Bleeding

“Are they not yet done?” Kazuki asked.

Yoshiro noticed how soft the man’s voice is compared to earlier. He eyed him and saw his skin has turned pale. He wanted to ask if he was okay but instead, he said, “Isn’t it obvious? No one has come out yet.”

Kazuki groaned, “It’s taking forever---“

“Wrong. It’s just half an hour yet.”

“Ah, I’ll be dead first than this stupid meeting would be over.”

“…don’t exaggerate, Southerner.”

Kazuki only moaned.

Yoshiro observed Kazuki again and thought of the reasons why the man turned pale. That was when he realized Kazuki might have gotten a punishment because of saving him. Guilt started to poison his heart and mind. Time passed; Kazuki started to shiver in the knees. It wasn’t quite visible with all the clothes and armor he wore but Yoshiro, having an eye for detail, saw through it. He couldn’t stand not asking Kazuki about his condition anymore. He took a deep breath but before he could ask, the sounds of the opening of the inner door echoed throughout the place. Both of them quickly moved to the side as they made way for their kings.

At the sight of the two princes’ movement, Shang and Nobu turned facing to their men, commanded with a loud cry to salute. Their second-in-line turned to their subordinates to pass the message to the next until it reached their soldiers. The soldiers knelt in unison then their leaders turned to face the bridge and knelt. The higher-ups gradually followed by rank until it was Shang and Nobu that knelt. The ladies in the bridge simply lowered their heads while the ladies-in-waiting helped each other fix the tent they have set up then kneeled.

When the outer doors opened, everyone was already kneeling. The Northern King and Southern King came out striding their way to the stage, where their thrones were stationed at the moment. Governor Cha followed behind them.

Seconds later, Yoshiro and Kazuki walked behind him. He was delighted upon seeing Yoshiro’s friendly smile. Though he expected to see a scowl or an intimidating glare from the Southern Prince, Kazuki smiled at him. He noticed how pale Kazuki’s skin was. It was very un-prince-like considering they would be sent for wars.

Still, for the sake of sucking up, he wanted to make the acquaintance with the Southern Prince…just in case the North would fail to take care of his lands then he’d have an escape route. In the middle of the stage, the court ladies and female members of the Royal family followed behind.

Governor Cha slightly turned his head to his right to attempt conversing with the South’s son but before he could talk to him, the Prince fainted. He hit the floor with a loud thud, making the kings pause and turn at their backs to check the commotion. The ladies, Yoshiro and the Governor were surprised.

Miurio immediately assisted her unconscious older brother, gently waking him by hitting his face with her hand and calling his name. Her ladies-in-waiting followed. Some brought fans and some ran as fast as they can to get supplies like water and to alert the medical team.

While Shang dismissed his men so they could go to their stations outside and around the perimeters of the Shrine, the Southern Army was alarmed. They waited for Nobu’s orders whether to strike or not. However, their leader immediately left his soldiers to assist his younger brother without a word or a leader to follow. They had no choice but to stand until Nobu or someone else takes command of them. Meanwhile, Nobu carried his brother on his back to the nearest shelter. The Southern Princess, her entourage, a group of doctors and nurses followed them.

Yoshiro watched in disbelief. He wanted to help Kazuki just as the man did for him when he was wounded but he felt his father’s glare on him. He let it go, turned, and continued walking with his father and distant relative, the Southern King, to the stage. The Northern ladies and a few of the Southern ladies followed. Yoshiro saw his distant relative-in-law, the Southern Queen, just steps behind him. The woman saw him eyeing her. She raised her head a bit, smiled, and lowered her head once more as she followed her king.

Hiroto loudly sighed, “What an inconvenience!”

Yoshiro glared. He looked behind at the man’s Queen to see if she had any contempt for his words. He wasn’t surprised to see the Queen pretended not to hear at all. He glared at the Southern King as if to say, “Why, aren’t you his father, shouldn’t you be more concerned of your son?”

The Southern King felt the prince’s eyes on him. Yoshiro quickly straightened. Hiroto noticed the prince’s bare nape and his hair pinned to the sides instead of a bun. Tsk, the man recently had a new haircut.

He scoffed, “Are you planning to become a monk, Crown Prince Yoshiro?”

