Emperor\'s Bride

Disclaimer: Don\'t own anything ..... what a pity.


A/N: I\'M SO SORRY!!!!!! I know it took e very long to update, but that chapter made me more depressed thant anything else. First I had writer\'s block, which isn\'t really knew. But then, when I FINALLY had some ideas and wrote the whole story in one day, my computer gave out. I (the big idiot I am) didn\'t save the story and so I had to write everything a second time. Do you know how cruel that is??
When the chapter finally was finished and I sent it to my beta .... the next \"catastrophe\"!! My beta\'s computer gave out too (what\'s with the computers these days?)!!
So I had my dear brother beta my story. Because of this I want to apologlize to all of you; there will be more grammer mistakes again (because I doubt that my brother\'s English is that good)!!
Anyway, I\'m sorry for the long wait, I\'m very reliefed that I can FINALLYupdate it.
Here is it:


Like bad shadows:


Silence, complete silence. A wonderful thing. The blonde prince lay tired against his pillow in his bed, wondering how long it had been since he had last felt so comfortable. “Sure it\'s been a long time since that whore is bothering me” Eiri smirked but regretted his thought immediately. Damn, he hadn\'t meant to think about this pink haired pest, he didn\'t want to. It bothered him that he even had to think about the boy. There was nothing special about him, nothing, and still .....

With a loud crash the door flew open and a very nervous looking young servant, that Eiri had never met before, came in, breathing heavily.
The prince sat up in his bed and looked down at the boy that made a deep bow in front of him. “What do you want?” he growled and he knew that he made the servant nervous, which amused him a bit. The young man stood up and gave the boy a wink, showing him that he could stand up.
“Majesty, the adviser sent me to you. He said you might want to know what happened to the ... ähm ... to the \'whore\'” The prince\'s eyes widened. He stared at the servant for a second or two, wondering if he had understood what the boy had said. Something happened to the boy? A cold feeling made itself known inside the prince, something that he hadn\'t felt in a long time. Worry? Could that be ....

“What happened” Eiri couldn\'t bring himself to say more, afraid that his voice would crack. He glared at the servant, hoping that the boy hadn\'t noticed his stutterer.
“I don\'t know, majesty. Really I don\'t.”
Eiri gave the boy a wink so that he would go and sat down on his bed. Before the young servant closed the door behind him he said “Send me the adviser, and hurry”
As soon as the boy was out the prince leaned back against his pillow again. He laid his left hand over his eyes to shield them from the sunlight that shone into the room from the big window across from him. Of course Thoma wouldn\'t tell a young servant what had happened to Shuichi, it had to be something bad, very bad. Or Thoma just wanted to have an excuse to come to him.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, followed from a very amused seeming Thoma, who didn\'t wait for an answer. Shuichi sat up again and looked at his “friend” closely. Thoma seemed indeed very amused, if not pleased. Than again, when did Thoma not seem to be pleased. “I hope you feel well my prince” Thoma\'s quiet voice echoed through the room, making the prince shiver. There was something different in the adviser\'s voice, but the prince couldn\'t seem to make it out.
“Stop bothering me, Thoma. Tell me what you need to say” Eiri suddenly felt very nervous, he couldn\'t tell what had happened. Normally he could tell from the look on Thoma\'s face, but now ...
The adviser just continued to smile, he tried to look concerned, but it didn\'t work, not for the prince. “Your whore ..” Thoma began, but Eiri interrupted him. “You mean Shuichi” The prince realized suddenly that it bothered him when someone called Shuichi a whore, it had bothered him before when the servant had said it, but .... He didn\'t have a problem when he called the pink haired boy a whore, but when it came from Thoma\'s mouth it sounded even more disgusting when he thought about the boy, his eyes, his smile, his look of ecstasy when he had ....
“He fell into the little lake” the adviser continued, as if he hadn\'t heard the prince. He watched with horror the look of fear and worry in the prince\'s face. Eiri sat down on his bed, not able to hold back the look of concern. He wanted to ask many questions, but at the same time couldn\'t seem to form the words in his mind.
“He is in one of the patient\'s rooms down the hall. You can go visit him, but he sleeps. The doctor\'s said that it\'s not sure when he will wake up” Thoma told the prince, who was shocked to hear the last few words. Normally the adviser\'s words would comfort Eiri, but now he just wanted to get that smiling face out of his way.
“Go” Eiri told the adviser, who turned around to go, having a very angry look on his face. Eiri felt anger rise up in him, he griped on of the pillows and threw it across the room. “Bow!” he shouted as he realized that Thoma was nearly out it the room. The adviser turned around again to face the young prince, a look of pure shock on his face. He never had to bow in front of the prince. The last time he had bowed was back then when the prince had still taken lessons from that teacher, after that he had been allowed to not bow. “But ...” Thoma stuttered, not believing what he had been told to do. “I said bow!” Eiri shouted again, his face red from anger.


