Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5009488.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage, Rape/Non-Con
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Persona_4, Persona_Series
  Relationship:
      Seta_Souji/Hanamura_Yosuke, Hanamura_Yosuke/MC, Hanamura_Yosuke/Narukami
      Yu, SoYo
  Character:
      Seta_Souji, Hanamura_Yosuke, OC_-_Character, Kuma_|_Teddie_(Persona_4),
      Adachi_Tohru, Dojima_Nanako, Dojima_Ryotaro, Shirogane_Naoto, Narukami
      Yu, Tatsumi_Kanji, Nagase_Daisuke, Konishi_Saki, Satonaka_Chie, Amagi
      Yukiko
  Additional Tags:
      Homosexuality, Male_Pregnancy, Anal_Sex, Mpreg, Male_Marriage, Royalty,
      Long_Hair, Economic_terms_I_don't_understand, Fantasy_setting, Dry
      Humping, Spells_&_Enchantments, Horseback_Riding, Angst_and_Humor, Angst
      with_a_Happy_Ending, Discussion_of_Abortion, Rape/Non-con_Elements
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-10-16 Updated: 2016-07-30 Chapters: 5/? Words: 12559
****** My Beautiful Queen ******
by Yamiyoru
Summary
     Yosuke, the young Prince of Jiraiya, was betrothed to the King of a
     neighbouring land in a political marriage to strengthen his country's
     security. Will the union of the lands join their hearts?
Notes
     Also inspired by Reign, written by AriadneEurydice. However, somehow
     this work went missing.
     My fetish for men with long flowing hair and tailing robes.
     Disclaimer: I do not own Persona nor anything of it.
See the end of the work for more notes
  This work was inspired by
      The_Warmth_of_Frost by SilentAvera
***** Prologue *****
Chapter Notes
     It's written by me so expect it to be a angtsy romance and lovely
     Yosuke's tears.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Prologue
Souji placed his ear on the bulging belly to listen to the movement of the
growing baby. Sometimes, he could hear the baby's heartbeat. Faintly but it was
there. On other days, he could hear swishy sounds, which the imperial doctor
had told him it was the baby moving. Today, the baby was restless and probably
kicking the mother mercilessly. Souji lifted his head a little to scold the
unborn child with a smile for kicking when the mother was resting, his hand
stroking down the belly gently, hoping it would help lessen the pain and soothe
the child.
Although his Queen had never once complain about the pain or discomfort of
pregnancy, he was sure it would not be easy. The strain as the baby grew,
stretching the mother's abdomen from a bump to the current budge and the stress
of the extra weight on his wife's smaller frame. Even so, his Queen had
tolerated it, so much so that the body was exhausted and had spent most of the
time sleeping for the past few months. Souji wished he could share the pain but
he could not, not physically. The only thing he could do was to stay by his
wife's side as much as possible and share his warmth as he tucked his family
tightly beneath the thick quilt.
Holding his Queen close, he allowed the familiar scent of his wife and smooth
breathing calm his excitement. The baby was due in Spring and he had been
looking forward to seeing the little princess. Would their little girl take
after her mother with the same soft chestnut eyes? Or the beautiful auburn hair
that reminded the tired King of the rare warm dusk? On this land that was
always shrouded in thick fog and coldness, sunlight and colour was a luxury.
Thus, when he first saw his Queen, he was mesmerized by the beauty. Staring at
the white landscape beyond the tall window of their chamber, he recalled how
deeply he had fallen for his Queen. Their love crystal would be born soon and
with her birth, it should bring hope to this land and new energy to their life
in the coming spring, and he had long thought of a fitting name.
'Akemi; Beauty of the breaking dawn. Do you like the name for our baby girl,
Yosuke?'
Chapter End Notes
     Akemi (明美); Dawn and Beauty.
***** The Wind *****
Chapter Summary
     Souji was invited to Jiraiya for a cultural exchange. How Souji and
     Yosuke met.
Chapter Notes
     Notes: Not how I met everyone else but your mother. This is an AU
     with magic. And mannerism of Royalty or what I think it sounds
     like..what a bitch to write it. I'm sorry if I got it all wrong.
     English really isn't my strongest language.
     I don't own Persona.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Wind
Souji watched the castle’s outline gradually disappeared behind the thick fog
with unease as the carriage passed the city gates. Frankly, he rather stayed
behind and overlooked the new spell their R&D team was working on; one that
allowed people to see through the fog. If this one worked, it would be a
breakthrough and most importantly, an enormous help to their country.
Due to their geographic make-up, their land was either constantly covered in a
blanket of snow or shrouded in a curtain of fog. With the snow and fog creating
a fairyland likeness, the country was also commonly known as 'The White
Fantasy' although the heir of the kingdom, in his busy schedule, had hardly
stepped out of the castle. The mounting paper works often had him seated in the
office from dawn to dusk. He did not have the time to share the people's
fascination or appreciation of the land’s natural beauty despite being quoted
as one of the remaining few with stunning pure white snow. Stuck in a box
whizzing through the woods and his papers confiscated by his cousin in another
carriage, Souji was temporarily free of his duties and given the chance to take
in full view of the white landscape.
The glittering ice reflecting light from the sun like a sliver pond was indeed
breath-taking and would be so much better if the same two elements were not the
main causes of accidents on the road. Lesser grip and lower visibility joined
forces was not reflecting well on the statistics of causalities. That was also
why Souji was anxious over the outcome of the new spell. The earlier they could
perfect the spell, the faster they could apply this spell to the wind screen of
cars, planes and ships, easing the travelling problem they face.
The increase in frequency of fog in recent years was another bad sign, directly
affecting their ports of trade, which was in turn decreasing the revenue they
needed for their expensive researches. One would advise to simply sell their
research findings but their people were not good salesman, specialising in the
making, not the selling. Any foreign talent they hired, not able to withstand
the chilly climate, eventually left.
That was not to say they did not have any luck selling and fetching high prices
with their services but it came with another problem, which was they need even
more money to pump into researches for new and better Arts. This was in order
for their country to stay top of the game, turning into a bad vicious cycle.
Thus, reluctant as he may, Souji understood the importance of this visit. It
was a diplomatic move to further strengthen their ties and hopefully, boost
their output through a new contract with their neighbouring country and for one
reason; The Land of Jiraiya was an economy powerhouse.
Jiraiya was a country with little land space and limited natural resources.
Relying on their primarily resource; its people, the country focus on the Arts
of trade for survival. Making good use of its strategic location on many main
trade routes, small size allowing easy implementation of regulations and
infrastructures, it quickly flourished into a business hub. Within a century,
it had surpasses Izanagi in terms of wealth, its riches on par with the empire
Izanami and yet, continued to maintain a careful and mutually beneficial
relationship with the poorer Kingdom. In the same way Izanagi tapped into
Jiraiya’s wealth, Izanagi made up for Jiraiya’s weakness; lending its military
strength to the small population with few people to spare for a proper army.
However, other than his uncle, who was the ambassador of their Kingdom, he, the
prince of Izanagi, was sent as well. His father had told him it was a display
of sincerity and a message to all the subjects of the next King’s capability. A
nice convincing story but he knew the King’s real intention. It was to find him
a good prospect before his coming of age next year.
Since half a year ago, the King had been very obvious in finding the Queen’s
successor with his constant prep talks of his ideal Queen, which was followed
by an exquisite ball attended by only Nobles that had not taken the Seal. Not
giving a second glance at anyone at the ball, it was the Queen’s turn, who
often requested he joins her tea sitting with the other court ladies. With
faked politeness, he declined each possible candidate by flooding the
conversation in a long string of practiced speech about his work and
researches, intertwining his answer in the words that he was not keen for
marriage.
Even so, not only did it not deter his parents to let things flow naturally,
they went as far as their neighbouring country for one. Was his Uncle roped
into this as well? As not even his cute cousin’s innocent company could mask
the coincidence that his visit was arranged right after they received news of
the Crown Prince of Jiraiya returning from his studies. In fact, it was too
much with the usual one month visit extended to a whole year stay, describing
it as a friendly cultural exchange for the two young wards. He hardly believed
getting a contract takes a year nor Nanako needed one to make more ‘friends’,
and just thinking about it was giving him a migraine but seeing how frail his
father had become in recent years, he did not have the heart to say ’no’. At
least his father was allowing him the freedom to choose and not forcing him
into one.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Souji gave a loud sigh and pushed back into
the seat.
