Back in Donggu…
It was Akio's oversight to believe that he — the King of Donggu — could be defeated by miscreant assassins. But if it was his intention to thwart him from assisting Kyoutarou, then it worked perfectly. Sending Inka had been the right decision. His chauvinistic brother wouldn't see it coming.
Sheathing his sword, he returned to the palace, receiving reports that the assassins have been successfully eliminated on his General and Commander's end.
"Good work, everyone," he praised, taking a seat. "I suspect these assassins are moving under the command of King Akio. Find out everything you can about the Nerium — their origins, their members — anything."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shuhei turned to his advisor, Lord Hideyoshi. "Send a man to the imperial palace. I want a report on their status."
"At once, Your Majesty," Hideyoshi inclined his head.
Steepling his fingers, Shuhei contemplated Akio's intent. Unmistakably, his brother had declared war against the three nations, reminding him of the blood feud a few years back. Was history repeating itself? Akio was determined to win, and he wasn't leaving anything to chance. It would be a battle to death.
"Hideyoshi," he stopped his advisor midway. "Send for Kira. I have a mission for her."
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At Beihai, the Imperial Palace's Dungeon...
Rei grunted as he shouldered the blow, noticing that his left-handed attacks worked better to pressure and weaken his opponent. He wasn't imagining it. The masked leader had a lame leg, and Rei wasn't above exploiting his weakness. Seizing the opportunity, he aggressively swung his sword — hitting and slashing — until finally, the assassin dropped on one knee.
"The outcome of this fight was fated before it began," Rei announced pitifully. If this man were whole, he would have been a formidable adversary but, it made sense for him to be tasked with a lesser job of infiltrating and creating chaos in Beihai. "It's obvious that your master has abandoned you from the moment you accepted this mission. Why do you serve an individual who disregards your life?"
"Even a lame horse has its use," the man said, almost self-mocking.
Raising his sword by the hilt, Rei knocked him out cold. "Then your loyalty is wasted."
"You're out of shape, Rei," Kyou croaked. "It took you too long to notice his weakness."
"Give me a break, Kyou. Not everyone is as observant as you," Rei muttered, dragging the body to a corner. "I'll send someone for him later." Lowering himself, he secured his arm around Kyou's waist and helped him up. "Come on, we need to tend to your wounds. You look like shit."
A pained groan escaped Kyou as they ascended the stairs. "Keep an eye on that assassin after you lock him up. I don't trust him not to escape when he's alone." Reaching the top step, he had to blink to readjust his eyesight.
"It seems everyone is safe and unharmed," Rei observed the Ashina women tending to the wounded — his wife and father-in-law included. "I doubt this was meant to be anything more than King Akio's attempt to agitate us and terrorise the people. That bastard."
His Commander was right. Kyou didn't believe that his brother thought he was dimwitted enough to sign a piece of paper to abdicate the throne. If blood and sweat couldn't move him, then a single parchment sure as hell wouldn't.
"Kyou!" Inka ran over. "I was just coming to get you. Is it all over?" She assessed his wounds with endless worry. "We need to get you stitched up right away."
Rei conveniently thrusted the Emperor into her arms. "Perfect, then I'll leave him in your hands. I need to check on my wife."
"W-wait a minute —!" she staggered from Kyou's dead weight, wrapping both arms around his waist to keep them from falling. The Commander was already gone. Expelling a hefty breath, she muttered, "He could at least help us to your room."
"He's worried about his wife," Kyou said sheepishly. "I would have done the same for you."
She flushed, thankful that his eyes were closed. Adjusting her grip on him, she asked. "How badly are your hurt? Can you walk?"
"I'll live." He winced as he straightened his back. Blood oozed from his ripped flesh. "Compared to a knife wound, this is nothing. But it will be easier to walk one step at a time."
Unconcerned that his blood was staining her clothes, she guided him to the hallway. "We'll take it slow."
Once they reached his chamber, Inka forced him chest down onto the bed. His injury was severely inflamed, and she worried about infection setting in. Palming his forehead, she noticed he was hotter than usual. This wouldn't do. "I'm going to fetch the physician."
"No, wait!" His hand circled her wrist. "I want you to do it."
"Me?" she gasped, aghast. "But I'm not a healer. Your wound requires a skilled physician. What if I leave scars on your back?"
"I don't care about scars," he said flatly. As a matter of fact, he would wear her scars proudly. Not that he would admit it aloud. "Have you tended to battle wounds before?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how to sew?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll do."
Helplessness assailed her. He was out of his mind but, there was no time to waste. If she didn't do something, he was either going to bleed to death or die by infection. Hurriedly, she rummaged his chamber for the medical box. Preparing a bowl of water and a clean cloth, she meticulously cleansed the blood and grime from his lacerations. A few times, she caught him wincing from the applied pressure. After disinfecting his injuries, she applied some salve and dressed his wounds.
"I'll leave it like this for now. As soon as I get Nana to make a fresh batch of herbal salve, I'll redress your wounds." She rose to discard the bloodied cloths when he hugged her from behind. "What's wrong?" Concern laced her voice as she touched his arm in a soothing manner, feeling the tension beneath corded muscles.
"I'm just happy that you're here."
Inka couldn't tell if his weary tone was from fatigue or sorrow. Setting everything away, she joined him on the bed, gently sweeping his hair aside. "Tell me. What's bothering you?"
