by Max Jager
Smiling, Seiji put his arm around her waist and started to walk toward the palace with her. Smiling to see Takara and Yoite, Umarus headed toward the guard house, and his brother and sister behind his parents headed for the palace. "You know I really hope that it is not about changing your mind about me."
With a half glare, Nyoko used the back of her hand and smacked him on his chest as she half smiled up at him. "You idiot. I was thinking nothing of the sort. I was more wondering what it is going to be like to be here in the South now. I am not just coming to visit with Kiara this time."
Laughing, Seiji kissed the side of her head. "What it is going to be like, is a lifetime with me. Just spending time together and then taking care of our family when it happens."
Casting her eyes down with a deep blush, what Seiji said reminded Nyoko of what happened the night before they left for the South. In her most favorite of all places in the North, their mating was made official. It was the most excited, terrified, and perfect moments in her entire life all at the same time.
Laughing as she blushed, Seiji shook his head. He saw that look in her eyes. She did seem to enjoy what happened at the waterfall as much as he did, but was scared about it and while she didn't want him to stop, he knew that it was hard on her. Leaning over and whispering in her ear he smiled. "It's alright Nyoko. Don't worry about that so soon. Not until you are ready again."
Gasping as her face turned even more red, Nyoko jerked her wide eyes up to look into his laughing face as she stopped. "Seiji!"
With a bright smile as he lifted her into his arms, Seiji laughed and turned to walk toward his balcony. Her arms going around his neck as she hid his face and had a shake to her. "What? I am telling you that is one thing that you are really going to have to get used to right now. When you would come up in the summers, you spent most of it with Kiara avoiding everyone else. Things are done differently here in the South than they are in the North on more than you think. You didn't see a lot of it, but you should also know to expect the unexpected when you are here."
Keeping her face hidden in his neck, Nyoko sighed as she let out a small laugh. "I guess Kiara sort of did keep me away from most of it. It was always quiet and calm where we were and I didn't see much of anything else. You just shocked me is all. I mean, things that are done in the privacy of a bedroom should stay there right?"
Laughing, Seiji gave a hard jump and landed on their balcony and sat her on her feet. Making her look up at him, he shook his head. "Oh honey. You have no idea what you are in for here full time. Maybe we should go back and forth to the North too."
Giving him a half glare, Nyoko took a deep breath. "What are you talking about Seiji?"
Another small laugh as he pulled her to him, Seiji smiled and cupped her face. "Let's just say that around here, especially with my parents. Things like that aren't exactly private."
"I know they don't do that when you can….." But when he covered her mouth, Nyoko growled.
Shaking his head as he winked at her, Seiji smiled. "Not the act no. Nothing physical is ever seen by anyone, let alone one of us kids. But there are many times when it is not hard to figure out what they are going to do next. Especially when Father just sort of throws her over his shoulder and walks toward the palace and Mama doesn't fight him on it."
Dropping her head with a sigh, Nyoko relaxed and let her shoulders slump as well. Letting out a small laugh she leaned her head onto Seiji's chest. "I guess I have more to get used to being here than I thought that I would have."
Pushing the door to the balcony open, Seiji smiled as he lead her inside and toward the bed. "That's alright Nyoko. You will in time. I give it a couple of years and you will be just like the rest of us."
Sitting down on the bed with a small laugh, Nyoko smiled up at him. "Do you really think so Seiji?"
Flopping down on the bed and pulling her with him, Seiji yawned as he felt sleep finally starting to claim him. "Positive. Right now. Sleep. We both need it right now." Smiling broadly as she only nodded and moved even closer to him, letting sleep pull her as well.
X
Falling backwards on their bed, kyoko closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Once again she was worried about Kiara. "I really wish that Kiara would have come home with us. I know she is with Imae but still. She was acting strange."
Pulling his swords from his obi, Kiyoshi had his eyes closed as he sat them on their rack. "She will be fine in time. This was a lot for all of them."
"I know I just worry about her." Hearing his growl, Yokiyo groaned as she rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Don't go telling me to have faith. I do, in all of them. I think I proved that to a point the last few weeks. But she is my pup and I am going to worry about her until I am dead. And probably after that too."
Standing over her, Kiyoshi smiled. "I know this. The emotional ride you have had me on the last few weeks is going to drive me insane."
With a giggle, Yokiyo sat up, crossed her arms and tried to give him a mad glare. "Really? Well let's not forget demon. You chose me not the other way around remember?"
A soft smile on his face, Kiyoshi leaned down toward his mate as he growled. "I could never forget. It is a choice that I have not for a single instant. No matter how crazy the emotions are that I get from you."
Smiling as he pressed his lips to hers, Yokiyo reached up and wond her arms around his neck. Falling backwards she pulled him with her as she let out a content sigh. A moment later when he pulled his lips from hers, she giggled as she looked up at him. "I am excited though. I am sure it won't be too long before we have another grandchild. This one will live with us and we can spoil him or her much easier."
A sly smile as he moved her further up on the bed, Kiyoshi pushed her legs apart. "I do not doubt that. However at the moment. I do not want to talk about grandchildren anymore."
