Breeze hurries with Kaori to the palace with the others, only stopping once she sees guards already waiting, arming themselves as they saw Keiji, and the others approaching with similar vigilance.
“Who goes there?” asks a Guard with dark brown hair, his spear held up in defense.
Breeze turns as Keiji had stepped forward, keeping Kaori close behind her as Keiji bowed lightly, his arm folded across his waist as a gesture of respect. “Good afternoon,” he says politely.
The brown-haired guard adjusts himself, recognizing Keiji, but not letting his guard down. “Sky bandits,” mutters a black-haired guard on the opposite side, his tone hesitant.
“You aren’t welcome here you know that,” the guard states, his attention moving behind Keiji, his eyes widening with a hint of fear upon seeing Tai, who returned the gaze with a cold glare.
Keiji maintains his calm demeanor as he spoke. “We are well aware, but you see we were extended an invitation by His Royal Highness. He was interested in a young woman who has been under our care,” he gestures behind him as Breeze nudged Kaori forward gently, who, in turn, bowed awkwardly.
The black-haired guard looks at Kaori and bows deeply, believing her to be Akiko. “Lady Goddess welcome back. Please make way into the palace,” he says respectfully and begins to lead the way inside while the brown hair guard starts to hold back the others from entering causing Kaori to stop and take a step back herself.
Kaori holds her hands near her heart, clenching her fist nervously, and shakes her head in defiance. “I can’t leave without those I came here with,” she says in a wavering tone, her confidence fading as quickly as her words left her mouth. “If they aren’t welcome then neither am I.”
The brown-haired guard turns to look at Kaori with concern. “But my lady—” he protests cautiously, being cut off by Kaori’s gentle voice.
“I know you have a job to do but I can’t leave them,” Kaori says before he could finish his sentence, her voice still holding a sense of uncertainty.
The black-haired guard sighs, looking defeated. “Very well.” He looks at the others behind Kaori and nods. “Right this way.” He leads everyone through the palace gates into a large open area with a stone walkway leading up to a beautiful set of stairs painted gold to match the large doors they stopped at. He turns and looks at everyone, his eyes briefly locking onto Tai for a moment. “Your arrival will need to be announced, please wait here,” he says with a subtle bow, hurrying around the hall and leaving the others there to wait.
Breeze edges close to Keiji, speaking in a quiet tone. “I have a weird feeling about this.”
Keiji nods lightly, then looks at Kaori, who seemed uneasy.
“Maybe I was a little harsh huh?” Kaori says thoughtfully as she looked down.
Keiji smiles reassuringly. “Not at all.”
“Was that harsh?” Breeze asks, laughing at the thought. “You’re so adorable,” she adds, messing up Kaori’s hair with a gentle tousle.
“Don’t encourage her stupidity,” Tai says strictly as he stepped forward, intentionally insulting Kaori’s actions. “If she didn’t look the slightest bit like Akiko, they would have killed you all before we stepped foot on the grounds.”
Breeze pouts a little as she looked at Tai. “Shut up you.”
Tai starts to argue back but is deliberately interrupted by Kaori.
“Thank you,” Kaori says with a slight smile. “I’ll try to be more careful of what I say here.”
Vicious glares at Tai for a moment, then looks ahead as the door opened, and two male palace servants bow lightly to them.
“Right this way my lady,” says one of the servants politely; both bowing to Kaori respectfully as he did so.
Kaori looks at Breeze with a worried expression, then follows as she received an eager smile in return. They all enter a large room with beautifully made tapestries hanging near the paper windows, a warm light still pouring into the room. She looks down for a moment seeing a dark purple velvet carpet leading to a slightly raised platform where drapes hung over an awning, casting a shadow over the emperor who sat inside draped in many layers of silk robes, only his face blocked from view under the shadow of the drapes. She looks over her shoulder as everyone had knelt down in respect, except for Tai.
Both servants kneel down, one of them keeping his head down as he spoke. “Your Majesty, Lady Akiko has arrived.”
Kaori winces lightly, annoyed at hearing Akiko’s name being directed toward her.
“Akiko has passed,” says a calm and soothing voice from under the awning that belonged to the emperor as he gracefully stood up in such a smooth motion despite his heavy robes. “My dear goddess, what is your name?”