Jaesook stopped in his tracks. He furtively eyed his son. Yoshiro’s cheeks slightly blushed in embarrassment. The Northern King sighed. He grudged explaining this very moment to the Southern King but now, the topic has been opened up. He had to somehow cover the tracks. He smiled, “His hair caught fire in the last war. It looked hideous. We had no choice but to cut it short.”

They started walking again. It was a little while before Hiroto added, “I see. However, you could have committed suicide than give your hair away like that.”

Yoshiro kept silent but he was embarrassed to put himself and his father in a situation like this. He turned to Hiroto. The way those crimson eyes shined told Yoshiro the man knew what happened between him and Kazuki. He guessed the man had punished Kazuki for helping him out and that he should explain himself to the King to save Kazuki’s life. He took a deep breath and curtsied, “Your Majesty, I---“

“Yoshiro, there is no need to---“

“Take my command!”

They turned to the East side where the Southern army was. A woman stood in front of the soldiers. The soldiers immediately stood at attention at the sound of her voice. Though still sounding feminine, her voice boomed and sounded as respectable as Nobu’s. The Northerners were surprised. The idea of female warriors mustn’t have occurred to them. Yoshiro and his father exchanged glances. Hiroto noticed it.

He proudly smiled, “My daughter-in-law, Gu Yura, has served in the army for quite some time. She’s my son Kazuki’s wife.”

...

“Kazuki,” she slapped his cheek repeatedly, “Kazuki, wake up. It’s Miurio.”

The girl pouted her lips to the left side of her face, “Brother, the banquet has started and I’m stuck here with you. Nobu says I can’t leave or watch the banquet program until you open your eyes.”

She tugged at her brother’s shoulders, “I want to see the dances, hear the music, the beat of the drums and enjoy good food and see the fireworks and…and…” she stopped. She no longer had anything to look forward to.

She rolled her eyes, “Never mind! I’m already missing most of the good part of the banquet! When you wake, all that’s left to do is to go home or worst, return to the ‘social’ part of the banquet: faking pleasantries with the Northern bitches.”

She gasped the moment she realized she actually cursed in front of her brother. Her heart raced as she checked for signs that would tell her brother was consciously listening. To her relief, the man was still asleep. She smiled and punched her brother in the shoulder, “Don’t tell Nobu or Father… Not even my Matron or worst, Mother!”

“Should I tell, too?”

Miurio jolted like a cat. The surprise she felt was almost enough to give her a heart attack but she calmed down the moment she recognized the voice. She cried, “Ms. Yura!” and quickly got to her feet and curtsied.

Yura laughed as she returned the bow. Both are seated on pillows in front of Kazuki. Yura smiled at her. Miurio blushed and wasn’t able to look at her in the eye.

She murmured, “Are you going to tell?”

Yura shook her head, “I’m not telling. Do not worry.”

Miurio felt a huge weight was taken off her shoulders, “Thank god, Ms. Yura.”

Finally, she smiled. She watched as Yura took her brother’s hand with both her hands. Yura’s maroon eyes look at Kazuki with such concern she wonders why her brother complains of not being loved by the woman. There is no mistaking it. It’s love in Yura’s actions. She sighed; her brother is doing the manly thing again: being insensitive.

“How is he?”

“He’s---“

“…fine.”

Both ladies were startled by the low grumbles coming from Kazuki. His eyes were slowly opening; the upper and lower lid trying to part from each other but like magnets would glue together again. Still, the man fought the drowsiness and managed to maintain a distance between his eyelids, just enough to see. Yura quickly withdrew her hands and placed them on her lap instead. Miurio watched as Yura did and wondered why. The woman met her in the eye; she avoided it and turned her attention on her brother.

“How are you feeling, Kazuki?”

“…not dead…” was the man’s soft reply.

Miurio rolled her eyes while Yura tried to stifle her laughter but her lips were undeniably smiling. Kazuki saw her smile and was infected with it. His pale lips slowly curved into a smile.

“…like your smile…Yura…”

His wife blushed but said nothing. Silence, the heavy and unsettling sort, took over the room. Miurio, however, broke it and opened another topic: “So, what happened? Care to tell us ladies---”

“…oh…heard you curse…be nice to me…”

His sister took a sharp breathe in, pouted, and frowned. She rephrased her question, “Dear brother, please tell us what happened. Pretty please?”

Kazuki, despite his current weakened appearance, glowed mischievously. He chuckled but it came out as dying coughs.

“Very well…”