Chapter 5: Must Move Onwards

The sun was close to the horizon as the sky started to turn into a majestic late warm palette of colors. From anywhere from the skies to the ground it would give off a warm, snug, cozy feeling that would relieve anything a person is going through at the moment. But for Yoru (Nami), it was far from just a normal, pleasant walk. Instead, he was carrying his little student, Eriki, whose wounds had been tended to by him because she didn't want anyone else to do it, since she was growing sleepy from walking from the Princess Consort to the Palace which was indeed an actual long walk if you aren't used to it. But that wasn't what made it special, no no no, other than the small, soft snores and such; there was the Prince Dakuai Enjeru. The young, silky black haired male was the real reason the sunset was so beautiful even though he didn't utter a word to Yoru yet.

"My, the sky really is beautiful this afternoon. I think it looks so because of you Prince Dakuai. Though the cool, chilly fall of the sun right when it's about to disappear below the horizon matches you best," Yoru spoke up as to break the silence that was carried on for quite a while.

"I will agree that the sky is indeed nice this evening, but it has nothing to do with how I look. And your attempts of flirting with me will end up futile," Dakuai said in a rather hushed manner.

"Really now? Then I suppose that blush on your face also has nothing to do with what I said," The brunette retaliated. He chuckled when the Prince shot him a speechless look of what Yoru assumed to be from being swept off his feet.

"Curse you and your ability to be such a flirt. Normally it would be the other way around," The black silky haired Prince whispered. But the words didn't go unheard by the trained young assassin.

Yoru's expression fell from his face as a slight frown was replaced on his soft lips. Only now did he remember that he's playing as a female maiden and not his actual self. So for Dakuai to say such a thing at how the roles are normally reversed, would make complete sense since he sees the brunette as a female and not a male. But the change of expression didn't go unnoticed by the Prince who expected to hear a retaliation of some sort come from Nami (Yoru). Though, for some reason -he even had to question himself- couldn't stop looking at her neck.

"Come on, your disciple is still asleep and needs to be in a bed so her tended wounds will heal and not on your back which I would assume would be sore by now. We're close to the resting chamber in the Palace anyway," Dakuai mentioned as he walked further down the glamorous halls of Palace Dragonsphire.

"Ah, yes. Now that you mentioned it, I am starting to feel a bit sore from carrying Eriki all the way from the Princess's Consort Palace," Yoru said in surprise as he held the young brunette who was still peacefully asleep on his back more firmly to catch up with the walking Prince.

(Time Skip to Resting Chambers)

Dakuai kindfully opened the large doors to the resting chambers as Nami thanked him quietly for doing so before going on in and slowly putting Eriki in one of the resting medical beds to be carefully and more thoroughly taken care of. The older brunette looked down on the adorable sleeping face of her descendant before suddenly shedding a tear. A short hic came from Nami as the tears started to build up more and fall down her face. And though she didn't want to cry after all these years after mentally, physically, and emotionally preparing herself for what she was going to get herself tangled into, Nami couldn't stop the waterfall of tears from coming. The brunette never liked to cry in front of others, and was never allowed to do so when her clan was still alive before their manslaughter, so this was definitely not a welcoming feeling. And nor was it nice that the Prince himself was there to witness it.

"Nami? For why is it that you are crying? Your disciple should wake up any time that she desires and is not dead nor unconscious. There is no reason for you to cry over her," Dakuai comforted. Even if he wasn't used to doing so most of the time due to him not usually caring for one's emotions.

"Tsk, I am not crying over Eriki who I know is sleeping. But her resting face reminds me of one of my deceased clan members. I'm the only survivor who manage to make it out alive-"

Nami slapped a hand over her mouth as the realization of what she just said settled in. Though the tears stopped coming, the whole room was filled with complete, tense, silence as none of the two uttered a word. But Dakuai, who managed to catch everything the brunette said, broke that silence barrier.

"Clan member? Wait, wait, wait, I think we need to retrace a few of our steps now. You came from a clan that is now deceased due to what I assume was caused by a bloodbath since you said you're the only survivor who made it out alive. So why did you tell Princess Ringubyu and I that you came from a commoner family down in the villages? You basically lied right to the Princess's face!"

Yoru, for the first time in his years of living in uneasiness and holding a deep, heart wrenching grudge, had never once felt so fearful and weak before. He stared at Dakuai with regretful eyes as the Prince began to move closer and closer with a judgeful, cold, expression on his face that definitely made chilly shivers run down the brunette's spine. Yoru was sitting down on a stool next to Eriki's resting bed with his slightly shaking legs pointing inwards and his clenched fist that were clutching onto his clothing rather tightly to the point his knuckles were turning white. He bit his bottom lip to stop any sounds from coming out as he averted his eyes so he didn't have to look into cold, dusty golden ones that belonged to the Prince. And it didn't take long at all for a pair of boots to appear in front of him and stop right there.

"I d-didn't mean to lie at all…," The brunette admitted quietly. "I would've c-caused trouble if I w-were to say the truth.."

"Trouble or not, you know well that lying in the Palace is strictly forbidden since it could lead to bigger consequences than planned."

"P-Please Prince Dakuai! Even if I lied, I really need for this to work out for me! Surely you understand the anger and grudge that I have on the bastards who murdered my whole family."

Dakuai was about to say something to contradict what Yoru said but paused right in the middle of it. There were thousands, millions of words he could have said that would put him in the right, but Dakuai couldn't find anything, not even one to say as it was all trapped in his throat. The Prince had to say something to put the maiden in place, but every time his brain repeated everything that the brunette said, Dakuai couldn't say a word.