“Kaori,” she replies with interest in her eyes that echoed in her voice even in a single word.
“Let me introduce myself,” says the emperor before stepping out of the awning and onto the floor near Kaori and smiles down at her, the light of the room shining on his elegant features giving him an aura of a gentle kindness as he continued. “I am Emperor Soujirou of Lotus City. I am deeply honored to be graced by your presence here today.”
Kaori looks up at him, noticing his long, straight dark black hair neatly combed out of his face which looked as if he had never become dirty in his entire life. “Uh...” She looks down quickly, feeling her face becoming red in embarrassment at his look of admiration toward her.
Soujirou smiles kindly as he looked behind Kaori. “Everyone please rise.” His attention stops on Keiji, and Breeze with a pleasant smile on his face. “I see you have Yaban with you. In my palace.”
“The guards attempted to inform her sire” interjects a nearby servant quickly with his head lowered. “but she insisted on bringing them along.”
“As a goddess should,” replies Soujirou simply. “I do believe the deities possess a certain fondness of all those on this earth. Otherwise why should they protect us?” His eyes rest on Tai for a moment, his calm expression unwavering. “Though I am curious about your presence here,” he says quietly. “I had assumed that the company of a deity no longer suited your interests.”
“I could say the same about you,” Tai replies in a hateful tone.
“Watch your tongue!” Says another servant quickly.
Soujirou raises his hand in a single, effortless motion. “We should respect our elders, shouldn’t we?” he says with his unwavering smile. “After all this time, will you still refuse to bow to me Taiichiro?”
“You know the answer,” Tai says darkly.
“I will not force you,” Soujirou says laughing a bit to himself, his soft and gentle personality apparent through his actions. “Though I must say, it is quite strange to see you taking orders from someone else.”
“Good thing it’s of no concern of yours,” Tai replies as he crossed his arms.
Soujirou’s gaze wanders down to Shomei and Vicious. “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.”
“Your majesty,” Vicious says in an empty tone.
“Are you well?” Soujirou asks them both pleasantly.
“Yes, your highness,” Shomei replies respectfully.
“I trust you are helping her along her journey,” Soujirou asks as he turned to Keiji, his attention moving to Kaori as she spoke, his eyes carrying a sense of admiration each time he looked at her.
“A- actually,” Kaori interjects softly, capturing everyone’s attention. “There isn’t one.”
Soujirou’s expression turns to one of great interest at Kaori’s admittance. “Oh?”
“I don’t have much knowledge of Noroc, and I don’t want to go the path of Akiko and strictly follow the Temple,” Kaori says quietly. “So, I won’t be going on any journey in that regard.”
Soujirou smiles lightly then looks at Keiji. “A suggestion of yours?”
Keiji laughs a little. “We encourage her to decide what she wants.”
“I see.” Soujirou turns to his servants calmly. “I want you to prepare rooms for them all. I will not have them leave here without a full night’s rest. Additionally, assemble the maids and have them assist Lady Kaori in attire befitting her divine stature.”
Kaori looks up directly at Soujirou and shakes her head. “No, it’s alright, I’m fine the way I-” She gives up as she saw the servant bow obediently and hurry off.
“Please feel free to take a look around,” Soujirou’s voice gently breaks the tense silence before he looked toward Kaori with a smile. “Will you accompany me to the gardens once you have changed, my lady?”
Kaori blushes a little, her voice becoming nervous once more. “Uh. I don’t...” She looks over at Breeze as if hoping for an answer.
Breeze nods encouragingly. “Go on ahead. We’ll be fine.”
Kaori looks back at Soujirou. “Yes?” she replies, still unsure.
Three women hurry into the room from the back, their clothes similar to the male servants, and bow lightly toward Soujirou, keeping silent as he spoke. “The maids will escort you there once you are ready.”
“Right this way my lady,” says a woman who seemed to be the head of the three maids before taking Kaori’s hand in hers lightly and guiding her out of the room through the back door.
Soujirou waits until Kaori had left before looking at Tai directly. “Feel free to do as you wish here but do understand that while you are on my grounds all eyes will be on you.”
Tai glares at Soujirou coldly. “Do what you want,” he retorts dismissively before turning away carelessly and walking out of the room.