‘Your Royal Highness, are you tired? Shall I stop the carriage?’
‘No, I’m not tired, just frustrated I have to be away from the research for a
year and why are you still so formal when we are alone, Tohru?’
‘I’m afraid I have to as I need to be on my best appearance the whole trip. It
would be unsightly if I was to forget for a moment we are representing our
country and speaks too informally, I would be embarrassing you, my Prince.’
The raven did have a point and if his Uncle caught wind of it, the both of them
would hear no end to a long lecture again. He would have to live with Formal
Tohru for a while. This visit was starting well.
‘How about seeing it as a break? You do need some sun after cooping yourself up
in the office day in and out and starting to look as pale as Sire. I’m sure the
King’s decision was of good intention.’
‘You noticed?’
‘It is quite obvious as I was summoned to give traits of people that Your
Highness likes.’
Now I understand the similarities of those I met so far.
‘Although and to be bold, The Majesty’s choice does seem lacking to favour the
Crown Prince of Jiraiya over the Princesses of other lands. He is not even
remotely close to what Your Highness takes interest in.’
It is indeed too bold, the words sounding between the lines of ‘a desperate
senile old man’ and ‘bad taste’. Souji was relieved Nanako was not here to risk
having the same words repeated to her father. The outcome was a definite
yelling at his childhood friend.
‘I am sure the King had heard the rumours of Prince Yosuke. They said he was a
wild typhoon.’
‘Father had met him many years ago and his impression of Prince Yosuke was
largely positive and still is encouraging. Quoting his exact words were “Prince
Yosuke was a smart, energetic boy although he might need to wipe the butter off
his hands and feet. You will like him.”’
‘Butter? Did he confuse the younger one for Crown Prince?’
‘No idea. Well, we will be meeting him soon.’
And by ‘soon’, it looked like it would not be a moment too long. Crossing the
border of the two countries, the familiar white faded and parted into lush
woods painted in shades of orange and red, which turned brighter and more
brilliantly coloured as they near their destination. His eyes mesmerised by the
colours passing by the window, Souji wondered about the infamous Prince, who
lived beyond, the boy his father approved of.
Typhoon, is it? I shall have to see it for myself.
***
Grandly welcomed into Jiraiya personally by the King and Queen, the King
subsequently insisted enthusiastically his guests be given a tour before the
feast. Led out to the garden, his little royal cousin was excited to see the
ponies grazing over the wide pasture. Taking notice of the way Souji’s gaze
lingered on the forest behind, the Advisor suggested taking a casual stroll
through the woods on their prized horses. His Uncle and Nanako had opted to
stay and learn to ride a pony, joined by the young cousin Prince Ted.
‘Where is Prince Yosuke?’ Souji cannot help himself for asking after seeing the
younger Prince and the sweet child was a ball of sunshine. The way those blue
eyes lit up and wanting to play together with Nanako, it is not unlike the
warmth he felt from the King and Queen, leaving him to wonder about the Crown
Prince whom they have yet to meet.
‘I apologize for the Prince’s absence.’
‘That’s not what I meant, Advisor. It’s just that I am taken by the hospitality
of the Royal family of Jiraiya and I’m thinking if Prince Yosuke is the same.’
‘If we are talking about his energy, then yes, very much like Prince Ted and it
looks like I do not need to describe him more. Here he comes.’
Turning around, Souji saw a man on a beautiful Palamino horse. The man’s
chestnut hair was flowing as beautifully in the wind as the horse galloped down
gracefully towards them but the expression on the brunette’s face was not,
yelling at them to get out of the way. Racing closely past them, the horse
headed towards the river and finally stopped with a sudden halt, throwing the
rider off and plunging right into the shallow waters.
That was how Souji met Prince Yosuke, drenched from head to toe and never in
his mind had he thought he would meet his future wife this way. The Crown
Prince of Jiraiya was a living gush of wind literally when he made his
appearance. Many years down, Souji would chuckle at how true the rumours were;
his lovely Queen was a storm by nature.
Chapter End Notes
     End Notes: As usual, thank you for reading and pleas~e comment. I
     really want to know if I am doing it correctly. Ideas for how the
     story can go is very much love too.
     The landscape of the Izanagi Kingdom was modeled to be a mixture of
     London's fog, Antarctica’s climatic snow and olden European
     architectural aesthetics while the Jiraiya Kingdom is a mixture of
     the energy of a city, a more modern structural state while retaining
     plenty of greenery but with beautiful fall trees most of the year.
     As for the economic terms, I am very confused with as well. Revenue,
     output, profit maximizer and GDP? W…what?
     Adachi being Souji’s friend, who would have thought? Adachi, the
     Jester, spiritual twin of Souji, I personally like it a lot.
***** The Warmth *****
Chapter Summary
     Souji getting to know Yosuke.
Chapter Notes
     The story is just long….longer...still continuing….Oh~ Finally and
     I’m exhausted.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Warmth
Stamping its hoof into the dry land, the auburn horse snorted at the older
Prince while swinging its long blonde tail from side to side. It was clearly
enjoying its owner’s sorry state. When the Prince tried to stand, he slipped on
the algae and fell back down.
To add salt to the insult, it turned around, stomped its hind hooves into the
stream and splashed more water onto the thoroughly drenched brunette. The
latter could only glare at the disappearing form of his horse running deeper
into the woods.
No one made an attempt to move. Not even the Crown Prince of Jiraiya himself
tried to stand up again, choosing to sit in the ankle deep water and mumble at
it in contempt. This was one way to make a first impression and Souji could see
what his father meant by ‘buttered limbs’.
Ignoring the protests of the Advisor, Souji took a slightly fearful step into
the water. Something Souji would never try doing in his hometown. It was
lukewarm. Taking another step, and another, Souji waddled his way towards the
other Prince. Offering his hand, Souji asked, ‘Can you stand?’
Yosuke studied the hand for a while and then Souji’s face before taking the
outstretched arm. Pulling the man up, Souji led Yosuke to the bank. Noticing
the other was struggling slightly due to his heavy robes, Souji kept his hand
around Yosuke’s wrist and he was glad he did. There were a few close calls of
Yosuke tripping and pulling Souji down with him but none for the worse.
Safety on the grass, the brunette tried to dry himself and Souji with a wind
spell, which backfired miserably. Summoning a tiny twister that almost sucked
the stream dry into the air and shattered the wind crystal on his bracelet to
million of pieces. The airborne water turned into a short 10 seconds drizzle
over the entire forest, casting a beautiful rainbow over the red-orange sky.
That also meant the feast was soon and Yosuke was needed at the Gardens to make
sure preparations were proper. The same grounds they have to cross to get into
the castle for a fresh set of attire, which in his current state, like a wet
dog left Yosuke frozen under the trees. Yosuke could already hear the lecture
before it even happened. If one of them was a Fire user, then they could at
least create a bonfire to dry themselves but no such luck for the young
Princes.
Out of ideas, he took a hopeful glance towards Naoto, who sighed long and deep
at their Prince. It was not uncommon for their loved Prince to get into trouble
but to pick today of all days, one must marvel at his rare talent. It was
Souji, who spoke up.
‘How about delaying the party for a while more with the reason the Crown Prince
is kindly giving me a tour of the forest? And then ask a knight to deliver a
new set of clothes for the Prince?’
Finger on her lips set in a firm line, Naoto considered Souji’s suggestion. It
was more feasible than sneaking back and safer than Yosuke attempting a second
spell without a conduit. Taking her horse, she left the two Princes to move to
a more notable spot. But one horse and two riders too many.
Unless they share.
This forest being Yosuke’s turf and being smaller, Souji let Yosuke take the
rein and climbed into the back. With this much space on a horseback, the best
respect he could give was right up against the other’s back and arms around the
shorter Prince. Souji knew Yosuke realized how close they were as well,
stiffening when he felt Souji’s breath on his neck. Souji debated on getting
off to walk instead. However, Yosuke decided he would not let his guest walk
either.
