Twelve Lords

by Max Jager

  With his arms still crossed, Katana really didn't want to do this. He didn't want to risk facing his mother if he didn't more so though. "You know what Kiara, you may be the head of defense of the palace by choice. But when you break it down as far as who has more power, I have more than you. Father, Mother and myself all trump you on the level of power that you have. Father being Lord is head of everyone. Mother because of being his mate. I am the heir to the South, that puts me over you. You may be older than I am but I have more power with the South than you do. You post more guards, before they can even take a deep breath I will be there sending them away."

  Growling as she flinched, Kiara pointed at him. "You wouldn't dare do that Katana."

  "I will." Leaning toward her face with a growl, Katana crossed his arms. "I may not be as close to Nyoko as you are Kiara. But the baby that she is going to have is just as much my niece or nephew as yours. You need to settle down and think things through. You storm in there all pissed off, you are going to set her off. Adding more guards will do that as well. Let it go until morning."

  Taking a deep breath, Kiara started to move toward him again. "But…"

  Another loud growl that rumbled the wood around them making her stop, Katana stood his ground. "But nothing. If you won't listen to reason when it comes from me, then you will when it comes from Father. Just back off and settle the hell down tonight."

  Once again, all Kiara could do was look up at him with wide and shocked eyes. She often wondered, and even spoke to her father about if he would actually be able to be Lord when he decided to step down. She didn't think he had what it took at all. But right now, seeing this side of him, she no longer worried about that.

  Taking a deep breath, Kiara stepped back away from him as she uncrossed her arms and let them fall to her side. "You have made a very valid point Katana. In this palace, in the entire South, Father is head of everything, along side Mother. And then you. And I have no choice but to do as Father says, this is true. I am taking my argument to them. And when they tell me to post the guards and you to but out of it, you will look foolish. Father will go along with it, just because of Mother and how she worries more and more each day with Nyoko and the baby." She then walked around him and stormed right toward her father's study.

  With a sigh as he watched her walk away, Katana couldn't help but smile as he sighed and relaxed. A glance back toward Seiji and Nyoko's room, he then shook his head as he headed for his own. "Not this time sister. Not this time."

  X

  Looking up from where he talked with Umarus and Yoite, Kiyoshi blinked as he took a deep breath. There was something off about Kiara, and she was headed right for them. Looking over at his mate he sighed. "Kiara is on her way here and she isn't happy about something."

  Rolling her eyes as she laughed, Yokiyo looked back down at the scroll she was going over where she sat with Takara. "She is probably mad because no one told her why someone she cares nothing about is here."

  Shaking his head as he looked down at her, Umarus crossed his own arms. "No this is different. I wonder." Turning to Kiyoshi, he blinked. "She passed us in the court yard when I was filling Yoite in on what Chiren said, and for everyone to be extra vigilant about it. Could it be because of that?"

  Though everyone turned to the door as it opened and Kiara walked in and gave a small bow. As she looked at everyone then settled on her father, Umarus sighed. 'That's it alright.'

  Walking on in the room and up to her father, Kiara took a deep breath. "Father. I need to speak with you."

  With a deep breath as Yokiyo came over and stood next to him, Kiyoshi nodded. "Alright then."

  Taking one last deep breath, Kiara closed her eyes then opened them as she had a small glare in them when they met her father's. "I am well aware that what I am about to say is going to make me sound like nothing more than a spoild pup. But it is the only way that I can do what I need to do and have Katana off of my back?"

  Blinking as she let her head fall to the side, Yokiyo gave her daughter an odd look. It was hard for them to get Katana to do anything. The only time he did it was when she threatened to get mad. And then it was clearly under full protest. "What do you mean get him off of your back?"

  With a nod as she crossed her arms, Kiara let her head drop. "I overheard Master Umarus and Master Yoite talking about Chiren and what he said when he got here earlier. I wanted to go and talk with him to get the details of it as best as he could so I can take the proper safety precautions with Nyoko's pregnancy. Katana wouldn't let me talk to him. When I told him I would just post more guards anyway, he pulled rank on me. He said that if I did he would send them away." Looking back up at her father she took a deep breath. "Tell him to back off and stay out of it and let me do my job. I will not risk Nyoko and her baby and he I don't think seems to get that."

  Closing his eyes, Kiyoshi took a deep breath as he sighed. "First Kiara, Katana will not risk their lives anymore than you would and you know it. Second, it was just a lone scout that took off the second that they saw him. You were not informed when I was because it is nothing that needs attention. You will not do anything drastic either. Do not post guards, let it be for the night and let Chiren visit with his sister. If in the morning you are still worried about it, you and I will sit down with Chiren and discuss things. Leave it alone for the night. Understood?"

  Bowing her head again, Kiara sighed. She knew that tone that he had at the end. There was no use in trying to plead her case any further than she has. Her brother won this time. "If you say there is nothing to worry about Father, than I shall drop it completely. If you will excuse me now." Kiara then turned and nodded to her mother and left the study.