Keiji bows humbly before Soujirou, his expression respectful while remaining guarded. “We thank you for your hospitality.”
Soujirou’s gaze moves to linger on Keiji, a subtle intensity underlying his calm demeanor. “If she accepts you as someone she can trust then who am I to dismiss you from my home? Though I do have one question for you,” he pauses, stressing the light tension between them. “Do you have a plan?” he asks, his tone measured and hinting at a deeper understanding of the situation.
Keiji smiles a little. “I have yet to ask.”
Soujirou laughs a bit in exchange, his handsome features accentuated by his charming attitude. “You will never change,” he turns away from them and walks out through the door in the back quietly.
“Did you see anything?” Breeze asks quietly as she leaned in close to Keiji.
Keiji’s eyes narrow a bit before speaking, turning to look at Breeze with a mixture of concern and determination. “Many things, but I assume it’s all covering up what he doesn’t want me to know.”
Vicious looks at Keiji and Breeze suspiciously, noticing the hushed exchanged between them. “What are you two whispering about?”
“You’ve been here before, haven’t you Vicious?” Keiji asks just as Breeze hurried out before everyone else, intentionally changing the subject and avoiding Vicious’s question.
❀
Kaori stands looking at the mirror seeing herself dressed in a form fitted white robe which had a large golden silk belt around it, the trail of the robes falling behind her only a few feet. “This feels a little tight,” she says with slight difficulty.
“As it should be my lady,” says one of the maids with a small laugh.
“Oh...” She looks down a little and nods. “Right.”
She and the other maids step back looking at Kaori’s finished look with a smile. “I’m sure his majesty will be very happy to see you in such a way.”
“It’s time to head to the garden my lady,” says a maid near the door.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Okay.” Kaori follows behind the women out of the room and down a brightly lit hall, her expression uncomfortable as she walked. “How can anyone stay dressed like this and still move freely? It’s so uncomfortable.” She adjusts herself in the clothes with discomfort, looking up to see the entrance to a large garden with beautiful pink flowers hanging from the trees above while some gently had flown off in the soft breeze making it seem as if it were snowing flowers. “It’s so pretty.”
“Please walk down this path my lady, his majesty shall arrive shortly.” She and the other maids bow respectfully before leaving Kaori in the garden.
Kaori takes a deep breath before walking down the flower coated path slowly while her robes trailed behind her. She admires the trees around her, a small stream nearby gaining her attention for a moment causing her expression to become peaceful until she reached a stone marker at the end of the pathway where Tai stood in silence, seeming as if he was reading something that was etched on the face of the marker.
He stands staring at the stone with his hands in his pockets for a moment before turning around looking at Kaori, his eyes scanning her appearance from top to bottom, noticing her clothes. “A bit much,” he says looking unimpressed.
She looks down anxiously. “It’s uncomfortable too,” she says moving the bottom layers of her clothes lightly, the silk sliding together gracefully.
“It doesn’t suit you,” his tone remains unchanging as he walked past Kaori, stopping as she was behind him, but making no effort to turn around as he spoke. “After you’re done here, Keiji wants to speak to you.”
“Do you know what it’s about?”
He looks down a little. “Yeah,” he replies in an empty tone but says nothing further to explain himself as he started walking away from her.
She pouts a little as she watched him walk away. “Breeze is right. He really is rude.” She sighs with defeat, then walks over to the stone, seeing the wording on it written in a language she couldn’t understand. She looks at it closely, somewhat intrigued as some of the characters started to move. “Am I imagining this?” She turns quickly as she heard Soujirou speak kindly from behind her.
“It is the language of the gods,” he says softly. “Or so I have heard growing up. Can you read it?”
She shakes her head, too nervous to speak.
“Do not worry. Akiko was unable to as well,” he looks down at Kaori as he started to take in her appearance. “You look just as lovely as I thought you would.” He smiles kindly as his eyes moved to look into hers intensely.
She looks away, feeling anxious at his tender gaze. “I take it you’ve met her before.”
“Yes. At the time she was a bit troubled, but still willing to do her part for the sake of humanity.” He looks over at the stone admirably. “Something you are unsure of doing?”
“I’ve heard it’s pretty uncommon,” she replies regretfully.