‘Hold on tight. We’re moving.’
With a sharp snap of the rein, Yosuke directed the horse to the place Naoto
specified. Witness to Yosuke’s mishap into the river, Souji was expecting a
rough ride but surprisingly, Yosuke’s control and guidance over each tree root
and uneven ground was one of a veteran rider. So it was most likely the horse
and not the rider a few moments ago. The smooth ride was becoming a slow stroll
and tour like how Souji wanted Naoto to lie to everyone else. Relaxing, Souji
took in the sight, the scenery being the back of Prince Yosuke.
Yosuke’s hair went down to his smaller back, was a darker brown. Peeking
through the wet strands, Souji could see a slightly tanned neck, a skin tone he
was not expecting from a Royalty. He supposed this Prince was a outdoor person,
opposite of himself.
To make the silence less awkward and his stares less obvious, Souji picked a
topic, which the two would understand in common.
‘The horse that ran away is yours?’
Not the best topic but he was only here for a few hours and knew nothing of the
brunette. It was a good thing the Prince shared the same sociability as his
parents.
‘Deathtrap? Yeah. His lifelong mission is to throw me off his back at any
possible chance he can get.’
Then, you should not have named it Deathtrap.
‘And no need to tell me I shouldn’t have named him Deathtrap if I didn’t want
him to be one. I started calling him that whenever he tried to trip me in the
stable. It’s too late when I wanted to stop as he ended up responding only to
that name and steps it up to make his name true.’
Although Yosuke’s words made the horse sounds unmanageable, the brunette’s
fondness of the Palomino horse was unmistakable in his tone.
‘Sounds like you adore the horse.’
‘My dear Prince of Izanagi, which part of what I just said sounded like
adoration?’
‘Souji, please. Prince Yosuke.’
‘Yosuke, please. Souji.’
And the brunette laughed heartedly at Souji’s stiff speech pattern. He would
make a great a cappella group with Naoto. Dropping the rein, Yosuke gave him a
sharp clap, with only Souji’s hands to hold the rein in position, then quickly
took back control.
‘No offence. I raised him since he’s a foal and that little devil enjoys making
my life miserable. If he was not throwing me into the river or a haystack, he
would be speeding into the horizon uncontrollably. Not sure how he grew up like
that but he was nothing like his parents. Right, Marshmallow?’
Leaning forward, Yosuke gave the white horse a rub on the neck as they came to
a clearing with a view of a gentle waterfall beating lazily into the plunge
pool. Another sight Souji was not used to. The water in his country were
stagnant for most parts of the year. He wondered if standing under the
waterfall would hurt.
‘Want to take a dip?’
Souji did not need to remind the Prince their objective was to stay dry as
someone’s shout cut through the woods. Rushing at them, the knight jumped off
before the horse halted and moved towards them aggressively. Was he a hostile?
Souji was prepared to shield the other Prince behind his back when Yosuke
approached the blond casually.
‘YOSUKE!’
‘Kanji, stop shouting. Even the kitchen staff know we’re here.’
‘WHAT! THERE’S NO WAY THEY CAN HEAR US FROM THERE!’
‘And you’re still shouting...’
Yosuke walked past the tall blond, who followed the brunette closely and helped
to remove the clothes tied to the horse.
‘Why are you wet anyway?’
Even when he was not shouting, the knight was still loud enough for Souji to
hear him.
‘What do you think?’
Turning the knight around and using him as a dressing screen, Yosuke proceeded
to change behind the bigger built guy.
‘Deathtrap again?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Should I go look for him?’
‘No. It’s fine. Let him run around a bit more. He’s been weirdly cranky for the
past few hours so I took him out to let out some steam. I don’t want him back
in the stable terrorizing the stable hand on duty today.’
‘If you say so.’
‘By the way, what is this?’
Stepping out, Yosuke was dressed in a white frilled dress shirt, a fine orange
vest that gradually darken into a deep crimson at the center with gold buttons
holding it together. The coat he was holding in his arms was of an equally
fancy black material.
‘Eh, clothes?’
‘Dude! This is for a ball, not horse riding!’
Gesturing to himself, he dared the knight to look closer.
‘What’s the big deal anyway? We’re having a ball soon. Just tell them you
changed beforehand.’
‘It’s a feast, not a ball. And go on a horse ride first?!’
Only an idiot would believe him.
‘I grabbed the first thing because Naoto told me to hurry. Blame yourself for
having so many clothes.’
‘I studied fashion design!’
‘Minored in it. AND SAME HERE! WHAT MADE YOU SO SPECIAL!’
This conversation was getting nowhere. Coughing a little louder to get their
attention, Souji pointed to the sun that was now sitting low along the forest
edge.
‘Shit! Move it, Kanji.’
Taking the wet pile, Yosuke hurled it at Kanji and motioned to Souji to follow
him as he climbed onto Marshmallow’s back.
When they reached the stable, Naoto was standing there and she was not amused.
Adachi was there too, relieved his Prince was safe. As Yosuke passed
Marshmallow to the stable maid, Deathtrap emerged from another side, trotting
towards them. Stopping before Souji, he took a long glance at him and Adachi,
and then pushed Yosuke away from them. Yosuke did not protest and led the horse
to its stall.
Souji supposed Deathtrap was in a better mood now although he heard Yosuke
shouted, ‘Hey, if I go bald, I’m shaving you too.’ And shortly after, something
brown and orange dashed across the field. In the corner of his eyes, he could
see Naoto shaking her head.
That concluded his first meeting with Yosuke.
…
……
………
His second encounter with the Crown Prince was Yosuke standing before him in a
leather jacket. The long hair was tied in a lazy ponytail thrown to the side.
And no, not during the feast as both Yosuke and him were busy moving around
entertaining all the other guests. It was after the dinner, when everyone had
turned in for the night.
Souji felt underdressed to be leaning against his guest room door in a white
long sleeve shirt, black pants and barefooted. A.K.A his pyjamas while the
other, hands in the jacket’s pockets, was wearing a pair of black jeans that
was hugging the brunette’s legs in a close fit. How should he react to his late
night visitor?
‘Come in for tea?’
Yosuke was not sure how he should respond to that as well. It was midnight,
which meant he was the one not thinking straight.
‘Ehm...I want to thank you for your help just now and as thanks, I thought
showing you the nightlife is a good idea, which is..’ーgiving the taller man a
glance over, Yosuke must admitー ‘a terrible one. Sorry. And goodnight.’
‘Wait. Give me a minute.’
Stopping the brunette, who was starting to walk away, Souji raised a finger and
then closed the door. Quickly changing into a black dress shirt and grey khaki,
he opened the door to find the brunette still waiting for him, whose eyes
brightened to see him dressed.
Walking past the door to his Uncle’s room, Souji could imagine all the ‘talks’
he would need to face if his Uncle found out about this but still, he followed
Yosuke’s lead down the dimly lit hallway. Down a flight of stairs, they came to
what looks like a garage with an array of cars and Yosuke stepped into a retro
VW Beetle in a beautiful blue matt finish. The space, however was a tight
squeeze for his legs. Yosuke did not look too comfortable either.
‘Sorry about the space. It’s Naoto’s car. She won’t allow me to bring you out
with my motorbike. So just bear with it.’
Rolling the car out of the lot, Yosuke switched on the radio to fill up the
rest of the vehicle. Exiting the gates of the palace, Yosuke took to the
smaller roads, driving past stretches of stone built terraces. Lights were
still lit in many of the houses and as they drove further in, the locals
outside walking the streets increased with each stretch of the road.
Maneuvering the car carefully through a street filled with vendors selling food
on both sides, Yosuke turned into an alley that lost the bright spot lights but
filled with neon board signs. Parking right below one with a bright red
lipstick as the store signboard, Yosuke killed the engine.
‘Here we are.’
Stepping out, Yosuke waved at the bouncer at the door and went over to do what
looked like ‘flirting?’ to Souji, with his arms around the muscular man,
shaking the guy as he talked animatedly about something.