The adviser bowed, afraid that the prince might hear him clench his teeth, then he was gone.
Eiri stood up, not wanting to hide his anger any more. He went to the little table that stood near the bed and threw the expensive vase that stood there on the floor. Fuck, he hadn\'t meant to do that. He suddenly realized that he wasn\'t angry at Thoma, or Shuichi for example, he was angry at himself. How dared, yes, dared he to feel sorry about the boy, or worry about him. It wasn\'t his fault that the baka felt into the lake, but still .... if he hadn\'t been so harsh with him .... No, there was no sense in making himself worry. The baka would wake up, of course. Maybe he would go and \'visit\' him.


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Blue eyes opened as bright sunlight tickled soft skin and a suppressed moan was heard as sore muscles sat up in a bed of silken covers and comfortable pillows. Ryuichi rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around the room. It wasn\'t his room, that was sure, and as he looked at the sleeping figure beside him he began to remember. A warm feeling rose inside of him, a feeling he knew, yet feared. He didn\'t even look at the young men that was in the bed with him, afraid that he would get lost in thoughts again. Guilt made itself known as Ryuichi made himself remember very clearly about all the details from their love – making. He shook his head., mentally cursing himself for being so stupid. It hadn\'t been supposed to happen, not again. Images from lost nights came into his mind, from lost lovers, and he punched the pillow beneath him in order to let his anger out.

He quickly got up and dressed, afraid that Tathsua would wake up any time soon. He didn\'t want to face the older boy and the words he would say: “I\'m sorry, it was wonderful with you but nothing more”
How well he knew these words, how often he had hear them. This time wouldn\'t be different.

He looked at the raven haired young man one last time before he opened the door and went outside in the cold corridor. As soon as he leaned against the wall tears began to fall from his eyes and his cheeks became red. He quickly wiped the tears away and made his way down the corridor. He had to find Shuichi.


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The room was nearly dark except from the few sunbeams that made their way through the shadows. Ukai stood over a small bed that stood in front of a big window, taking in the sleeping features of the pink haired boy that lay there, sweat running down his forehead and cheeks.

“He has a high fever” one of the doctor\'s that took care of Shuichi said, stepping beside Ukai and looking down at the exhaused figure. Ukai only nodded. The emperor had been here just a few minuted ago, being more than heartless about what had happened. He had been furious about the whole situation, shouting all the time about how time was wasted and that Shuichi would probably not be able to win the prince\'s heart before his birthday.

And worse, the emperor had said that the boy\'s health was his responsibility and if his plan wouldn\'t\' work, he would be behead. Ukai swallowed hard, a tight knot formed itself in his throat.
“When will he wake up?” The noble man asked the doctor, he was a little bit ashamed that he worried more about himself than about the pink haired boy, who\'s condition was more than bad. He felt that the man beside him became slightly uncomfortable, stepping from foot to foot.
“It\'s hard to tell. He swallowed a lot of water because the boy can\'t swim. There was water in his lungs too. The servant that found him said that the boy was already unconscious. He has a very high fever too. I can\'t tell when he will wake up but if the fever won\'t sink soon he might die from it. The sooner he wakes up the better. That\'s all I can say for now”

Ukai heard all this, falling in an kind of trance. The words that reached his ears were muffled and be barely recognized them. He only nodded and gave the doctors a sign to leave. Then he turned around to face one of the servants that were in the room to take care of the sleeping Shuichi.
“Go to the writer and tell him to write a letter for Shindou – san. Tell him to write about his son\'s condition, but there has to be written that Shindou- san has to stay at home. He can\'t come here, that would ruin all of our plans. He shall wait till I send him another letter. Wait in the writer\'s room till he\'s finished and demand him to be silent about it. Then take the letter and seal, but not with the emperor\'s seal but with mine. That send it personally, not give it to someone else. Be carefully that nobody sees you. Did you understand that?”
The servant nodded and went off.