“It could be seen as becoming a traitor to the people of Noroc. Abandonment of the Gods so to say.” He looks over his shoulder at her with empathy as he saw her look down, and seemingly hurt at his words before turning his attention at the stone once more. “And because that may be the case for you, I would like to extend an offer to you that will protect you from the Temple’s exile and avoid the unnecessary hatred of people. Should you accept, I will guarantee you a life far different from what you have now.”
She looks over at him skeptically. “What kind of offer?”
He turns and returns her doubtful gaze with a heartfelt smile of his own, stepping toward her lightly and moving her hair from her neck as he leaned forward to speak in her ear in a quiet tone filled with kindness and sincerity. “I would like for you to be my bride.”
She feels her face become hot, knowing she was blushing brightly as Soujirou had moved away and looked at her with a smile. “Uh-. I. But you. You’ve only just met me,” she stammers, her voice betraying her as she shook her head looking flustered.
Soujirou’s expression remains earnest as he continued to speak, his tone imbued with conviction. “Perhaps, but I truly believe that you were the one I had always longed for. Even if you do not love me in return now, I will do everything in my power to help you one day grow to love me, should you decide to accept.”
Kaori’s disbelief deepens, her confusion apparent. “You really can’t be serious, right?”
A soft chuckle escapes Soujirou’s lips, seeming to find her response charming. “I could not be any more so,” he affirms, his warm gaze fixed on Kaori as he spoke. “Think of how unified the world could be? A goddess summoned by the Temple, who befriended the Yaban, and married the Emperor. Those who doubted their beliefs before this day, and those who feared, even hated Yaban, could come together at the announcement of our unity.”
“But... What about Aduro? I’ll still be abandoning that responsibility won’t I? Wouldn’t the temple want me to defeat him?” her voice wavers with uncertainty as she raised her concerns.
His expression softens as he listened to her, his hands gently enclosing hers. “My greatest armies will always be at the ready to ward off any attacks. We all know this battle is one that cannot be won, but one that can be contained, in a life adjusting to such trials in harmony. What this world truly wants is what it used to be before the war. A place where there was nothing left to fight over,” he explains with sincerity. “In time I believe we can achieve that if we start here. Together... I will not ask of your answer now, but I do wish you would consider seriously. After all, this is no path Akiko would have ever taken, is it not?”
She looks up at him for a moment, looking back down quickly in confusion.
“I will be in the consult hall for the rest of the evening and most of tomorrow. Whatever you need I will be more than pleased to give you my full attention, no matter the request,” he assures, his touch gentle as he kissed the top of Kaori’s hand lightly. “Until then, please speak it over with your companions if need be,” he adds with a charming smile, before turning away and walking out of the garden.
She remains rooted to the spot, her mind swirling with thoughts and emotions, her gaze fixed on the ground as she tried to process everything that had just happened.
❀
“Uhg it must be so boring here,” says Breeze with an exaggerated groan while walking down a quiet yet guarded outdoor hall of the palace with Keiji. “It’s always, prepare for battle drills, consult with this region, how are the people, make sure the Yaban aren’t killing anyone.” She rolls her eyes at the thought. “There’s no room for any type of fun here.”
“It’s their way, they need a leader just as much as we do,” Keiji says calmly as he looked ahead while they walked.
“Yeah, but I mean really; Yaban don’t need to be led much,” retorts Breeze, her attitude reflecting a feeling of hindrance.
“I suppose it brings them a sense of security.”
She shrugs carelessly, her focus drawn ahead as she noticed Tai looking out at a small stream that passed through the side of railing’s supports and grins, hurrying up to his side. “Hey you~” she sings happily. “Lookin’ a bit ruffled,” she says teasingly. “Emperor got under your skin earlier?”
Tai’s cold gaze passes over Breeze and to Keiji who walked up just as calmly as ever. “Didn’t you tell me you could make her shut up?” he asks indifferently.
“It never seems to work,” admits Keiji with a shrug.
“Hey! I’m right here,” Breeze says childishly. “Don’t talk about me that way.”
“What do you want anyway?” Tai asks carelessly.
“Did you tell her we needed to talk?” She asks with her hands on her hips.
“Yeah,” Tai confirms curtly.
She raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t spy on her, did you?”
Tai glares at her a little. “I’m not you, there’s other things I find far more interesting than the life of a lost goddess,” he says looking uninterested in Breeze’s presence.
