of their species. I saw your capital, your people. People of different species living in harmony. It is truly a beautiful thing. Why can you do that here, but not out there?" Fuyumi asks.
The emperor hums as he looks out an opened window, overlooking the palace garden. He seems to have drifted off to somewhere far away within his mind. Fuyumi patiently waits for him to speak again. Finally, the emperor turns to her.
"Fuyumi Kusanagi, in regard to your message about an alliance between our two countries, I must-," the emperor stops when he senses a presence approach.
There's a slight noise outside before the doors open, revealing princess Hikaru.
"Hikaru, this is a private meeting," Kagutsuchi says as he stands.
"I'm aware, Father. I'm also aware that there's something else that requires Fuyumi's immediate attention," Hikaru replies.
"What's going on?" Fuyumi asks.
"Apparently, some of our soldiers were making uncouth comments about you, and your friends didn't take to kindly to it. I intervened in order to prevent a national incident, but your knight friends was still upset. I suggest you go and calm her down. I already dealt with our troops and gave them a thorough verbal thrashing about holding back their tongues," Hikaru says.
Fuyumi sighs, "Oh, give me a break. Thank you for that, Princess Hikaru. I'll deal with that right away. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but we will have to continue this meeting another time," Fuyumi stands, bows, and then takes her leave.
Once she's gone, Hikaru turns to the emperor.
"There really wasn't any incident about to occur, was there?" her father quickly figured it out.
Hikaru smirks, "You know me so well. Father, you were about to decline their offer to forge relations between our two countries, weren't you,"
"I do what I must to protect our home, Hikaru. As long as we stay out of the other countries politics and conflicts, our home will remain at peace. Besides, you and I know that Fuyumi Kusanagi is keeping a major secret from us. How can you expect me to trust her when she won't tell us the truth?" her father argues.
"Don't be a hypocrite, Father. We're also keeping big secrets from everyone else. How many years has it been since we last spoke about him," Hikaru retorts.
"Hikaru, you know my declaration on the matter," Kagutsuchi says.
"Yes, but did I ever say I approved of it? Even if we leave people alone, that doesn't mean they'll leave us alone. If we don't get involved ourselves, someone will force us to, and if that happens, we may lose more than just our home. I already lost one family member, I won't lose another because of you," Hikaru seethes.
"Hikaru, I know how much you cared about him, but I had no choice. I had to protect our home," Kagutsuchi retorts.
"He was our family!" Hikaru raises her voice.
"I am protecting our family!" the emperor yells back.
"If that were true, you wouldn't be such a coward!" Hikaru yells, only to get slapped in the face by her father.
A second later, Kagutsuchi realizes what he did and regrets it, "Hikaru, no-,"
"We're finished," Hikaru replies bitterly before taking her leave.
She walks quickly out of the palace. Once she's outside, she takes on her dragon form and flies away as her father approaches.
"Princess Hikaru!" one guard shouts.
"Let her go," Kagutsuchi commands.
"But, Your Majesty-," the guard stutters.
"Just... let her do as she pleases. She needs time," Kagutsuchi sighs before heading back inside.
…
Hikaru flies, tears in her eyes, before she lands in one spot in the forest beyond the capital. Once she's on the ground, she changes back to her other form, standing other a tree overlooking a small lake.
"Why must he be so stubborn? We can't keep hiding away and expect to have peace forever. We need to act. Is he that stupid or just that scared?" Hikaru notes bitterly.
"Hikaru..." a voice calls out and Hikaru turns to see a hooded figure approach. "Is that... you?"
"Who are you?" Hikaru demands, but when she catches the man's scent, she freezes. "Wait, is that..."
The man removes his hood, revealing a face with long crimson hair that's a little unkempt and blue eyes. A pair of scars on the sides of his face.
"I knew it was you. Even after all this time, how could I forget?" the man replies.
"Homura?" Hikaru gasps.
"Yes, it's me, dear sister. I've come back home," the man, Homura, replies.
