Well. Hi.
Sorry if this isn't an update on Never Let Me Go, loves! I swear I wasn't procrastinating T-T I was just really stuck on a transition, and in the process, I finished this instead! XD
Also if anyone actually looked up what the name Haruto meant in the chapter "Broken", then kudos to you. Cuz you'll go all "I see what you did there."
Anyhow, happy holidays and may this chapter suffice! Thank you so much, and also don't forget to vote, loves!
:3
In the eternal abyss of untinted soothing black, time was a thing of illusion, a trick the mind played upon the body to cement it down to what it has always known. So when the darkness parted with the light, all Hanzo could think of doing was bring a hand out to impede the morning rays from further blinding his eyes.
After a minute's time, the clan leader noticed a stabbing gelidity right on top where his heart beat. When he traced the source to be from underneath his gray kimono, his palms laid itself upon the top of your hand, and the man blushed when he felt you move your touch to where his broad shoulder ended.
You must have been mindlessly seeking warmth in your slumber, and keeping this realization in mind, the Shimada threw the comforter as best he could over your forms; even then, it was done rather haphazardly. His actions were limited as long as the weight of your head laid on the crook of his shoulder, as long as you had most of your limbs entangled with his.
It would be unfortunate if he disturbed you. You looked quite peaceful...he knew you were, though he couldn't quite see you.
At last he heard a groan from you, then a long content hum as you nuzzled further into the heat that emanated from your lover's gray fabric.
He could only chuckle as he placed a soft peck on your head and slowly propped himself up on his arms as to not disturb you.
"Are you cold, (Y/N)?"
In your stupor, you groggily fluttered an eyelid open, then two all at once, and with great effort you tilted your chin up to look at the handsome face of your waiting lover. But instead of replying with a clear, audible answer, you only muttered something under your breath and pressed yourself even closer to him, giving him a clear idea of what it was that you desired.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said, wrapping an arm around your back to further secure you. "Don't worry, we don't have to get up so soon if you don't want to."
You groaned once more. "I feel so much better. I could get used to mornings like these."
Hanzo chuckled at your sentiment. "Well, I don't know how often my new schedule shall permit us to do so," he replied with an air of remorse in his voice. "But every moment I spend with you, I'll try to make it worthwhile."
"I have every plan of taking advantage of this day," you sighed, thoughtlessly caressing the bronze skin of his taut biceps, where your hand laid at the moment.
Your lover didn't seem to mind. If anything, your innocent gesture boosted his esteem, and he wondered if you'd appreciate it even more if he went shirtless for once.
Of course such thoughts were indecent in his eyes, and he quickly shook the thought away. He wouldn't let carnality win over his resolve, plus he didn't want to risk embarrassing himself before you.
What if you'd shy away once you saw his body? What if you didn't like how he looked?
Never has he asked himself these questions, and when he thought about them for the first time that moment, he broke out into a mild sweat.
"Hanzo," you called suddenly, shattering his train of thought.
"Yes?" His cool answer didn't betray his anxiety.
"Do you think we should invite Genji over for breakfast?"
"Well," he began, "I think that's a wonderful idea. That's so thoughtful of you, my love. Should we have it in the first balcony then? Or do you already have someplace in mind?"
"No, the balcony sounds wonderful, Hanzo." You were quick to agree. "But I say if we want to make the most out of this day, we better be off and prepare ourselves."
"I'm going to take a quick shower then," he acquiesced and sat up, effectively rolling your person off of him. He then tightened the hold of the gray obi around his waist and stood up to further straighten himself out, pivoting on his heels to face you fully once more. "I'll be in my quarters," he added. "Also, you're welcome to join me--I always make the water hot in cold mornings like these."
Your eyes widened like saucers, and you paused in your stretching session, arms in the air, as you registered the last of his statement.
"Lord Hanzo!" you screamed shrilly, turning beet red as you began to stumble on your words, "Nani wo kangaeteru no?! First the thirteen kids bit, now this not so subtle seduction? Y-you're such a tease...!"
You hardly cared that you were a stuttering fool as you grabbed for the nearest pillow and threw it at him.
Unfortunately, your indignity only heightened once you saw how your lover caught the soft projectile easily into his big hands; no doubt his lightning-fast reflexes have honed themselves from those long years of ninja training, and it's definitely worked wonders on him.
"You know where to find me," he said with a wink. "See you soon, my love."