Gasping when he dipped his head and nipped at her neck, while one of his hands covered her breast, Yokiyo sighed as she gave a nod. Tightening her hands in his hair. "You win…."
X
Sitting in the window of the den her father was raised in, Hiroko had a look of longing in her eyes. It reminded her of her father everywhere she turned, and everyone she met. But she also hated living in such a small place when compared to how she lived in the West. But here, this pack treated her like the princess she was born as. She had no problems with anyone there at all. Even little pups showed her the respect that she deserved to have. This was how it was supposed to be at the Western Palace.
But it wasn't the Western Palace. This was grand compared to other primitive wolf packs. But nothing more than a rambled old shack compared to the palace! Her amethyst eyes narrowing as she pictured them there. Isamu, Cho, Shone and Yuriko. All living there in the comfort and luxury of the palace. And probably didn't even think about her or her mother and how they must be living. "I will get them for this though. They will be sorry that they ever treated us like this. I will make them pay dearly for it. For how they treated Papa. Mama. And me."
But then she jumped and fell to her knees when a crow flew in past her head and landed on the post of her bed. Looking over at it she blinked and then glared as she stomped her foot and pointed out the window. "What do you think you are doing you stupid thing? Get out of my room right now. Out I say!"
But when the bird dropped something from its mouth before it flew out to land on the bush just outside the window, Hiroko blinked. "You are a messenger bird? But who in the world could be sending me a note at this hour?"
Picking up the paper, Hiroko was growing more and more curious about it. It had her name on it. Sitting down on the bed as she opened it, she could feel her heart start to race as she started to read what the note said.
"Lady Hiroko,
My name is Noke. I know you know of my mother, her name was Kaoru. She was from a tribe right near where you are at now. Everyone in the tribe you now rule over knows who she is, as well as your mother I am sure. However, she is dead now. But there are a few t
hings that I would like to discuss with you My Lady. First I want to offer my help in freeing Isamu and Cho from their earthly bonds and send them to hell along with everyone else in all the other lands.
If you would be interested, you can meet me at the waterfall not far from there. Please come as soon as you can. I shall wait until dawn. If you are not here by first light I will be forced to move on. I can promise you that if you come, it will be worth it. If you do not, at least I can say that I tried.
Noke"
Dropping the note on the floor, Hiroko had wide eyes and she was shaking. She knew exactly who Kaoru was. Her Uncle Toboe mated into the tribe that her father ruled. When her father would take her with him to go and visit with Toboe, she met her then. Kaoru shared the same contempt for Shone and Yuriko that they had. As well as humans, and she didn't even try to hide it. But she was always nice to her. She guessed it was because of who her father was.
Even though at the time she didn't understand why she didn't like Shone and Yuriko. At the time, Isamu and Cho were not born yet, and they treated her like the princess she was. But now she knew exactly why. Not only did they stab her in the back by Shone not mating with her, but refused to honor the betrothal promise that he made her.
Lifting the note again she held it a second. "I will go and see him. It can't hurt to at least hear what he has to say." But then the sound of footsteps outside her door made her jump. Stuffing the note in her obi she turned as the door opened. Letting out a sigh and a sweet smile to see it was only her mother. Meeting her in the middle of the room, Hiroko took her hands and smiled. "Mama. How are you feeling tonight?"
Leaning in and hugging her daughter, Kisa laughed. "I feel much better today my daughter. Though I do hate that I am not stronger and cause my pup to worry about me so." She then pushed in on her nose and laughed. "You however seem to be in better spirits this evening. Is something going on?"
Her smile getting bigger, Hiroko rushed passed her and poked her head out the door to see if anyone was there. Every member of her father's tribe would back her for what she wanted to do tonight. But Shone kept palace guards there. He said it was to protect them. That he didn't like who they turned out to be, but he wasn't going to let anything bad happen either. But she knew the truth. It was his way of spying on them to see what they were doing. When she didn't see anyone she rushed back to her mother and helped her to sit on the bed. "Mama you remember Uncle Tobe right?"
Arching her eyebrows at her daughter, Kisa gave her an odd look. "Of course I remember Toboe. Why would I forget who your father's brother is?"
Giggling, Hiroko moved and sat cross legged on the bed with her tail going off to the side of her body. "Well, Papa never told you this. And he told me not to tell you either. But once we moved to the palace with Shone and Yuriko, when we would go out together for the day, we would go and visit with Uncle Toboe."
Blinking, Kisa was confused now. She never had a problem with Toboe and would have never protested Sume taking her to see her Uncle. "But I don't understand why not? I would have never said a thing about you going to go and visit your uncle with your father."
Dropping her eyes, Hiroko sighed. "It wasn't because of who we were going to go and see. It was because of who was there. Kaoru."
Taking a deep breath, Kisa dropped her head as she sighed. Now she understood all too well why she wasn't allowed to know. "I understand now. We all knew how much she hated my brother and why at the time. But I also thought that it was foolish to hate someone for such a reason. The way she acted I also thought was irrational. But now I understand why she did what she did."