  Going back and sitting down next to Takara again, Yokiyo sighed as she smiled. "It is hard to imagine that if everything goes according to plan, she is going to be leaving here in a week."

  With a smile of her own, Takara nodded. For more than a hundred years she has been looking after Lady Yokiyo, and her children. And just like Yoite, she is in charge of others that work under her to help in her new duties. Yet she can remember all the pups being born, and the day Imae came into their lives. "It will be strange. It was rather strange when Lady Imae left for the East."

  Smiling as he looked over at Yokiyo, Umarus crossed his arms. "Course you know Miko." When she glared up at him, he laughed as he smiled even bigger. "There will be two leaving. Unless of course you can find a Southern Lord that will mate with Lady Santrix."

  With a glare, Yokiyo growled as she turned her head away from him. "Who asked for your input you old dog."

  X

  With a sigh as he walked out of the palace, Chiren stretched his arms over his head. It was well into the night and his sister has done nothing more than talk his head off. But he was happy that she fit in here and was happy. That was all that really mattered to him and his parents.

  Walking toward the gardens he let his mind wonder as he looked around. And just like it has for the last three years, it always seemed to go straight to Kiara. Even more so when he learned that he was coming to the South in place of his mother. Taking a deep breath as he started to let his eyes close, Chiren flinched when he smelled tears. They were Kiara's! Stopping he listened and could hear the softest of sobs from somewhere. 'What in the hell is going on here? Kiara doesn't cry. Where is she?'

  Following his nose he finally found her sitting on a bench that overlooked a patch of silver roses. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the state that she was in. Her black hair was loose fell around her to the ground, strands gently blowing in the breeze. Her knees were at her chest and her head was in her knees. He never thought that he would ever see her in such a state, and it bothered him more than he thought that it would.

  Before he even knew what he was doing, Chiren found himself standing before her with a concerned look. "Kiara what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

  Flinching at the sound of his voice, Kiara didn't move. She wished she could just say that it was because
of what he said happened on the way here. But it wasn't. When she left her father and came out here, she could smell him and it actually started to hurt, which brought on the tears. "I am sorry Chiren I didn't mean to alarm you. I am fine."

  Sitting down next to her, Chiren half glared at her, but also felt bad when her whole body tensed. "Don't give me that. Tell me what's wrong."

  Her first instinct to jump and run away from him, Kiara just sat there tense. It wouldn't do any good. He would just snag her wrist and stop her from moving, or chase her down right now. "I am fine Chiren. It's nothing."

  Crossing his arms as he sat there, Chiren growled. "Don't you even give me that Kiara. At least tell me something that I can believe. You don't just sit and cry like this if everything is fine."

  Her eyes shutting as tight as they could, Kiara took a shaky deep breath. "It's just fine okay!"

  "I know better." His eyes intent on hers, Chiren didn't move. "I am not going to stop and leave you alone until you tell me why you are crying like this Kiara. So you might as well just tell me."

  Growling now, her annoyance overriding her brain, Kiara hugged her knees closer to herself. "Why are you so concerned about why I am crying anyway!?"

  Seeing her in this state, this overpowering drive to make it stop, Chiren knew now beyond any doubt if there every was any that he was bound to her. And come hell or high water, he wasn't leaving the South without her at his side. Standing her shocked her and made her look up at him with her red and puffy cobalt blue eyes as he pulled her to stand with him. Making her look in his eyes he saw a pleading in them that pulled at him. "Why wouldn't I be concerned about you? I will always be concerned about you Kiara no matter what."

  Dropping her head and letting her hair veil around her face as she stood there before him, Kiara couldn't move though she screamed in her head to run. "But I don't understand why."

  Reaching through her hair to cup her face, Chiren sighed. He hated seeing this side of her, but liked it at the same time. She wasn't all stone and could show emotion. Brushing her hair back as he titled her head back, he pulled a startled gasp from her as he snagged her by the waist and pulled her close as his mouth dropped to hers in a gentle kiss. A moment later when he broke the kiss he smiled into her now confused eyes. "Does that answer your question. I fell in love with you three years ago Kiara. I just never thought that I stood a chance so I fought how I felt."

  His kiss sending sensations through her body she never felt before, Kiara was confused. She could only look up at him, but then what he said sank in. dropping her head as she hugged herself, Kiara stepped back away from him and out of his arms. "Did you fight feelings or was it something more than that?"

  With a sigh as he kept his eyes on her, Chiren took even breaths. "At times it was an urge to run to you. Until right here, and what I am feeling right now, I just assumed that it was the way I felt only."

  As even more tears streamed from her eyes, Kiara turned her back to him as the wind blew her hair to the side, she covered her mouth as she chocked back a sob. "Why didn't you ever tell me? That urge. Do you really think that you were the only one fighting it? Nyoko told me that your mother told you time and again that it was a bond like a dog has. Did it ever cross your mind that I might be going through the same thing? Or worse?"