Ukai sighed. It was important that nobody knew what stood in the letter. Specially not Thoma. Hew knew the adviser would use very bit of information against him. If he knew too much about Shuichi\'s condition he would set the emperor against him.

Before him Shuichi made no sign of being alive.

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Slowly the young, black haired prince opened his eyes. He quickly closed them to shield the dark orbs from the sunlight. He slowly let his fingers dance on the silken bedsheets he lay on, waiting to feel the soft skin of his beloved angel. But he only felt more of the silken fabric. After a little time of fumbling he opened his eyes and rolled on the other side, expecting to look at his partner, but the place beside him was empty. He sat up abruptly, looking around everywhere in the room. But he wasn\'t there.

The prince stood up and gathered his clothes from the floor. After he dressed he went out of the balcony, in hope that his angel would be there, maybe to enjoy the fresh air and the sunlight. But he wasn\'t there either. When Tathsua looked back into his room it seemed to him as if Ryuichi had never been there. As if he had never stepped into his room, as if the younger boy had been nothing but a dream. Only the tangled bedsheets and the pillow that lay on the floor reminded of the adventure he had had just few hours ago. If it had been hours. Tathsua felt like it had been years and a cold feeling rose up in his chest.

Panic made itself known as Tathsua realized that he might not see his beloved Ryuichi again, that he had maybe done something wrong and was now hated by the angel. He quickly went into the room, his face red from anger. Anger because Ryuichi wasn\'t there, anger because he didn\'t know what he had done wrong, anger because he might never see this boy again, anger because he didn\'t know what to do now.

Quickly the prince left the room. He wouldn\'t let this new happiness that Ryuichi had brought with him slip away from him. He would find the boy and hold him tight to him; he would never let him go.


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A shrill pain spread over the knuckles of his right hand,, making his muscles clench as Eiri wrapped his fingers around his left wrist till the flesh grew a white shade. He still wasn\'t sure what had brought him here; here in front of the door; the door where his “slave” lay behind; his slave that maybe would never wake up again. And it was his fault. His alone. He had sent the boy away. He refused to believe that he might feel something for the boy. Maybe he had fought about his so called “feelings” for the baka, but now he refused. He just felt sorry. That was all. He would walk into the room, check up on the boy\'s condition and then he would go. Yes, that was it. And he was glad that he cold easily make himself believe that he just visited the boy in order to make himself feel better.

Eiri slowly opened the door and quickly wondered why so many of the doctor\'s and servants were in the room, and even Ukai – san. Yeah, so maybe Ukai – san\'s presences wasn\'t so surprising, the man had taken the boy in, hadn\'t he. Normally, when a servant or one of the noble man\'s whores that lived in the palace got ill, just a simple doctor would come and the person wouldn\'t get such a noble room. Maybe it was just because Shuichi was the prince\'s whore.

When Eiri went into the room everyone turned around to face him and bowed deeply. But the prince ignored them. His eyes only focused on the small bed that stood at the end of the room. He could see fine pink hair and a slim figure that lay lifelessly on the bedsheets. He took a step forward. Not caring if he servants stood up again without his permission. He ignored Ukai – san, who seemed to ask him a question, but the words that reached his ears didn\'t reach his mind. He gently touched the sheets, feeling the warm fabric under his fingers. His eyes couldn\'t seem to leave that flushed face, that was covered in seat. Every now and then the boy would flinch, giving a sign of life, but it wasn\'t a sign that could calm one down.

The eyes were closed, the beautiful deep blue eyes. The boys arms lay limp on either side of his body. When the boy had a fever attack the thin fingers would clench around the bedsheets till the knuckled turned white and these rosy lips would be bitten hard, the head would be tossed around wildly.