"Exactly Mama." Jumping off the bed, Hiroko giggled as she pulled the note out of her obi and handed it down to her mother. "I didn't understand either, but now with what has happened to us I get it clearly. I got this just a few moments ago from her son Noke." A smile on her face as she spun in a circle then fell on her back on the bed, Hiroko giggled. "I know that you don't want me too, have hate for them all but I do Mama. I hate them so much and would love to see them dead. Isamu and Cho ruined my life. And because you defended me when they would tell me not to do something that I had always done before, you were out casted just like me. And now you suffer from frequent illness and I don't like it. I want to go and meet with him tonight Mama."
Looking up from the note, Kisa met her daughter's eyes who seemed to have stars in them at the thought of meeting this wolf. Being Kaoru's son she knew that he head to have a warped sense of what was right and wrong. She didn't think that it was such a good idea to meet him. And really didn't like that she wanted her family dead. But she understood why she felt like that.
A small smile on her face, Kisa sighed. 'I am so sorry Sume. For everything that I did that was against you and hindered our daughter. This time, I will not stand in her way and try to stop her. Not this time. This way, even if her dreams of killing Shone and his family never come true, she could at least be treated like you have always wanted from a mate.' "If you insist on this, that is fine with me dear. But I am going with you."
Letting out an excited squeal, Hiroko shot up from the bed and threw her arms around her mother. "Thank you so much Mama! You are the best!"
X
Sitting on a rock that was next to the pond the waterfall fell into, Noke sighed as he looked up at the moon. It was starting to sink from the high place in the sky. He was now starting to think that she wasn't going to come after all. Which was a shame, because she would have been a perfect mate for him in all ways.
Dropping his head as he considered going on and leaving, he smiled. She was coming. She was with her mother, but that didn't bother him, since he knew how she felt about her brother now as well. Standing he turned to the trees and gave a small bow as she broke the trees. "I am glad that you came My Lady."
Looking at the most handsome wolf she had ever laid eyes on, Hiroko's eyes went wide as an instant blush filled her face. He may be younger than her, but he sure didn't look like it. "I am as well."
Moving to stand before her, but not close enough to touch, Noke smiled with a nod as he looked down into her eyes. "To the point then? I have plans to take over all the lands. The West, South, North and East as you know it now will all fall to my feet. I will rule over them all."
Crossing her arms, Hiroko glared up at him. "That sounds like a wonderful idea to me honestly. However, you did not send me a message to meet you in the middle of the night just to tell me that. So come on now. Out witht hat one."
"Indeed I did not." Giving her a sly smile, Noke never moved. "Any Lord requires a mate. Being Lord of the lands myself, I could force anyone I see fit to be my mate and in my bed. However I want and will need a mate that will want to be at my side."
Rolling her eyes, Hiroko shifted her feet as she laughed. "And you want that to be me? Really?"
"I do."
Growling, Hiroko glared up at him. She knew that when Cho was born that he was trying to get betrothed to her. And he really thought that she would want to mate someone who wanted that little bitch? "Do you really think that I am some sort of a twit? I know that you went with your mother and grandfather to the palace to get a betrothal between you and Cho. Like I would ever willingly want to mate with Cho. It won't happen so if that is what you are thinking, you can stuff it. I don't care what sort of title or power would come with it."
Growling himself, Noke crossed his arms and rolled his own eyes. "By the time that happened I had my own ideas as to what I wanted to happen in my life and what my goals were. My mother was the one who insisted on it. I would have went along with it yes. But because that would have put me in a position to get to someone powerful and start my plans. I would have used it as a way to take them all out. Her included."
Blinking as she gave him a hopeful look, Hiroko relaxed. "So it wasn't because you actually wanted her yourself?"
Shaking his head side to side, Noke was stern and serious. "I did not then and I do not now. However, do not get me wrong either. When
the time comes, I will break her before she dies."
Growling again, Hiroko was once again glaring as she turned her back to him. "If you don't want her as your mate then why take her to your bed?"
His eyes narrowed with true rage behind them, Noke didn't budge. "To show her and everyone else who told me that I couldn't have something that I will not be denied. She will be little more than a whore for a couple of days then she dies."
Refusing to turn back around, Hiroko started to tap her toes. "Right. And what would happen if I did agree to this? I become your mate, be Lady, Cho is your whore for a while. What if she gets pregnant during that time? What then? I am a wolf too remember."
"I know that most would protect and nurture in a case like that." Keeping his blue eyes on her, Noke kept his arms crossed. "However if that were to happen, she would die, taking the pup to hell along with her."
Turning back around with shocked eyes, Hiroko met his blue eyes as she felt the heat of another blush rise into her face. His eyes reminded her of her father's eyes when he would tell her that he would see her a ruler of Japan one day. This would not only be a ruler. This would make her the Lady of all of them. Dropping her head as she bit her lower lip, she thought about all the possibilities that could happen if that were to come true. The changes that it would make for the better for both her and her mother. The types of revenge that she could take out on all of those that disrespected her.