“You big meanie,” she mumbles lightly.
Keiji looks at Tai, his expression thoughtful. “She has been gone quite a while. It wouldn’t hurt to check on her.”
“Ooh!! Yes! Even if she’s not there we could still see the garden together!” Breeze says looking excited as she took Keiji’s arm and hurried away from Tai quickly. “We’ll let you know if we find her ‘kay?” She hurries off with a wave of her hand, dragging Keiji along and leaving Tai behind.
“Both are idiots...” Tai says with an exasperated sigh looking to be tired of them.
❀
Shomei walks along the garden quietly until she heard the sound of Kaori’s voice talking to herself following the sound until she saw Kaori looking at the stone marker, speaking questioningly.
“Now would be a good time to give me an answer you know. I mean you’ve let this drag on for so long as it is,” she says in frustration, sighing heavily after not receiving a response. “Figures...”
“What do you need an answer for?” she asks curiously as she stopped behind Kaori, clearly able to feel the lingering tension Kaori’s behavior gave off.
She turns lightly looking surprised. “Uh-. I...” She looks down with a strained expression of confusion and hopelessness, just as Breeze hurried up with Keiji.
Breeze runs up with Keiji not too far behind. “Hey, Kaori what are you—” she cuts herself off as she noticed Kaori’s distress. “What’s wrong dear? Are you alright?” she asks looking genuinely concerned.
Kaori shakes her head, her hair falling over her face as she looked down. “I... I don’t know what to say,” she admits, feeling overwhelmed.
Breeze steps forward and places a caring hand on Kaori’s back. “Say about what? Did the Emperor say something that hurt you?”
“He... He asked me to marry him,” Kaori says reluctantly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Breeze’s eyes widen in shock at the news. “He what?”
“He told me if I chose to go my own path, I could be treated as a traitor, which I already expected regardless. But if I married him, it could bring unity. Could I really be in that much danger if I do what I want?” Kaori asks with slight fear in her voice.
Shomei crosses her arms thoughtfully as she spoke in a tone that reflected her expression. “You’re already being hunted by the New Reform. Hatred from the Temple and their followers could lead them to believe that not only have you abandoned them, but also the entirety of the heavens as well. But if you were to give up the fight because you were in love with one of the world’s highest rulers, a supposed descendant of a martyr no less, it could cause some ease among the people and Temple.”
Kaori clenches her fists at her side tightly. “I really don’t have much of an option then do I?”
Breeze looks at Keiji seriously, before looking down, her hand gently falling away from Kaori in defeat.
“There is one thing we were going to ask of you, but we were unsure if it were something that you would be willing to do,” Keiji says in a tone that was slightly more serious than his normal calm and kindhearted nature. “Maybe it would keep you and the people happy for the time being should you agree.”
Kaori looks up at Keiji, a glimmer of hope in her eyes and fully invested in every word he spoke as he continued on.
“There is a legend that said there was a goddess who came close to defeating Aduro. She had harnessed the power of guardians, one from each shrine that encased the power of their natural elements, hence the tradition of visiting each shrine in the first place. Each power was sealed away in the form of a preserved soul and given to her in order to use it as means of protection. Little did they know that the souls were actually chosen by the Gods to protect any deity on their journey to keep Noroc at peace. One goddess had attained all except one. Because if she did, the man she loved would have died, as she inadvertently bestowed him the power of the gods to become a guardian for her. She wanted to believe that on his faith alone she could defeat Aduro, but unfortunately all had perished at his hand. It’s said that down the line our ancestors had found the source souls and hid them away in places that only our people would be able to find, but those who knew of it were killed in the war. Since then, no other god that has graced Noroc has come as close to defeating Aduro. We wanted to ask your assistance to attempt finding those souls, it could put an end to all of this once and for all should you accept.”
“How do you know if that even exists if those who hid it were killed?” Shomei asks curiously.
“Only one person was able to survive. I assume you know who already,” replies Keiji lightly as he looked at Shomei.
Kaori looks down thoughtfully before shaking her head, making up her mind quickly. “Let’s go then,” she says trying to hurry off.