The whole time, Souji stayed beside the car, uncertain of his next course of
action. Join Yosuke in arm locking the guy with a crew cut? Souji did not think
so, seeing the man had a bandage over the bridge of the nose, which Souji was
sure it was not a shave cut. Wary of the man, Souji chose to study the
surrounding instead.
The place was a whole worldly difference from the other street although it was
only an alley entrance away. Distinctly, he could hear the vendors’ shouts.
Moonlight was the main light source. The wet asphalt road glittering under it.
Time seemed like a stand still without the bustling energy. If Yosuke and the
bouncer were not there, still chatting away, Souji would have believed he
entered a different space.
Passing the car key to the bouncer, Yosuke seemed to reach a certain consensus
with the man and then, motioned to Souji to follow him again. However, instead
of going down the stairs to what was probably a bar, Yosuke went back out into
the street, where the energy of the city was, which Souji would later
remembered as where the best foods were.
After ordering a pile of food, Yosuke dumped them onto the table that he had
Souji seated as ‘reservation’ and sat down with a satisfied sigh. A glance at
the food and then another at the crowd around them, Souji wondered out loud,
‘You do this a lot? Walking around without guards and eating street food?’
Yosuke only shrugged and took a long sip of the draft beer. Not that Souji had
guards swarming him all the time but that was because he hardly left the
castle.
‘That is some autonomy you have. I am envious.’ said Souji with a smile as he
poked a slice of fried squid and dip it into this green coloured mayo but
tasted like mustard.
‘Sometimes, I guess.’
The two spent the few hours talking about which dish or beer was better.
…
……
………
Yosuke was not kidding when he said ‘sometimes’ as next day, Souji found out
the Prince of Jiraiya was, in fact, way busier than the rumors presented him to
be. It was simply the man understood the saying ‘work hard and play harder’ and
he realized it by following the brunette. Yosuke was tasked to be his guide for
the cultural exchange for most parts of the week and Souji was not surprised it
turned out to be the brunette. If Yosuke knew what the two were being set up to
do, he was not showing it and Souji was thankful for it, not wanting to talk
about it.
They started by paying a visit to the financial giant in the country,
specialising in more than one industry and heavily invested by the Royal
Family. That was Souji’s main agenda and it was one meeting, powerpoint slides,
more of it after that. If it was not in the company, they were attending grand
openings or other social events. However, as he was technically a guest and a
client, Souji had the luxury to leave halfway while Yosuke would be returning
to the castle as late as 11pm, making a beeline to his room.
But it did not stop Yosuke from getting Souji to go for a swim at the lake at
12 midnight occasionally. Or to find the man passed out on the couch in the
entertainment room, controller clutched in his hands and the word ‘You’re dead’
flashing across the theater size screen. Souji was there to look for Nanako’s
teddy bear and as much as he felt bad for waking the brunette, he had to
because it was not a bed. In the end, they both slept on the couch because
Yosuke shoved the controller into his hands and Souji stayed to try the game.
Then, it came when everyone had their moments. For a proposal meeting to
incorporate the Izanagi’s spells into their products, Souji and Naoto walked
into the office in time to see Yosuke threw a file angrily at the table.
‘Meeting’s cancelled. Want a drink?’
‘It’s only 5.’
Naoto tried to convince her Prince not to but Yosuke was hearing none of it.
‘You know where I’ll be and why.’
Snatching his key off the table, Yosuke made for the door, leaving a solemn
faced Naoto, who took up the phone to make a call and followed the Prince a
moment later.
…
……
………
Walking into the bar that Yosuke had not once brought him here, Souji noticed
how packed the place was.
People here drink at 5pm?
In the far corner was Yosuke, at a tall table with a lady with long brown curly
hair and he seemed happy. Kanji was nearby too, leaning against the wall with a
bottle of beer, watching the two.
It seemed like a friendly chat between Yosuke and his lady friend to turn
horrifyingly wrong when Yosuke walked away for a while to take a call. A spiked
drink and the horror of being on the other end of the room as Yosuke raised the
glass for a sip.
Souji needed to warn Yosuke and moved towards the two but was stopped by a hand
around his arm. Looking back, it was Naoto, who shook her head and looked
pointedly at the couple nearest to Yosuke. Their eyes were on Yosuke and the
woman as well. Now that he observed carefully, the room was quieter and at
least half the people’s eyes were fixed on the two.
Don’t tell me.
The tilted glass paused right at the lips and a second look at the content,
Yosuke placed the glass back onto the desk and Kanji, who was in the motion of
pushing himself off the wall, laid back against the wall. The tension was
thick. A wrong move and a fight would trigger.
The smile Yosuke wore as he spoke to the woman was filled with sadness, who
hastily stood up and took a fearful look across the room. She made the wise
choice to leave quickly. The few, who stood up to follow, sat back down when a
glass smashed against the floor resounded within the space, silencing the whole
bar in seconds.
For the second time, Yosuke walked out of the bar without looking back.
…
……
………
Knuckles turning white from clutching the wheel, Naoto did her best to keep up
with the speeding orange motorbike but her Beetle was not built to climb the
steep road. There were many times they thought they were close to turn a corner
and Yosuke gained even more distance.
At the last bend to the top of the hill, a screeching sound was clearly heard
through the night sky and oh goodness, how wild their imagination ran. Stepping
down hard on the peddle, Naoto too forgot the meaning of safety. Once they
emerged into a flat opening with a pavilion, the three piled out the moment the
car stopped with a sudden brake.
They saw a fallen motorbike a few metres away and a helmet lying near it. Skid
marks under the car led out to it. Kanji was about to lift the bike to see if
their Prince was under it or in the trees but a loud crackle stopped them in
their tracks. Thunder clouds gathering above them, a strong breeze ran through
their legs, gathering leaves and stones to someone standing beside the cliff
side.
Yosuke…
One step, Yosuke would be going over into nothing but darkness. Fortunately,
their Prince was not suicidal with other plans in mind. The green light of the
wind crystal shining brightly, Yosuke unleashed a powerful wind slash into the
sky, parting the thick dark clouds. A hole revealing the moon shrouded behind.
Summoning another gust that sucked stones into the air, Yosuke threw a series
of wind knives, cutting the stones down in quick succession. Except these few
that was tugged out further by the currents and Souji, affected by Yosuke,
directed a bolt from the flashing clouds to strike those down. Exploding on
impact and the powder blown away by the wind, Yosuke’s anger went with it.
Abandoning the target shooting, Yosuke retreated to the shelter as the
thunderstorm above them decided that was the moment to rain down on everyone.
Feeling safe to finally approach the other Prince, Souji joined Yosuke under
the pavilion while Kanji and Naoto stayed in the car, watching them from a
distance. Sitting down on the cold stone benches, Souji was relieved that other
than a slightly torn shirt, there was not a single scratch or bruise on Yosuke
when the bike looked wretched. This man was lucky.
‘Still remember you said you envy me for the freedom I had?’
‘Yes.’
And Souji was wrong after seeing the bar. Half the people there were most
likely Royal Guards on duty and the bouncer the other day was to make sure no
one uninvited was near the Prince.
‘Well, I wanted to laugh at the irony because this entire country is my cage
and my people hates me. Why don’t you mock me too? For how dumb I am to take
all that shit and continue smiling like an idiot?’
Yosuke glared at Souji as he gritted out his words but immediately dropped his
head, shameful for taking it out on Souji.
‘I think you are amazing. In my country, that would have been a death sentence
on the spot but you let her go. You gave her a second chance.’
‘Because I’m a wuss. My three friends and one of them is a horse. The other two
are always dragged around by my mess, bitched at by my father about my safety
and so, and yet never mention it once to me. All the while, I create more
trouble for everyone, like right now.’
‘No. I can tell they love and respect you as a person, not your title. An
incompetent person cannot manage a company the way you did. And you know what,
in my honest opinion, it takes more to let go than to hang on. It is not
something everyone can do.’
‘Souji, you’re too nice. Kanji will never say that to me. He will yell at me
and say shit happens so get over it.’
And the Prince laughed. It was so forced, it hurt watching the man did it and
once the laughter died off, Yosuke was crying. Beads of tears rolling down the
same face that always seemed so happy, and quietly on the side, he was making
jokes at the museum exhibits to make sure Souji was not bored.