He hesitated. "I've always known this day would come but, there's this tightness in here —," he laid a hand over his chest, "— that won't leave. It's laughable. Even though I have faced countless of enemies and fought on the brink of death…," he shook his head. "I don't understand this anxiety."
Grabbing his hands, she squeezed softly. "I think your heart is telling you that you're upset. Maybe even hurt." His anguished, midnight gaze delved into hers. "Despite what Akio has done to you, he is still your brother and that will never change. Those people who called you cold-hearted couldn't be more wrong." Her lips tilted at the corners. "You care. That explains why you feel conflicted inside."
He pulled away, seemingly unhappy with her observation. "That can't be it. Akio and I are only connected by our father's blood and nothing more. What does it mean to be brothers?" His fists clenched. "I shouldn't be upset over someone I don't know."
"It's true that you don't have a conventional relationship with your brothers but," she paused, waiting for their eyes to meet. "Don't you think it's fine? Not all siblings share the same relationship. Some are good, others are bad, and most are in between. I think the most important thing is that you genuinely care. So, what if it's one-sided? We can't help but turn relationships into a complicated mess. Sometimes all you need is the courage to be honest and it will work out." She shrugged. "If it doesn't work out, then at least you have tried your best. Don't be too hard on yourself, Kyou. You still have me, Shuhei, Kairyuu, Commander Rei and Advisor Jin."
Kyou absorbed her words with a heavy heart. "I suppose you are right. Although, it doesn't make it any less painful to hear. I won't let this affect me. If Akio isn't stopped, there will be no peace for Xi."
She laughed softly, silver eyes teasing. "Your poor enemies have been trying to unearth your weakness, yet it was here all along." Her hand landed over his beating heart. "I wouldn't have guessed it the first time we met. That beneath your hard exterior lies a soft heart."
His eyes flashed dangerously, and he pounced, engulfing her smaller frame under his. She giggled uncontrollably. "You are my weakness, Inka. And also, my strength. No other woman can read me so well."
"You're not hard to understand, Kyou." She dramatically blew out her breath and ticked off her fingers. "You enjoy eating, fighting and sex."
"Speaking of the latter…," His mouth hovered over hers, his warm breath puffed across her lips, warm and sweet. "I wanted to do this since we left Nanyang."
"Your wounds," she protested lightly.
"Don't move, or I can't promise not to eat you up," he growled against her lips, brushing once, then twice. "It's been too long since I had my fill of you."
She exhaled and he gripped her jaw, his softness disappearing as his mouth covered hers. Kyou kissed her thoroughly like a man who knew desire hid with the devil in details, angling his head to explore her mouth deeply and she let him.
His taste made her toes curl, and he tugged her closer, his other hand wandering to loosen the ties of her top. His hand slipped under her shirt and caressed her bare skin, trailing lightly up to her breast and expertly rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The spark of pain mixed with pleasure made her mewled softly, inciting his passion.
They kissed feverishly with an edge of desperation that was never there before. Inka shoved her hand into the hairs at his nape, returning his kiss faster and harder, want combusting into need. A low groan spilled from Kyou's mouth into hers and his hand squeezed her breast, before stroking the curves of her ribs to the middle of her back, arching her upwards pressing their bodies tighter. She felt his hard length pressing against her stomach.
He nibbled her bottom lip, and her fingernails dug into her palm. Oh, how she wanted to touch him but she was afraid of grabbing his wound. Heated lips coasted down her chin to her neck, the delicious heat of his breath touching her skin followed by the tip of his tongue. Inka was glad they were on the bed because she suddenly felt dizzy, feeling like her brain was detached from her body and she could see his hands roaming her body and his body curled over hers.
Kyou was the hard to her soft, and her surroundings took on the hazy quality of a dream, a whimper escaping her lips when his teeth grazed the sensitive skin over her pulse point. He hummed against her neck, the movement of his mouth like a weird ritual on her skin — exotic and unpredictable, and intensely sensual. His kisses burrowed beneath her skin, sparking every nerve ending in her body.
Inka took hold of his jaw, feeling the faintest scrape of his facial hair against her palm. Pulling his face up to hers, she met his cloudy eyes. "I love your kisses."
That familiar smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he urged his mouth back to hers. They were touching from lips to toes — just touching and Kyou never went further, respecting her wishes. An ache bloomed low in her belly, and the places he didn't touch were practically singing with need.
She froze when a rap sounded on the door, followed by a voice. "Your Majesty, the council wishes an audience with you."
Kyou dropped his forehead against hers. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He sighed and gently pulled back, mindful of his injury. "I'm going to torment whoever that was."
She chuckled, scooting off the bed to grab his robe. "It can't be helped. We are in the middle of an impending war. Until your wounds heal, you are forbidden from all strenuous activities."
"It won't stop me from making love to you," he disregarded her words. "If you let me."
"Maybe a few kisses won't hurt," she granted wickedly and helped him to dress, tying the sash. "Don't wear restrictive clothes until your wounds are healed. You don't want to stifle them and cause an infection." Her lips pursed. "Can't you postpone the meeting until you're feeling better? You were close to passing out earlier. And you do have a light fever."
Kyou couldn't help grinning from ear to ear. She was fussing over him like a wife, and he couldn't say he disliked it. Her concern warmed his heart. At his silence, silver eyes lifted. "What's wrong?"
"I can get used to this."
She looked puzzled. "Get used to what?"
He startled her with a fierce kiss. "Let's get this meeting over with so that I can finally rest and have you all to myself."