Hikaru's tears return, "Brother!" she runs over, overwhelmed by emotion, as she hugs her brother. "I've missed you so much,"
"I know. I've missed you too, little sister," Homura hugs her back.
A moment later, Hikaru realizes what she's doing, and separates, "You shouldn't be here. Father exiled you from our home,"
"I haven't forgotten. As I'm sure you remember, I was quite angry at the time. I had the same argument with him back then that... apparently you are having right now. Still focusing on neutrality, huh," Homura walks by her.
"Brother, if he finds out you came back-," Hikaru says.
"I know. I was angry back then. I figured I would've stayed that way. But, surprisingly, exile has its perks. I decided to do some travelling, got into a bit of trouble from time to time, and learned some things too. That's when I decided to come back and make amends. This has always been my home, and it always will. I wanted to patch things up with Father and start over. I wanted to see you and the rest of our family as well," he smells the air. "Ah, the air here is just as I remember it,"
"Brother... I was against him exiling you, but he wouldn't listen. I'm not sure he'll listen now, either," Hikaru holds her arms.
"I had a feeling that's what was going on. Good a time as any to come home. Sister, I wish to start over and be a family again. I know this is a risk, but I still need to take it. Can I ask you to help me see our father? So that I might try to settle things with him and start anew," Homura pleads.
"Homura," Hikaru mutters.
"I have been away from home for so long. Seeing it now makes me realize how much I missed it, and you," Homura says.
Hikaru sighs, "Okay, I'll help you, brother. I can give no guarantees, but I'll try. You've certainly changed,"
Homura smiles, "I certainly hope so... Thank you. Oh, by the way, I picked this up during my travels. I was waiting to give it to you," he pulls out a necklace with a gold chain with a dragon at the center holding a purple gemstone within. "It reminded me of you,"
"You do know purple's not my favorite color," Hikaru jokes.
"Can you give your big brother a little break, please? Here, let me put it on," Homura walks behind her and she lets him put it on. "There, looks good. Maybe give purple a chance sometimes, hmm," he jokes back, touching the gemstone with his finger.
Suddenly, it glows and Hikaru's eyes take on that same glow, "Bro... ther..." Hikaru mutters as her eyes grow dull.
"Listen to my voice, Hikaru. The one called Fuymi Kusanagi is a monster in human form. She secretly seeks to weaken us from within. She is a threat to our home. Do this for your dear brother: kill Fuyumi Kusanagi," Homura says.
His voice echoes in her mind, "...Yes, brother," Hikaru replies, hypnotized, making Homura smirk.
…
Later that evening, Fuyumi is walking through the city. She wanted some time alone to think about to do about the emperor. She had a feeling that he was going to refuse her message, but Hikaru bought her some more time. Hopefully, she can still convince the emperor to forge this alliance. Maybe she can get Hikaru to help her. As she's walking through the streets of the capital, engulfed in her thoughts, she's suddenly grabbed from under her arms and hoisted up into the air.
"Ah! Huh, Hikaru?!" Fuyumi gasps when she spots the princess as the culprit. "What's going on?" she asks, but gets no reply.
Hikaru flies fast, taking them beyond the capital's walls where no one can catch them or see them. Once they're in the forest, far enough away from everyone else, Hikaru flies down and lands with Fuyumi.
"Princess Hikaru. What's wrong? Did something happen with your father?" Fuyumi asks, noticing that Hikaru is not acting herself. Suddenly, Hikaru throws a wicked right fist at her. Fuyumi barely dodges it in time as the fist destroys the tree behind her. "Hikaru?! What's wrong?!"
"Fuyumi Kusanagi... I must..." flames erupt around Hikaru, changing her usual dress for her scale armor like when she first met Fuyumi. "...Dispose of you," she declares as she glares at Fuyumi.
And that's the chapter. Just as things were getting good, all Hell breaks loose wherever Fuyumi goes. Now she has a brainwashed dragon princess to deal with. Can Fuyumi figure out what's wrong with Hikaru before the dragon girl destroys her? Until then, please Read and Review.