Yosuke was inappropriate, making the wrong comments at all the wrong times. He
was clumsy beyond words, walking into walls and running into mud puddles. It
worsened if he came across the Prince in the early morning hours. Personality
traits were mainly being spontaneous and impulsive, talented in messing up,
reminding Souji nothing of the qualities of a Queen he wanted. But to Souji,
Yosuke was his ideal Queen, who had shown him kindness, tolerance and lastly, a
life beyond the rigid walls of his title.
Taking the dirt covered hand resting on Yosuke’s laps, Souji lifted it to place
a chaste kiss on the back. Kneeling on the cement floor of the pavilion, which
the rain was now assaulting, Souji waited till Yosuke raised his tears filled
eyes to look at him. With words sounding nothing like a proposal, he asked for
Yosuke’s hand in marriage. Not as a prince to another prince but as a man.
‘I know how sudden and prosaic I am being right now, and not to mention we are
both drenched but will you marry me, Yosuke?’
‘Marry you? Me? Souji, you’re the weirdest guy I ever met. Like staring into a
fish tank, thinking what the fishes want for dessert, making me feel all
these...I need to puke.’
And he did. Head turned away, Yosuke vomited all over the floor. Yosuke would
be lying in his spew if Souji was not there to catch him.
…
……
………
Yosuke spent the next day in bed, hung over and miserable.
At dinner, Souji allowed himself into Yosuke’s room with a bowl of chicken soup
to catch the guy in the midst of playing a electric guitar, who immediately
stopped and pulled the headphone off when he saw Souji.
‘E,eh. Th-thanks….’
‘Sure, you are welcome.’
Knowing Souji was waiting for an answer, Yosuke was nervous to see him,
fidgeting and stuttering with his words. Taking the tray, Yosuke lifted the
spoon for a sip and dropped it when Souji’s gaze met him. He would have
overturn the bowl if Souji did not stop it in the nick of time and put it away.
‘If I am making you uncomfortable, I will leave.’
‘Nononono, you’re not! I’m just embarrassed for what I said yesterday.
Ess..specially that last sentence came out all wrong.’
‘You make me puke?’
‘Oh no…’
Yosuke groaned and slapped his hand against his forehead. That was his reply to
Souji’s proposal. How awfully sweet.
‘You were drunk.’
‘That’s an excuse! And No! What I meant was I wasn’t going to say that. The
PUKE part was because I’re going to puke, literally.’
That Souji knew. He was there.
‘So you were going to say something else?’
Yosuke was making him nervous as well by dragging the conversation out with
vomit and puke. However, Souji was not going to show that he was eager for an
answer. His father told him a ladies man was a confident one although his
stomach was clenching up with nerves. Souji was glad he was not the only one as
Yosuke’s face flushed in reaction to his question and blurted, ‘Idon’tremember.
Iwasdrunk,remember?’
No, Souji did not like that answer, which was a blunt open lie as Souji’s heart
dropped a little. It looked like it would take more than just a few words to
get this man to be his and he was not going to wait another day or night. Even
if it was a rejection, he would get Yosuke’s reply now.
If this guy can play a electric guitar with a headache, then he is absolutely
fine.
Moving himself into the other’s peripheral view, Souji blocked out what was so
interesting on the drapes and then move again to whatever was sitting on the
desk. Lastly, Souji threw himself on Yosuke’s bed, his head on Yosuke’s laps,
looking up at the auburn eyes when the latter ran out of places to look, face
down at his blanket. Yes, two could play this game.
Sighing at Souji’s persistence, Yosuke gave up at last. He was going to sprain
his neck from all the turning.
‘What did you see in me?’
If Yosuke wanted him to repeat then the man should have it.
‘You are beautiful when you are smiling at the smallest thing. You fill the
room when you speak with confidence during meetings. To be gracious and stepped
away with kindness when someone hurt you. To be tolerant of nonsense when you
could have abused your power. Then, you amuse me to find you sleeping in the
bathtub when you are supposed to be brushing your teeth or your hair in a mess,
chewed out by Deathtrap.’
‘Wait. Is that a compliment?’
‘Yes. You will be great with children. And your turn. I’m a fish, who wants
dessert and make you feel something you are having troubles to tell me.’
A small gasp and Yosuke went mute again, mouth opening and closing with no
words. Who was the fish here?
As Souji waited for Yosuke, he wondered if Yosuke realized his fingers was
playing with his hair, brushing his fringe to the side, flashing his forehead
that Souji himself was not sure even Adachi had seen it before. And out of the
blue, Yosuke leaned down and clumsily kissed his forehead.
Souji guessed he got his answer to what Yosuke was feeling for him. Sitting up,
Souji ran his thumb along Yosuke’s cheek. It was as smooth and soft as he
imagined and the auburn orbs were watching him carefully.
‘You really want children?’
‘A few.’
‘I’m not a pig.’
‘No. You will be my wife. So will you marry me?’
‘Yes, Souji.’
Sliding his fingers up Yosuke’s hairline and gently into the long brown locks,
Souji shared a tender kiss with his to-be bride. He would make Yosuke happy.
Chapter End Notes
     Yeah, drink and drive...Never Ever Do It. This is a story. Do not
     confuse reality with fiction. Happy ending… Hmph. It's gonna be angst
     from the next chapter until the ending.
***** The Cold *****
Chapter Summary
     Having a child isn't as simple as just having sex.
Chapter Notes
     Gender centric terms in this story are not based on sex or gender but
     tied to your title.
     Tachiden: Departing Ceremony
     Shouden: Welcoming Ceremony
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Cold
The Tachiden was held in Mid-Autumn at Early Sunset. The entire Kingdom veiled
in Yosuke’s favorite colour, they celebrated the union of the Prince of Jiraiya
and Prince of Izanagi.
It was a big event, taking months to prepare for it. With ribbons and bouquets
decorating each the street lamps of the city and tables spilling out from the
spacious ballroom into the Gardens, Souji knew it would be grand. Down the
aisle with Yosuke, Souji was slightly frightened by the riches of Jiraiya.
Something he did not feel so before today; Izanagi was not comparable in terms
of wealth.
And in the last part of the ceremony, at the bottom of the stairs, Souji
watched Yosuke handed the crown, his status as the Prince of Jiraiya back to
the King. From the adjacent row, he could immediately hear Ted wailed. The
petite Prince was upset about his cousin leaving. His cries too affected Souji,
which Souji would not call it a change of hearts but there was this unsettling
doubt and fear.
Was he doing the right thing? Was Yosuke becoming the Princess of Izanagi the
correct thing?
In his own rights, Yosuke could become the next King of Jiraiya with an equally
capable Queen to support him but no, marrying Souji would mean he was making
Yosuke give up on all these and to leave behind the people he loved.
And then, the King and Queen did something unexpected. Placing the crown back
onto Yosuke, they declared to the crowd that their son would always be the
Prince of this Kingdom and his home through rain and shine. Souji started the
applause shading the silence but he did heard the offending comment from
Adachi, saying it was only a political move. His Uncle quickly told Adachi to
watch his mouth. Souji could care less, relieved over his in-laws’ decision.
Yosuke would not need to sacrifice anything to be his wife.
A weight off his heart, Souji found it within himself to enjoy the rest of the
ball and rejoiced the fact Yosuke was officially his wife. Joining his hands
with Yosuke’s, the newly wed moved to the center of the room for a slow waltz.
And as usual, Yosuke was the clumsy man he loved, stepping on his feet a few
times. Not caring about his lead, with a mind of his own, which to Souji, that
was Yosuke’s charming side. Not losing to his wife, Souji swept Yosuke off his
feet and ended the dance with a kiss.
Having a few drinks too many, they both collapsed heavily onto Yosuke’s bed,
which was theirs now. Climbing over Souji and straddling his hips, Yosuke
nipped his husband’s chin playfully, obviously in the mood. Humming contently,
Souji slided his hands suggestively up Yosuke’s thighs, resting them on the
curves that previously, he could watch but not touch. Yosuke was making him
hard with the lap dance. Souji would love to comply. It was their night to
consummate to mark Yosuke as his but considering the long journey they would be
taking tomorrow, Souji decided it could wait, not wanting Yosuke to sit through
hours with a sore bottom.