“Wait! Are you sure?” Breeze asks looking worried, her tone stopping Kaori in her tracks. “I mean... The Temple denounced them from the teachings so they could hate you for even trying to find them anyway,” she says cautiously. “We really don’t want to pressure you here or worse, have you rush into something you’re unsure of on either front.”
Shomei shifts her stands with a soft sigh of uncertainty. “Don’t you think if she goes as far as finding objects of Yaban legend then she has the obligation to fulfill her duty to the people to bring unity?” she asks calmly. “Whether she marries the emperor or goes looking for those souls she will still be going against the temple and that in itself is against their teachings,” she warns with caution.
“So either way... People may still be angry,” Kaori whispers softly. “This is all so stupid... There’s no pleasing anyone.”
“It’s part of being what you are,” Shomei replies in concern. “Unfortunately, no matter what you do, no one will ever fully agree on the choices you’ll make.”
“This must be why Aduro is so angry,” Kaori turns to Shomei quickly. “Then what’s the point of even caring?” she asks with determination. “Do all people really think that I’ll do whatever they want?”
Shomei nods, understanding of Kaori’s plight. “It’s the way of the world now. They expect you to be a servant of the people not the other way around.”
“So really there’s only one option here…” Kaori says thoughtfully. “I’ll end this myself if that’s the case. If the people in this world want to be childish, then I have no choice but to make them see reason,” she mutters to herself softly in frustration.
Keiji looks at Kaori with concern as he heard her thinking out loud. “Though the decision is entirely up to you. We would not dream of pressuring you into such a choice, so please consider everything carefully.”
Kaori looks at Keiji for a moment, her eyes reflecting her inner turmoil as Vicious walked up.
“What’s going on here?” Vicious asks curiously.
Shomei looks at Kaori for a moment then at Vicious. “The Emperor has asked for her hand in marriage.”
Vicious’s expression seems surprised for a brief moment before he looked at Kaori seriously. “You’ll say no right? You still have to visit the temple after this.”
“She doesn’t have to go to the Temple if she doesn’t want to,” Breeze says irritably. “If she wants to save the world, she can do it without them.”
Vicious glares at Breeze in resentment. “You’re going after those forbidden souls, aren’t you?”
“It’s only another thing for her to consider,” Keiji answers casually. “If she decides she doesn’t, she is always welcome to stay with us to keep her safe.”
“Keeping her safe is keeping her far from Taiichiro. I should have known you would do something so reckless,” Vicious replies with anger rising in his voice.
Breeze steps forward toward Vicious, looking angry. “Hey!” she yells in an attempt to defend Tai, being cut off as Vicious continued his accusations.
“You can’t tell me he’s changed after what happened in the city,” he insists incredulously.
“You can’t judge him for that,” Breeze says shaking her head. “He’s a good person!”
“He’s a threat to her!” Vicious yells suddenly.
Kaori clenches her fists tightly at her sides, then looks up, seeming angry. “I’m going to marry him!” she says suddenly, taking everyone by surprise by her sudden outburst of frustration.
Vicious and Breeze fall silent as Kaori’s voice broke into their argument. “But... You’ve just met him today. You can’t possibly love someone you just met,” Vicious says quietly.
“It isn’t about love,” Kaori says seriously.
“But at the sake of your own happiness?” Breeze asks softly.
Kaori nods once. “I want to stop it.”
Keiji looks at Kaori blankly. “Stop what?”
Kaori turns to Keiji, looking sad. “This...” she replies sadly. “All of this hate people have desperately held onto.”
Vicious stays silent, yet still holds an angry expression on his face.
“I’m going to go let him know,” Kaori bows lightly then hurries off.
“Vicious...” says Shomei seriously after Kaori had hurried out of the garden. “You should know better by now.”
“It doesn’t matter. Just because she doesn’t know doesn’t mean they have the right to sway her decisions by making it seem like she’s the one making them,” Vicious replies bitterly.
“We do nothing more than tell her the truth and give her options,” Keiji says coldly as he looked away.
“Like you told her the truth about him? Have you told her the whole story?” Vicious says after Keiji.
Keiji looks over his shoulder lightly. “Whatever Tai’s past is, is something he deals with. It is of no concern of mine. I have made this clear to you before.”
Vicious glares at Keiji hard. “You never change. If he wasn’t around she would have been at the Temple by now,” he says hatefully, then walks off toward the palace past Keiji.