  Gasping as he watched her hair fly in the wind from behind, Chiren didn't know what to say on that one. He never thought of that at all. He should have, but just put it off as they just wanted him to be with her and that was it. He never thought that it was anything more than he loved her and wanted to be with her. But at the same time, the last time he saw her, they weren't exactly like on good terms at the time.

  Stepping closer to her, he pulled another gasp from her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to him as he dropped his head down to rest on the back of her head. "I didn't think about that Kiara. All I knew was that I fell in love with you early on. By the time that I wanted to tell you…"

  "But you didn't!" Covering her mouth again, Kiara shook. Her entire body was nothing but a big shiver. Though she tried as hard as she could to will herself to run and get away, but her body wouldn't listen to her!

  "You are right I should have. But tell me this." Looking at the back of her head, Chiren sighed. "From the time that you left the North three years ago until now, you avoided me. I didn't even know you left with Imae three years ago until after you left. If I could have gotten you to talk to me then I was going to tell you."

  Settling down some, Kiara sniffed as she kept her head down and her face hidden. "But you could have always come to the South. Or said something one of the times you came to see Nyoko."

  Nodding as he sighed, Chiren let his head fall to the side. "You are right and I could have. Probably should have. "But you have acted like I was a disease or something and avoided me all together. If someone did that to you, would you think they really wanted you to come after them or felt anything about you?"

  Flinching as she gasped, Kiara never thought about that. The only thing she was thinking about was that she was bonding to him and she wanted to stay away from him and stop it. He wouldn't have known anything about her bond, and she did act like she all but hated him soon as she realized what she was doing. It was no wonder that he never came and said anything to her over the last three years.

  A deep breath and Kiara started to relax. "I never thought of that. All I knew was that I was bonding to you and I wanted to avoid that. I didn't think that you saw me as anything other than that pup you met long ago. I thought that I was the only one."

  Kissing the back of her head, Chiren laughed. "Well you were wrong. It was rather hard for me to approach you too. Especially since I didn't know if you would fall into my arms and kiss me, or try to take my head off."

  Laughing as she relaxed finally and stopped shaking, Kiara looked at the ground. "Well you were wrong. But I did make it hard to approach me so you do have a point."

  With a sigh as he turned her around, Chiren pulled her into his arms, one arm staying around her shoulders, while the other tucked her head under his chin with a sigh. "You know. Somehow, since the day mother told me to come here for you, I had a feeling that my sister was up to something. And she was super giddy when I talked to her tonight. It was almost like she was stalling."

  Taking a deep breath, Kiara then blinked as in her mind the last week flew through her head. "What do you mean stalling?"

  "It is almost like she had something planned but didn't tell me." Then he blinked as he looked down at the top of her head. "Wait….do you think that they were trying to….." When she gave him an odd look he nodded as he smiled. "That's it. Tell me this Kiara. My mother sends me to be with my sister when she has her first child instead of coming herself. Is all giddy about it when she talks about it. Tonight Nyoko did everything she could to keep me in her room."

  Making him drop his arms down to her waist, Kiara gave him a wide eyed look. "But what do you suppose that they were planning?" Gasping she flinched. "Do you think that they were planning on trying to make what is going on with us happen?"

  "I am not sure." Stepping away from her for a moment, Chiren crossed his arms. "But when you think about what went on tonight, and you remember that we are talking about my sister and our mother's I wouldn't put it past them. I get sent, mother is happy about it. Instead of being with her own daughter when she has her first child. Nyoko didn't want to let me leave when I did leave but your brother had to make her let me."

  Listening to what he was saying, Kiara went over what has happened the last few days then gasps as she growls and turns toward the palace with a growl. "I should have known that they were up to something this morning!"

  Blinking as he looked at her, Chiren let his head fall to the side. "Wait what? What happened this morning?"

  Turning back to him with a glare, Kiara was tense. "Mama and Katana. He made a point of telling me that you were coming this morning while we sparred. Then I got a lectur
e from Mama that I would have expected from my father, not her."

  Even more confused, Chiren shook his head. "What did you get a lecture about anyway?"

  With a small sigh, Kiara dropped her head as she hid her face. "We were just talking about how I have been fighting an even stronger bond the last three years than you were. Well I knew it, and so did everyone here, I just would always refuse to admit it. And because of the bond, whenever someone mentioned your name, with the exception of Nyoko who always just got a growl, I would flip out. So when he told me that you were coming instead of your mother, I sort of snapped."

  With a smile Chiren shook his head and let out a small laugh. "Okay so when you snapped what happened?"

  Keeping her head down, Kiara took another deep breath. "I tried to hurt him. Badly. Really bad. Then Mama took me to her room and lectured me about growing up and not acting like that whenever someone says your name. It was a lecture that I would have gotten from my father not her. I should have known then. And then tonight Katana wouldn't let me near you when I realized you were here early and what you saw."