However, it did not stop Souji from undressing Yosuke to see what he was gifted
with. Pulling the last shirt impatiently off Yosuke’s shoulders and his hand
messing up the brunette’s hair, Souji tugged Yosuke into a sloppy kiss. His
tongue pushing into Yosuke’s mouth, Souji rolled his hips upwards, rubbing
their clothed erections together.
Responding to his seduction, Yosuke bit gently down the tip of Souji’s tongue
and set up a faster pace, grinding eagerly against Souji. The friction giving
them pleasure, Souji quickened the kiss and sucked on Yosuke’s tongue hard as
the end neared. Encircling his arms around Yosuke, Souji matched his body’s
rhythm to Yosuke. Thrusting his hip upwards one last time, Souji spilled into
his undergarment as he felt Yosuke tightened his grip in Souji’s hair.
Coming down from their high, they laughed breathlessly at how disheveled they
both looked. It was not even the real deal yet, they were lost in their lust
for each other. Hair restyled in all direction, lips slightly swollen and face
flushed up.
‘Yosuke, you make me lose control.’
‘Me too.’
…
……
………
The supposedly long ride was shortened by Yosuke, when the brunette, frustrated
with nothing to do in a car, took it out on the fog by blowing it high up into
the atmosphere. The result was crystal clear visibility and a smooth ride.
Souji, frankly wanted to cry. He spent years on a spell to let people see
through the fog, that was still not working properly and his wife here, blew it
away within minutes. They should have just hired a few Yosuke and stationed
them throughout the country to do this.
However, sadly no, there was only one Yosuke, who was not reckless enough to
try doing the same thing in the capital, where the fog was thicker. He might
blew someone sky high. The density of the fog was worrying. It felt as if it
was slipping indoors as well. Souji should really take a look at the
experiments later.
Before that though, let’s had his wife meet his parents first, who were
probably both in their offices working. Seeing how Yosuke immediately shivered
when he stepped out of the car, Souji took off his jacket and placed it around
Yosuke. Technically, it was Autumn but Izanagi, all the way in the North was
entering Winter early. He was used to the cold but for Yosuke, it might take a
while until the brunette get accustomed to the climate. For the moment, Souji
would have to live with Yosuke bundling up in more layers than the way he liked
it.
Intertwining their hands, Souji led Yosuke into the castle he grew up in. The
place where the two would spend the rest of their lives, and one day, reign as
the King and Queen.
…
……
………
Their marriage was supposed to be blessed and he wanted to make Yosuke the
happiest wife in the world but things started going wrong. Looking at the back
of Yosuke, Souji wished he could turn back time.
Shortly after he welcomed his Princess into the Kingdom of Izanagi, his Father
fell ill and had to postpone the Shouden. Staying at the King’s bedside, Souji
watched his Father grew weaker each day while hallucinating and mumbling over
and over that it was a curse. The palace healers were tactless with the cause.
In the end, they could only pray for the best.
As the King weakened, rumors of the Princess jinxing the country spread in the
palace and even his Mother was drowning in it, taking her uneasiness out on
Yosuke. To walk out when Yosuke entered the room or pushing plates onto the
floor when Yosuke sat down at the table. Each time, Yosuke endured it while his
First Knight; Chie did her best to make the Princess feel better. In the end,
he left her to be in charge of helping his wife and his entourage settled in
while Souji buried his head in finding a cure.
Feeling a little guilty for neglecting Yosuke and to cheer the brunette up, he
arranged secretly with Kanji to receive Deathtrap into the Kingdom and build a
shed with proper heating so Deathtrap, born and raised in a warmer climate,
would not need to brave the chill. Yosuke’s smiles returned when he saw the
surprise, giving Souji a big hug before moving to scratch Deathtrap along the
mane. Deathtrap was happy to see his owner as well, in his own way by sighing
and smacking the brunette in the face with his tail.
How he wished the happiness lasted. A few days later, his Father passed away
and his Mother fell into depression, screaming at Yosuke to get out of the
room. Souji loved his Mother but he was shocked when the Queen tried to raise
her hands on Yosuke. Moving to stop her, Souji stepped in between while Yosuke
left the room hurriedly in humiliation. Passing his Mother to his Uncle, he
chased after Yosuke to see through the window that his wife had taken the
horse, riding into the cold without a robe or jacket.
Chie suggested to him to take the dogs but the way the wind was picking up
speed around them, the dogs’ sense of smell would be useless. Assuring Chie he
would be fine, Souji followed the horse tracks and with the wind guiding him,
he found both Yosuke and Deathtrap easily. Both dusted in snow.
Did they fall?
There was a heavy snowfall this morning. It was a relief Yosuke was only half a
mile into the woods. Souji was not sure what he would do if Yosuke was injured
somewhere deep in this forest. The wind circling around them abnormally, Souji
moved towards Yosuke, who was sobbing into the horse neck. The horse doing his
best to shield the brunette from the cold, turned agitated when he noticed
Souji approaching them.
Thankfully, Deathtrap did not charge him and Yosuke rushed into Souji’s arms
crying. Removing his robe and wrapping it around Yosuke, Souji embraced the
brunette tightly in his arms. It was his failure. Of all the things he could
not give Yosuke, security was one of them. Forcing his wife to run out alone
into the wilderness when the castle was supposed to their home. Apologizing
repeatedly for all he could not protect Yosuke from, Souji asked Yosuke to
forgive him.
‘It’s not your fault.’ In between sobs, Yosuke repeated the sentence. There was
nothing to apologize for. Everyone was simply upset over the late King’s
passing.
Staying in their little world; a wind bubble that Yosuke’s unstable emotions
created around them, keeping the cold outside, Souji too took comfort in
Yosuke’s gentleness.
…
……
………
Later that night, his Mother came to them to make amends, passing them this
soup that was meant to warm their bodies from staying out in the snow for a
long time.
How he should not have been so trusting but she was his Mother…She was his
mother! His anger towards her was indescribable when Souji passed out beside
Yosuke.
When he woke up again, it felt like he was watching a movie from inside his own
body. His mind and emotions were detached from the physical body. His body was
not his own. His hands moving on its own, gripped Yosuke’s ankles roughly and
parted the limbs like his wife was only a doll. Bending the legs back, he
positioned Yosuke’s hips, lifting it into the air and forced himself into
Yosuke without any preparation.
Despite the sudden intrusion, Yosuke’s eyes remained shut as Souji pulled out
and rammed into the brunette repeatedly. He was hurting Yosuke. He was raping
his defenceless wife but Souji had no control. Like a switch, he blacked out
when his body finished doing what it was made to do.
Pushing himself up, feeling disoriented with a hammering headache, Souji tried
to shake the dizziness away. What were they doing before this?
Under him was Yosuke lying with his legs apart and Souji between them.
Groggily, he tried to wake the brunette. His fingers tracing the black Mark
formed around the top of the brunette’s collarbone, Souji absent mindedly did
the same with his other hand along his own, knowing a similar one was on his
body.
As the heaviness in his mind and body receded, Souji moved to get himself off
of Yosuke and could faintly see the lines of the active spell keeping Yosuke
immobilized and unconscious. Wait. In that instant, Souji’s brain woke up and
quickly realized something else was wrong. Yosuke was barely breathing. Between
them, a metallic smell was reeking through. Looking down, blood dotted his
groin, which was not his. On Yosuke’s abdomen, another Mark was painted across.
A contrast to the red blood stain spread over the sheet beneath Yosuke.
‘No. Oh no. Oh my god, no. Yosuke. Yosuke! Please, Yosuke. Hang in there for
me. CHIE, GET YUKIKO! NOW!’
Shouting for Chie to get their healer, Souji casted a healing spell over
Yosuke, one that their Head Healer forced him to learn in case of an emergency.
Living a sheltered life, he never needed to use it but when he had to, it was
on someone he was terribly afraid of losing. It flickered on and off, in tune
to his emotions, doing little to nothing to stop the bleeding.
It felt like forever when the Healer at last rushed in and she was horrified at
the state Yosuke was in. Throwing another layer of healing spell over Yosuke,
Yukiko made Souji moved aside so she could do her job.