And he catapulted the pillow right back, hitting you square in the face. As your muffled screams of anger rang throughout the halls, the clan leader was making his escape, his only response being the sound of his quick, fleeting footfalls and the added abundance of laughter.
***
Once you had come down from your high, you fixed yourself up to look presentable before your colleagues and proceeded to tidy up the space that you and your lover had utilized. Certain that the guest room looked the way it did as when you first entered it, you closed the screens behind you and made your way over to the second floor balcony, where the little arrangement was to be made. However, going past the open kitchen has sparked an idea across your mind, and you stopped by momentarily to scout the fridge with the intention of bringing some of the white cake Hanzo really liked over to the breakfast table.
You did promise to give him more of the particular dessert once he returned from the States. Thing was, you just never really found the opportunity to give it to him.
But you did then.
So with a proud grin lighting your face and careful strides guiding your excited feet, you set forth for your destination where, as expected, Hanzo was, already sitting comfortably in his seat with a red book in hand.
All at once, your smile dropped and lost its lovely vibrance.
"You're not bringing work here too, are you, Lord Hanzo?" you asked, trying to mask the dissatisfaction on your countenance and voice--to no avail.
"Ah, this?" the man inquired, lifting the faded leather book a little bit higher for you to see much more clearly. "Of course not. This is not germane to work...I'm simply reading my old book of Japanese folktales. It's been awhile since I read them, I've had this ever since I was a kid."
"Is it a collection?" you inquired, relief slamming down upon you like a tsunami that you couldn't help putting a palm to your thumping heart.
"Yes. You know, the usual stories children have been exposed to at school or during their childhood: Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, The Grateful Crane, The Snow Lady, The Shining Princess, Naruto Shipuuden-"
"Okay, hold on!" you interrupted, throwing your head back to laugh out loud without any sort of restraint holding you back. You only noticed your boisterousness once you saw Hanzo's brown gaze intent on you, mellowing down its usual sharpness at the sight of you losing it. "I'm sorry," you whispered with a blush, tucking a lock of stray hair back behind your ear. "But I'm pretty certain that Naruto Shipuuden isn't a folktale taught to children."
At this, he too, spared a laugh. "I'm only jesting. But it does amuse me just how strong and loud your laughter can get."
"Do I sound that bad?" You shrunk back, the blush on your face becoming more apparent.
"On the contrary," he began, clicking his tongue. "It's something I could get used to hearing every single day. I want you to be yourself whenever you're around me--no holding back."
"Really?" you asked. "But I remember just a few years ago, Genji told me a joke--I forget what it was about now--and it was so funny that I laughed so hard that I managed to catch your attention while you were training. Though you were far away, I clearly saw the expression you wore as you looked at me: You looked annoyed...and I was worried my not-so-lady like behavior peeved you off to the point that you'd deliberately ignore me every chance you get."
"Ah, yes. I remember now," Hanzo chuckled, nodding softly with a thoughtful glow on his face, his orbs shining with memory. "To tell you honestly, I was annoyed. I wanted to tell you that your undignifined laughter has disturbed the sanctity of these respectable grounds...but looking at it now with every bit of truthfulness, I wouldn't have had any complaints about it had it been I who told the joke. I guess I just really wanted you to act the way you naturally did whenever you were around Genji.
"I often got envious; I really wanted to get to know you better, and yet with my brother it seemed so easy for you to open up. So for the longest time, I've thought of various ways to get to know you better in ways that didn't seem too obvious. Then the bucket incident happened, I hired you as my personal assistant, and here we are: a young couple. I've never been happier--for you to be able to call me your boyfriend for others to hear--it's such a grand privilege, (Y/N)."
You smiled up at him, a wave of fierce possession swirling inside your chest, your gut, consuming your thoughts like wildfire.
You didn't want anybody else to experience this side of Hanzo apart from you. You didn't want a single soul to partake in this special bond that was only exclusive to the two of you.
Let the noblewomen keep their wealth, the queens their crowns!
I already have my heart's desire and it's all I'll ever want to keep.
"Now let's eat, shall we?" he hummed, disrupting your trance-like reflection.
"Oh, yes, of course!" you piped up, startling yourself with your own inattentiveness. But seconds later, you squinted your orbs down at the striking realization of a missing presence. "W-Where's Genji?"
"He said he already had breakfast," the Shimada replied, handing you a square plate. "I guess it's just us then--not that I'm complaining."