Eiri realized that he began to sweat as well, not because it was hot in the room but because he suddenly understood. It was like a lightening that hit him. He suddenly understood; understood that it was just senseless to deny something. He didn\'t want to call it love, he didn\'t want to call it lust either. He felt affection towards the boy, affection he was afraid of. But now, that the boy just lay there, shaken from fever attack.

The prince turned around to face the many people in the room and gathered all his sense to speak clearly. He felt like his voice would crack any second. “All of you, get out now!” He was glad he could bring these few words out and nearly felt relieved when all the people left wordless, even Ukai – san who nearly had a look of relief himself on his face.

When the door closed Eiri turned to the small bed again and sat down on the edge. He brushed away a few sweaty strands and then let his fingers dance over the soft skin of the boy\'s cheek. He felt that the boy tensed a bit under his touch, but a second later he realized he had only imagined it. His eyes left the sleeping form and looked out of the window. Desperately he took the small hand of the boy in his own, stroking the soft flesh. He began musing. Outside everything seemed so alive, but in this room .....

“Eiri .....” A small, broken seeming voice reached Eiri\'s ear and the finders in his hand seemed to move, not clench like in one of the fever attacks, but gently, trying moves. As soon as the words could be heard his gaze wandered to the bed were the boy stirred. Blue eyes snapped open and closed a second later.

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When he opened his eyes he just saw a blurred figure and two piercing orbs of gold. Everything seemed so blinding that he had to close his eyes again. The light hurt him and his head felt like on fire. He also felt heavy, too heavy so that he couldn\'t seem to open hi eyes again He just felt that someone was bending over him and he felt a comfortable warmth over one of his hands.

Shuichi wanted to move but couldn\'t, he felt so much pain and heat in his body. But there was something different too. The young boy couldn\'t remember what had happened. His mind was blurred and it seemed there was a dark hole in his head where his memory should be. Suddenly there was that wonderful warmth again but it seemed to come closer, very close till hot breath touched his ear and a familiar voice began to speak to him. The words were whispered and Shuichi had problems to recognize them. It was like they echoed in his ear and his head hurt just from listening.

“I know you probably can\'t understand me. I know you can hear me though. At least I believe that. You know, I only say this because I hope you can\'t hear me because the words I want to say will be the most embarrassing ones I\'ve ever said. At least in this year. And don\'t believe I have feelings for you. You know, it\'s dangerous for my ego if I confess that I even have feelings.
I just want to say that: I want you to be mine, you know. I mean, you are mine but not the whole you. I think you can understand what I mean, or probably not. I never wanted for someone to be mine that much, except for one time. I can\'t tell you what I feel, I refuse to say it\'s something that one could call love. No, it\'s not love. But I can show you what I feel towards you. And I will show you. Listen:

When you are fully awake you will let a servant prepare a bath for you. You will be bathing in milk. After that you will let a servant send you a woman named Noriko. She will bring you a few new clothes to wear, suitable clothes for what I\'m planning. With her will come a man. K. He will make the finishing touches on you. Then you will go to my room. I will send you a servant that will take you to me. When you are in my room, I will make you mine”

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Behind the door one man heard everything the prince had said and the words let anger rise up. Thoma turned around and stormed through the corridor. How could he! How could the prince betray him like that. Him! He had done everything, everything that was for the young man\'s best. And how did he thank him! He wanted to fuck that damn boy! Yes, he had said that Shuichi was a whore, and yeah, whores meant sex, but he didn\'t plan it that way. Eiri had to be disgusted, amused , but not charmed. He would push that boy out of his way! The prince was his! Only he knew what was best for him. That boy would only destroy everything he had worked on.

In his room his private servant Sakano war already there.

Sakano, send me Taki Aizawa”


A/N: Ah, I totally forgot to thank all my great reviewers (bad me!!):

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, you don\'t know how much that means to me when people like my story!!!

Anyway, I know thechapter is short, but I hope I will be able to update soon (I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope ...... I think you get it)
But please don\'t expect an upfate too soon because there is an important Latin test next week so ....... (I totally HATE Latin!!!)

See you next time!!