The rest was him in shock, staring empty minded at the mug thrusted into his
hands. The warm water inside turning red in his mind, merging into the stink of
Yosuke’s blood on the bed. His Mother did this to them. Yosuke almost died
because of her! Flying into the rage, Souji wanted to find the Queen right
away. He needed to know her intentions. Souji might have done something he
would regret if Kanji was not there to knock him out.
…
……
………
‘Uh….’
Opening his eyes, Souji saw a different ceiling, it was slightly lower and very
bright. Moving his head to the side, he saw Yosuke lying on a bed beside his
and Souji scrambled off to Yosuke’s side. Yosuke’s face has regained a little
colour and when he stroked his hand over the brunette’s face, Yosuke’s body
temperature was warmer and no longer cold.
‘Calm down, Souji. Her Highness is alright now.’
If their best Healer was saying that, then he believed her but it did not mean
he was going to move. Lowering herself to Souji’s level, Yukiko looked at him
seriously in the eyes and placing her hand on his arms, she motioned to him to
go to the other side of the room.
‘Souji, I need to talk to you about something else. Come on. It’s about The
Princess. Let him rest.’
Reluctantly, he followed her. Did she has bad news for him? Souji was not sure
if he could take anymore if it was Yosuke dying again. And what she revealed
was nothing close to it but none the better.
‘Souji, Her Highness is pregnant with a child. Under normal circumstances, I’ll
be very happy for you but from what I saw in your room, I don’t think it was
voluntary for either of you, was it?’
Yukiko was right. It was not. He forced himself onto Yosuke and Souji nodded.
‘In that case, Souji, you need to think about it carefully if you are keeping
the child. Her Highness has lost a lot of blood today. It might be stressful on
him physically and if this is forced onto him, there’s also the psychological
burden of having a child he did not want. I suggest you talk to Yosuke when he
wakes up.’
And as if on cue, Yosuke stirred awake. Yosuke sounded so weak when he called
Souji’s name. Taking Yosuke’s hands, Souji gave it a small squeeze, which
Yosuke was too weak to return the gesture. Souji intended to have the
conversation when Yosuke regained more strength. But slowly, his wife slid his
hand out of Souji’s grip to push the blanket off and then, reached down to pull
the shirt and stared at the Mark on his abdomen.
He knew.
Of course, he would know. Yosuke was now a Mother, they control if they want
another life inside them. In that case, there was the possibility of Yosuke
being aware of the entire ordeal. The pain of doing something he did not agree
to and the terror of his freedom taken away. Even if he did not remember, he
would now carry the weight of another life that he may not want. No, everything
about this was wrong. Souji did not marry Yosuke for his wife to be a baby
making tool. This child would not bring them joy.
‘Yosuke, let’s not keep the baby.’
They were both not ready. Yosuke’s widened eyes with disbelief made Souji felt
his decision was wrong. Unable to face Yosuke’s quiet plead in those hazelnut
eyes or the way Yosuke was shaking his head sadly, Souji lowered his head and
stood up to hold his wife down while gesturing to Yukiko to do what she needed
to do. The panic in Yosuke’s eyes, when Yukiko raised her hands over the Mark
of Life to remove it, sent pangs of guilt into Souji.
‘Please, Yosuke. This is not what we want.’
‘No...this is so unfair…’
Bursting into tears, Yosuke hugged Souji’s middle tightly. Why did it turn into
this?
The next second, Yukiko gasped and pulled her hand away as the lines of the
Mark disappear, one by one, on its own. Yosuke had given up on the baby. Souji
made Yosuke kill their child. However, he had no time to grieve. His priority
was Yosuke and barely caught his wife when his queen passed out once more from
emotional loss as the last line faded away.
From that night, Yosuke changed. He would not look Souji in the eyes, unable to
share meals at the same table and lock himself in the room or office for most
hours of the day. The only compromise he gave was to still sleep in the same
bed with Souji. Facing away, his Queen would take up the other end of the bed
with his back to Souji. He wanted to ask Yosuke if he was eating or sleeping
well. However, the simplest questions were harder for him to speak across the
bed than him shouting across the room at the board of Ministers to be civic.
Even though the quilt was thick, it did not provide Souji with the warmth he
craved.
Yosuke, I am so sorry.
Chapter End Notes
     Let’s just say Souji love his wife too much that he became afraid of
     hurting Yosuke, making him unable to see the possibility of something
     more beyond that.
     I suck at writing smut. Sorry.
***** The Sky *****
Chapter Summary
     Souji making amends. (Probably a teeny-tiny bit desperate.)
Chapter Notes
     Sorry. Needed a break and came back with a writer’s block. I have no
     idea what I was writing. Hope I didn’t screw it up.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Sky
Souji was the First child. His Mother opting to focus on her work, did not want
a Second, leaving Souji as the only child. Raised by Handmaidens, he had no one
else. Only Tohru, who was brought in to be his playmate. His parents peppered
him with gifts on the limited days he would see them. They even built him a
glasshouse on the roof so he could play under the sky he loved so much, without
having to experience the iciness outdoors.
His favorite game was betting with Tohru if the Sunny would be popping its head
out of its cloudy bed. Or that was how he described it when he was young and no
one ever corrected him.
On most days, he spent the hours drawing the clouds, the sky, the sun, Tohru
and his Uncle. He left his parents out of the pictures because he did not want
to draw two persons that did not look like them. His Uncle told him his parents
loved him. Souji convinced himself they did and still do.
But something was missing.
In the end, Souji bottled it up and grew up burying his head into looking at
the sky in another way, scientifically and professionally. Little by little, he
too was taken up by work, in the same way his parents were. Souji hardly met
them, seeing them mainly by their summons. There were little conversations nor
was there a need to. His parents’ words were the rules and Souji simply
followed them. That was how he understood and believed a family to be like.
Until he visited Jiraiya.
So many things were different in this other country. For one, the clouds stayed
in the sky. The Sun followed them wherever they go. Souji was not used to it at
first, losing the extra weight on his shoulders immediately. That was not to
say it was hot or like he was walking above molten lava. It was a comfortable
temperature, to bask in sunlight and not feel intimidated.
And then, Yosuke flew his way into Souji’s life.
How Yosuke made his appearance was spectacular. To drop in out of nowhere and
in a way Souji could not imagine a fellow Prince doing. And yet, Yosuke did. It
all seemed so impossible. Sitting in the river, sulking and not caring if he or
Shirogane was there. He hesitated but Yosuke looking all so miserable gave him
the courage to take the first step, into the river. That 10 centimeters between
the plain and into the waterbed was frightening as in his country would have
froze his leg right off.
However, it did not. The water flooding into his dress shoes, in comparison to
his memory of water, was lukewarm, not numbing. Telling himself it was alright
to take another step, he made his way to Yosuke, who took his hand, trusted
Souji enough to show his back to him, who was a stranger then.
Perhaps he need not be this uptight all the time.
Souji could relax and take it easy a little. Each day, Yosuke showed him the
meaning of hospitality and the definition of a balanced family-work life. As
busy as he could be, the brunette made it a point to eat breakfast together
without fail. Not without mishaps and the mornings was the funniest. To see
Yosuke drag his feet out with a face of a zombie and stand staring at the
mirror for ages. Souji often wondered if the other Prince saw another world
within the mirror.
At work, Yosuke had a different face. He was serious. Yosuke would not simply
accept things at surface value. First, the Prince would listen to Souji and
what Souji had in mind to all the Arts he wanted to sell to the world through
Jiraiya. Second, Yosuke would have a hundred and million of questions for Souji
and his proposals. Last of it, Yosuke could and would object with a smile to
any plan that might be too risky. People could say No to him...
It filled his heart with promising possibilities.
Outside of work, Yosuke was defiant as could be. Shirogane was not happy with
Yosuke’s night time adventures but he did not care. He dragged Souji along and
around to play under the watchful eyes of the Moon. Souji was glad he allowed
himself to sneak out and treated himself to fresh sights, that the moonlight
could light the streets and the forest as brightly as the Sun, that Yosuke was
just like everyone. He wanted to be himself.
He wanted someone to love him as him.
