Samurai ↔ Nishimura Riki

twenty one

She must've fallen asleep from all the fatigue. Hyewon cursed at herself for falling asleep at the worst time possible. Stupid, stupid. What if Riki saw her? Did he see her? No, he couldn't have, otherwise he would've shrieked and pushed her immediately off the bed.

Tentatively, her eyes swept towards the figure lying idyllically on the bed. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank the gods that he was still asleep.

She should leave before he wakes up. Yes, that was the best option.

Sneakily, she turns the door knob and slowly opens the door. With one last backward glance, she slips out the door.

To her surprise, it was still rather early. No servants bustled by. Good. The way to her chamber was clear. No one had seen her exit out of the prince's room.

A few meters down the hall was her own room. It shouldn't be too hard to slide back into it without anyone noticing. 

When Hyewon was safely behind the door, she relaxed. She was safe. Maybe she should get changed, breakfast would start soon. She stepped into her bedroom-

"Where have you been?"

"Gods," she cursed. She had almost jumped out of her skin after moments of trying to not get caught. Leveling her gaze towards the familiar voice, Hyewon scowled. "How the hell did you find my room, Yeonjun?"

He sat on the edge of her bed, arms and legs crossed. Her best friend narrowed his eyes. "Ayeong told me. Now, don't change the subject. Where. Were. You." he emphasized, a stern look on his face. "I've been here for an hour looking for you, but you weren't here. And obviously, you haven't stayed here for the night either. What were you doing so late at night? I was so worried-"

"It's none of your business," she snaps defensively. He may have been her best friend and her first and only line of reassurance, but this crossed the line. Noticing his frown, Hyewon softened. "I'm fine, Jun. Trust me. I didn't do anything, okay? Nothing happened."

Except you basically slept in the same bed with the Crown Prince and sang to him, her mind thought sarcastically, I wouldn't really call that "nothing".

She blocked out those thoughts. Clearing her throat, she attempted to avert the topic. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked

The plain look of hurt lingered on Yeonjun's face, but he let the subject go. "I'm here to say goodbye. Our- I mean my," he amended, "My cohort is set to leave in a few hours for battle. There's been a skirmish in our northern defenses. It'll," he looked to the floor, "It'll be strange to fight without your company. My first battle without you." he laughs awkwardly.

"For how long?"

He paused. "At least two months. After north, we're regrouping with the rest of the army to wherever the West attacks. I can't believe the war actually started," he admitted. His hand made their way to hers. "I thought we'd always be in some limbo, but manage to negotiate peace in the end. General Kang told us they killed Envoy Shin and declared war on us with a note."

So Yeonjun had heard the story too. "He's right. I was the one who found the body last night," Hyewon confessed. "Minister Yoon thinks I was the one who killed him or at least was involved in the murder."

He gasps. "What? You couldn't have. You're too loyal-"

"I know, but there was no one with me to testify for that." She hated lying to him. But if she lied, less questions would be asked, especially if the court found out Riki had been with her too. "They're letting me off for now, but they think there's a traitor in the palace..."

"A traitor? No way. That's impossible. Who in their right minds would betray the emperor?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. But there must be, how else would they have gotten past the scouts? No one is allowed to leave the palace without Emperor Hankyu's permission, especially me."

"Oh." Yeonjun mumbled. He looks at her. "I hate this. There's going to be so much bloodshed and death, Hyewon. Do you think the war will ever end?"

Would it? She hesitated, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "Maybe one day. But that won't ever happen until we kill Cha Renjin. He's the source of this all." she replied.

"The Dark Prince."

She nods. "As long as he's alive, the war will keep going. He'll keep sacrificing his own people, even if they're on the verge of total annihilation."

He sighs. "There's no way out without a single death or battle, is there?"

"No one ever wins in a war, Jun. All we can do is keep fighting."

"Fighting," he repeated. "How ironic. I'm a soldier, but I hate fighting in battles."

"No one ever does," Hyewon replied. She gives him a small smile. "Take care, okay? Don't do anything stupid out there. Don't die or else I'll haunt you." she threatens lightheartedly, trying to lighten up the mood, causing Yeonjun to chuckle.

"No promises, Hye." He pulls her into a hug. "You too. Don't be your crazy, impulsive self and get into danger, alright?" His whispers tickle her ear gently. "I'll miss you. Stay safe."

She doesn't say a word, only listening in silence as she takes in his warmth one last time.

A/N: cringe levels are high, ik ik. but this was necessary cus i dont want the story to get to fast paced so i decided why not hyewon and yeonjun fluff before we get to the good parts :).

SOMEONE GIVE ME INSPO CUS KSNBDKSBSISKVDJDJSJ.