The black, silky haired male clenched his teeth as his left eye twitched in irritation at his loss of words. He looked into Nami's eyes that were a glossy, vibrant royal purple that held all the harm and pain that was put upon her before looking at the dry tears that strained her face.

'Tsk, it'll be best if I just keep this up. Looks like I'm slacking on my emotional training,' Yoru told himself as he continued to display a face of despair and regret. Though of course those were certainly not the real emotions he was feeling at all at the very moment. If it was possible to see the other side of a person, the brunette's other self would definitely be the complete opposite of whatever it was he was expressing. But thankfully, and fortunately for Yoru, such a thing didn't exist.

Dakuai was going to just leave the resting Chambers and report back to the Princess Consort where he took residence, but the sudden pull on his sleeve dragged him back from his attempt to get away. The Prince looked back with wide eyes with the intentions to speak out his confusion but the unexpected feeling of having a pair of lips pressed against his stunned him and stopped Dakuai from any further movement or gesture.

Soft, tender, skilled lips rested kisses upon the Prince's. The young black haired male has never been kissed so kindly and affectionate before. He wanted to push the brunette, everything that went against his senses screamed and yelled at him to do so. But his body, especially his hands, didn't budge a single bit. It was as if he's been deprived of love and affection for so long, that it was a new kind of welcoming action that Dakuai couldn't resist but give in to. But the kiss was gone as fast as it came to the shocked Prince.

Yoru (Nami) pulled away and licked his lips to savor the sweet taste of the other's lips.

"Well, it looks like the Prince hasn't ever shared a kiss before with a maiden or companion. No wonder it was so sweet."

"Y-You're just trying to change the subject."

"Is that what you really believe? Well then, maybe we can make a deal."

"Deal? What could you possibly offer me that would make me keep my mouth shut? You know fully well I'm a Prince."

"You can give your love and body to me and in return, everything you could desire will come from my hands!"

"Che, I already have all the possessions I could possibly ask for. What could a mere maiden possibly-"

Dakuai couldn't even finish his sentence as an arm wrapped itself low around his waist and pulled him closer to the brunette who held a serious face with no cracks. Instead, Yoru pressed his lips against the Prince roughly but passionately. Their bodies were flushed against each other as the black haired male's trembling hands were placed on the other's chest. And though Dakuai was caught up in the kiss, he was still able to comprehend the fact that the brunette's chest was flat and had no breast that would normally be noticed right away.

The Prince pulled away as his face was flushed red and breath heavy. "Y-You're not a m-maiden…"

Yoru smirked as he took in the beautiful face of the confused Prince. "So you finally noticed…"

The brunette wasted no time in reconnecting their lips in a messy kiss. Yoru swiped his tongue at Dakuai's bottom lip as a silent way to ask for entrance.

'I can't deny this person anymore. Maybe… it's best if I just give in for now.'

The black, silky haired Prince parted his lips in hesitation but instantly moaned out in pleasure the moment after he felt the other's tongue intrude into his mouth as if claiming it theirs now. Both of their tongues danced as if they were on the ball floor and were the center of attention. The room was heated and filled with nothing but the sounds of small moans and whimpers. And of course the sleeping Eriki who was thankfully still asleep.

Yoru pulled away from the deep kiss and loved every detail that was displayed on Dakuai's flushed, roughed up face. A thin string of saliva connected their tongues, as the brunette's hold on the other's waist loosened up.

"W-Wait, you can't just let me go after… that."

"Oh? Does this mean you accept the deal? Or does the Prince rather be in my arms?"

"Tsk, even after lying to my face about your identity and clan, you still have the audacity to say such a thing."

"I asked a question Prince Dakuai; have you accepted the deal to become mine and only mine in return for anything you would desire?"

The Prince slightly bit his bottom lip as he desperately didn't want to say that he obviously took in the idea that giving himself up to the brunette was a very interesting, and a rather good idea. But, he was a Prince; to give himself up to a 'maiden' would be equivalent as giving up a high ranked title to someone who doesn't deserve it one bit. Then again, on the other hand, this wasn't a maiden at all. There was definitely -and Dakuai was going to get to the bottom of it- something bigger, and probably much scarier, hiding under the mask the brunette was currently holding up.

"...Yes. But don't think I'll let you do whatever you want to do! I have priorities, responsibilities and a reputation in the official ranks to keep up. If I were to be found out with someone who disguised themselves as a maiden to get into the Palace… my whole life would fall apart," Dakuai muttered as he looked down. The thought of being removed from his seat in the highest ranks would be a devastating turn of events that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Haha, I'm more than sure that will never happen. As long as you take my hand and help carry out my plans, you will be blessed by the divine Gods themselves," Yoru laughed as he planted a soft kiss on the Prince's forehead.

"I never got your actual name, it'll be best if you told me."

Yoru did a sheepish chuckle but soon looked back at the serious black haired male who looked to be pouting. Ah, how cute it was.

"Yoru. Yoru Tenshi. But I also go by Naitokira."

"Naito...kira? But doesn't that mean-"

"You'll find out soon enough. For now, we must move onwards. I'll stay here with Eriki until she wakes up, so go on and head back to the Princess Consort."

Dakuai wanted to question Yoru, but he didn't want to be all up in his business so soon. And so he left the resting Chambers, and head back to his residence where Princess Ringubyu was. Though, he pondered on so many things about the brunette, yet there weren't any answers to any of them.

'He's strange, but it seems he has a reason to be here. So many questions, such little answers. This really is… troublesome.'