And Souji fell hard for the sobbing Prince. Yosuke’s inner self was weak, was
vulnerable and Souji wanted to wipe the tears away for the brunette’s eyes. To
wrap his arms around the smaller man and comfort him. Souji would protect him
from the world.
It was not without doubts.
Souji did not think Yosuke would reciprocate his feelings. Yosuke found him
weird. He called him a fish. None of it sounded like the brunette was
romantically interested in him but Yosuke agreed.
There and then, he felt like the luckiest man on earth.
For everything to fall apart once they returned. It was supposed to their home
but no, Souji was too trusting and his own Mother of everyone to betray him.
To think he almost ruined his wife.
Souji was Yosuke’s husband. He took a vow to keep Yosuke safe and to be by his
side, in sickness and health.
To be the one who inflicted the most pain.
Despite what his logical side told him, that it was the best for the Princess,
Souji knew it was hardly true and it was undeniable he hurt Yosuke. The
betrayal in Yosuke’s honey brown eyes and his trust for Souji lost when Souji
chose to not listen. He did not attempt to understand why Yosuke wanted the
child and one sidedly push his decision onto Yosuke.
Yosuke started avoiding him ever since.
That was how Yosuke behaved towards Souji since that fateful night. Avoiding
contact and not a single word. The silent treatment was suffocating but Souji
did not blame him. Yosuke was probably disgusted with him here and now, so
Souji did not attempt to try touching the Princess again. He deserved it. He
had only himself to blame.
He would live with his consequences.
The cold and silence, however gave him the opportunity to see clearly how his
People was treating his Princess. To realize his authority overruled Yosuke in
all aspects. The disparity was evident through the Council’s behavior, not
acknowledging the Princess’s suggestions although Souji had unofficially left
Yosuke in charge of the economic aspects of the country. All the Princess’s
decision were put on hold until it was passed through the Prince’s eyes.
Everyone here listened to him, not Yosuke.
Including Yukiko. She went with his decision because it was his order. He was
the coming King of the Kingdom. His biggest mistake was to forget that.
And that frightened Souji. His decision could harm Yosuke again and no one
would dare to tell Souji he did. All because he did not know. The way things
were, Yosuke would always be living a life repressed in his shadows and he
would realize it late with Yosuke not speaking to him.
Souji had to do something.
Souji would start making amends to Yosuke. Reassigning Chie to Yosuke, Souji
took assurance in tasking his First Knight to keep Yosuke safe, knowing she
would. Chie, other than being a very protective person, was infamously brash
and her straightforward trait was what Souji exactly wanted beside Yosuke. To
contrast with Yosuke’s more complying nature and as the lead, as Kanji’s backup
in putting the Board in their place if they ever overstepped the boundary. Of
course, not without spending a day giving the two hot headed Knights a prep
talk covering the grey areas.
Then, there was the problem of his Mother. The Healers have deemed her mentally
unfit to be around people. Especially with Yosuke, alternating between throwing
a fit and wailing her apologies that she was deceived. On one occasion,
gripping the brunette’s wrists till they bruised.
Afraid that his Mother would harm Yosuke in more ways than he could prevent,
Souji separated the castle into two; the east and west wings. Restricting his
Mother to the east side and leaving Adachi to look after her, they took the
other. Souji’s intention was if Yosuke and Mother did not see each other, there
would be no conflict except he forgot to take one aspect into account; Yosuke
did not like house rules or staying in one place. It was later when he heard
from his childhood friend, who was not particularly happy about restraining the
Last Queen, of Yosuke constantly going over but Souji paid no heed if it was
what his wife needed.
Finally, there was one last thing he could do. It would be at their coronation
ceremony, where Souji knew he could achieve it. Souji had thought long and hard
about the ways, and it was by Tohru’s mention of a speech to inspire the people
that gave him the idea. It was a powerful tool.. Tohru had said it before, in
Jiraiya. To his Handmaid, it was a political move when Yosuke’s parents
announced they would not take away Yosuke’s Prince status. It would keep the
Jiraiya’s Heir of line alive and obvious. And the world knew. Souji could do
the same.
The oppressing rule almost killed his wife. The patriarchal society was an
obstacle to Yosuke’s goals. Souji could not let Yosuke live here under these
conditions. Both him and the country needed to change. Souji’s line of action
would be breaking tradition, a notion this country embraced rigidly and blindly
proud of but for Yosuke, he would take the leap.
On the day the ceremony was to be held, Souji waited anxiously in the dressing
room. Would Yosuke show? Would Yosuke choose not to turn up? To reject becoming
his Queen?
Clenching his hands tightly, Souji watched the hands of the clock ticked closer
to the moment of truth. A click from the door and the downturn of the handle,
someone stepped in. Souji was so ready to give up...
However, Yosuke came.
Clothed in his finest, Yosuke moved towards him. A closer look and Souji could
tell the brunette took special care to hide how pale he looked, and thanks to
his upbringing, his posture did not betray his emotions. It did, however
crumbled slightly when Souji reached out to thank Yosuke for giving him a
chance. Drawing back a little, Yosuke’s composed facade broken as he stood with
his left hand gripping his right wrist tensely while averting his gaze
uneasily.
The knights watched uneasily at the exchange and none said a word. It was not
news, disrupted by Tohru’s cue for the two to make their way down to the hall,
where they would be taking their vows as the New Rulers. The Grand Hall, which
usually did not see much light or activity, was opened up to the Ministers,
Nobility and a scarce few respectable People to witness the event.
Taking the place as the New King and Yosuke as his Queen, Souji sat quietly in
the Throne, the very same one which his Father once sat proudly in. Unlike the
Late King, Souji would not have the blessing from his parents, with the absence
of his Mother speaking volumes. It was not joyous but it was not to be made
dismal because it was time to change for a start.
Not seeing his Ministers below, only feeling the distance between him and
Yosuke, Souji rose from the throne and he announced his last solely made
decision; the Queen was of equal standing to the King. Yosuke’s words would be
his.
Bestowing authority to Yosuke was his way to tell his Queen he trust him.
Something he was not able to do on that night but starting from today, the King
was going to earn it back. Yosuke was his equal and the People would be his
witness.
After saying all he needed to, Souji proceeded to leave, down the same hallway.
He has made his decision known but there were still work to do, especially with
the Board, who would do everything to push over the shift of power standing.
Souji would be there if they ever try to start with Yosuke.
‘Wait.’
It could not be. The King did not dare to turn his head but he recognised the
voice and he missed it dearly. It was too good to be true. As he stood still in
the empty corridor, Souji felt a hand grabbed his arm. He turned to see a head
with silky brown hair resting on his shoulder back and his expression hidden by
the long locks. It was Yosuke.
And in the softest voice ever, he heard Yosuke whispered, ‘thank you, Souji.’
***
Months later
 
Taking Yosuke’s hand, Souji let his gaze travel down, lower to where another
life was living inside his Queen. And gently, he placed his other hand over and
asked himself what should he do. Kanji, a very proud man, kneeled before him
and begged him to keep the baby. It was his Queen’s wish. Yosuke would want the
child to live and Souji would not make the same mistake again.
Our child will grow up beautiful like you, Yosuke.
A small smile breaking on his face, Souji wondered how long it would be from
now when his child ask him for a story. When that happened, he would tell them
the story of A Foolish King.
In the high North lived a King.
In a very dark castle.
He was cold.
He was lonely.
One day, he went outside.
One day, he found the Sun.
It showed him light.
It gave him warmth.
The King was happy.
The King was delighted.
He stayed and played.
He fell in love.
He wanted to keep the Sun.
He wanted to take the Sun home.
It agreed.
It married the King.
How foolish of him.
How stupid of him.
He let the rain fell on the Sun.
He let the wind blew away the Sun.
The Sun cried.
The Sun left.
The King deserved it.
The King blamed himself.
His home was dark again.
His home was cold once more.
The King mourned.
The King prayed.
The Sun came home.
The Sun came back with a smaller Sun beside it.
The King’s world was bright again.
The King’s home was warm with laughter once more.
Chapter End Notes
     Hope you like this chapter. Yeah, it's ending soon!
End Notes
     Thank you for reading. Any comment would be great.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!