"Your brother's been very detached ever since Shimada-sama died. He rarely comes out of his room and if ever he does, he's usually out with friends. I'm afraid his grief has taken such a toll on him that he has forgotten how to function well. I dearly miss his smiles and antics with each day that passes. I wish we could all have our old Genji back, Lord Hanzo."
"(Y/N)," he sighed, holding your trembling hand. "Genji is a strong man. He'll know better than to ruin himself just because of this. He knows that we depend on him too. Don't worry, let's just give him his space: He himself will be the one to come talk to us like he used to once he's ready. We will have him back. Now come on, eat. Let's be merry in each other's company."
You smiled at his assurance and picked your chopsticks up as you eyed the mouth-watering, colorful options you had the privilege of having this morning: from sushi to tendon to sashimi to tonkatsu and a bunch more. The assistant palace cook brought the little decadent buffet up the spot, which would leave the impression that Tanaka-san was still recovering from Hanzo's robust assault.
To be honest, you expected such news. But you still feared for the man's life despite the main cook never being in any danger in the first place.
"Where do you want to go later?" Hanzo inquired, finally skating his brown orbs from the surface of his cluttered black plate back up to yours. "The mall? The arcade? The black market?"
"Actually," you began with a slight chortle. "I was hoping for a nice quiet walk inside the city park. Is that too boring?"
"I think it's just what we need to relax." He smiled. "With my busy schedule as leader ahead of me, I don't think I need any more excitement in my life to tire me out. Sometimes it's not about pressing harder onto the gas that matters; you have to slow down once in a while to appreciate the view on the road."
You nodded, slurping in a long strand of ramen noodle, and the two of you continued to spend the rest of your dovish morning in peace--if not in each other's arms.
At the moment the two of you lounged in the clan leader's quarters and watched a movie to further kill the hours until it was finally time to head out for the state park for that walk you've been looking forward to ever since awhile ago.
However, in the middle of the movie's climax, your face contorted itself into one of confusion as your ears picked up an immaterial jingle that clearly didn't come out of the movie's soundtrack. Before you could stop yourself, you snapped your head to the side where Hanzo was, and you found him already fumbling his hands all over his draped person, knowing very well that the strange noise was coming from him, or more specifically, from the cellphone beneath his kimono.
"Hanzo, do you have to take that?" you inquired, grabbing the remote control to pause the film for him.
"Ah, yes," he replied, finally fishing his device out and eyeing the unrecognized number that plastered itself upon the blaring screen with raw annoyance. "Don't worry, this will be quick, I promise."
"Alright. I'll just wait for you and-"
"No, it's fine. I've already watched this more than twice," Hanzo said readily, having one foot out the entrance to avoid any unnecessary waste of time as much as possible. It was a pain, having to watch as you endured your disappointment with a mask of nonchalance for his sake.
Why was it such a hassle with him--the simple commitment of always making you happy? It was as if there was no instance with him that couldn't have you either crying, hurting, or just simply feeling bad altogether.
He just wanted to have a smooth, simple romantic relationship with the woman of his dreams!
Was that really so much to ask?!
Hanzo grumbled in frustration as the opportunity to think of such a thing in the split second that he had to press the phone against his ear sprang up, but once he heard the voice speak on the other side of the line, the clan leader froze. There was something about it all that seemed too familiar, but the man couldn't quite put it down. It was all like a forgotten childhood dream, a lingering presence.
"Who is this?" he demanded tersely, gruffly.
"Ah yes, you might have remembered me from last time," the stranger answered back with a gleeful chuckle and continued, "I'm Saotama Karasuno. I was the official that came into your household a month ago, remember? I'll be coming over tomorrow with the results of the DNA test like I said before I left."
"So...it's true then?" Hanzo gulped, running a hand down the back of his head, and he made certain that his volume was low enough that only his confidential caller could pick up the words. "(Y/N) is the lost princess?"
"I can't have that delicate information transmitted out on the line, Shimada-san. But know that it is crucial that we see her tomorrow. That is all, good day."
"We?" Hanzo's voice shot up without intention. "Who's coming with you? The bodyguards I take it?"
"Actually, there's another important figure coming with me."
Hanzo held his breath as he felt the whole world pausing around him, accompanying his anticipation as he sat on the edge of his seat.
Then Karasuno's voice shot out with the sharpness of steel, unforgiving and cruel.
"The emperor's coming with me, Shimada-sama. He insists on seeing his niece, and I am only a lower official. I am powerless to do anything against his will. So I suggest you all prepare yourselves."
:0
Happy holidays!
~