The war was over. The troubles that were haunting her were over. No more sorrow or isolation. Now she can live with pride.
"Everything is fine now" She thought.
Kougyoku was currently working with the other leaders in order to decide where the borders of newly-formed world will be. Deciding where the barriers was so hard that she couldn't get any sleep and instead, spent the whole night thinking, again.
Afterwards, when she returned to the Kou Empire, she wanted get some shut-eye as quick as possible. When she was about to go to her bedroom, she heard voice from behind. She turned around to see Alibaba waving at her and walking towards her, followed by Aladdin and his wife, Morgiana.
"Kougyoku! Did you finish your meeting with the other leaders." Alibaba asks.
"Yeah, just now actually" Kougyoku said.
"Really, I heard that the Kina king was being a hogger and tried get more land for himself." Alibaba retorted.
Due to the new land change, the Kina Kingdom is no more a flying island but rather has merged with the other lands.
"I don't blame him, like before, he could go wherever he wanted to go, but now he can only stay in one place." Kougyoku replied sadly.
"But, I persuaded the other leaders to not create border between this side and the Great Rift" she continued.
At this statement, Morgiana lightened up and happiness danced in her eyes
"Thank you" Morgiana said to Kougyoku, who knew about the fanalis's dream to make all fanalis a "common presence".
"Your most welcome" Kougyoku smiled wearily, since the tiredness started kicking in and showing, something she did not want at all.
Aladdin took a step closer to her, a little too close, in her opinion, and examined her face.
" Hey Miss Kougyoku, are you getting enough sleep? You have bags under your eyes and they're big" a concern Aladdin asks.
"Damn magi. Wait he's not a magi anymore. Who cares, he's a stupid brat who can't keep his business to himself!" Kougyoku thought as a vein popped in her forehead.
"Well, deciding where the borders will be is hard, so I had to spend all nights thinking" Kougyoku explained with a fake smile.
"I see, but you shouldn't work yourself, after all, you are the Empress, and your people don't want some tired person who looks like she wants to pass out to rule them now do they." Alibaba said
"I know, I know" Kougyoku said. Honestly, could she go through one day without anyone chastising her about her lack of sleep.
"So, what are you guys up too? Going on an adventure again?" She said
"Yeah, actually we are exploring the New Dark Continent. The continental rifts are really mysterious!" Alibaba says, recalling the time he fell down one.
"Oh really, it must be going to be fun." Kougyoku remarks
Suddenly she felt dizzy, she almost fell forward if Aladdin, who was standing the closest to her, didn't put his hand around her wrist to steady her.
"Woah, are you really okay?" Aladdin says, while putting his other hand on her other hand to pull her up.
Kougyoku steadied herself and stood up straight, while taking her hand away from Aladdin and putting it on her head.
"Yeah, I think I am okay. I just need some sleep. That's all." She retorted
"Well you better, you should go now actually, we'll meet you at dinner." said Alibaba
"Thank you for worrying about me" Kogyoku replied, as she walked towards her room.
As she entered her room and laid on the bed, she though about her life, the pains she been through, and the people who made her sorrow be replaced with happiness and joy.
"Everything is fine now." She thought again, as darkness overtook her and she fell into a deep sleep
"Mommy, where's mommy?" a 6 year old Kougyoku said to a maid that was currently with bathing her.
" I told you, she's part of the rukh now." the maid said, as she scrubbed the girl's dark pink hair.
"I want my mommy now. I want my mommy!!" She cried as she flailed her arms around, splashing water on the maid.
"Shut up!! Your mother was no more than lowly-prostitute. She didn't even deserve to live or be touched by your majesty!" She roared at Kougyoku and she started rubbing soap on Kougyoku arm with more force
Kougyoku cried even louder, wailed so loud that other maids had to come to hold her down so the maid could put her clothes on.
Some maid shot her dirty looks and some called her "filthy girl" as they left the room, and locked it, leaving Kougyoku lonely.
She looked at the big red mark on her arm, her eyes became blurry again and wet tears traced her cheeks. Silent tears.
Then she heard a click, and she looked at the opening door
From the door, she saw a man dressed in a soldier attire, but more fashionably and he was at least in his early 20's. The man scanned the room and his eyes landed on her. He approached her slowly.
The man stood at least 5 inches away from her and then he squatted down to her height. He reached his hand out to her
"So, you're the 8th imperial princess. How sad. Locked up in this room. You must feel lonely. To have so much isolation." He said, while touching her cheeks and wiping the tears away.
Kougyoku tensed. Nobody ever touched her that way. Not with sincerity. Especially not man. But she didn't remove his hand.
"You know, if you come with me, I can give everything. Happiness, friends, and so much more." He continued, as his hands started rubbing her cheeks and then he grabbed her hand and leaned forward and whispered "Come with me, princess."
Friends, that's all she wanted. She wanted to have fun and to be happy. She felt like she should go with him but those maids said to always to stay in this room.
She felt conflicted. Should she go with the man or listen to the maids and stay in this room. But she remembered that the maids were bad and they would hurt her, but this man would care for her and give her friends.
She opened her mouth to say her answer, but then she heard a voice from outside.
"General! Where are you?" she heard. The man stood up and walked to the door and before he closed the door, the last words she ever heard from him were "Remember my offer, princess, I will come back for you one day." and then he left and closed and locked the door
The man was so strange, and she clutched her hand. She felt something in her palm. She looked down to see a piece a paper in her hands. She concluded that the man gave to her and she read, which was hard for her since she was still learning, but she could understand what this one had said.
Written on the piece of paper, it said "We'll meet again, Kougyoku Ren."
Kougyoku, that was name her father's side gave her. But she wouldn't forget what her mother named her.
Kougyoku kept looking at the paper until she heard her name, probably the maids calling out for her.
"Kougyoku"
"Kougyoku", all of sudden, the world was all black, like she was sinking into nothing. Like she was drowning. She was trying to breathe , but she couldn't and she felt sick and light-headed.
"I don't want to die!" Kougyoku frantically thought, but it was too late , the darkness took over and she felt nothing.
"KOUGYOKU!"
She opened her eyes to see her brother, Kouha, looking down at her worried.
"Are you okay, you were tossing and turning, like you were having a bad dream." Kouha said worried
After the final battle, all 3 brothers that lived on Salmon Island were pardoned and now Kouen and Kouha were lived here with their brother Koumei, who was already here before, but now they can roam freely without causing any problems.
" I'm okay, just had a dream" Kougyoku said as she sat up. She looked at the mirror. She was a mess. Her hair had come undone and was everywhere and her face was all sweaty.
"So why are you here in my room. You should have knocked first. I could've been indecent!" Kougyoku scolded her brother, who just shrugged his shoulders.
"I could care less if you weren't decent. I've taken care of my mother. I know what women look like. Besides, you're my sister." he said to Kougyoku, who was wiping the sweat of her face.
" Still, you should have knocked first. Oh, stupid hair." Kougyoku said while trying to get a knot out of her hair.
"Let me do your hair" Kouha said and grabbed her hair and started to his signature braids in her braids.
"Thanks you." She said, and she looked at him and examined him.
He was taller than her now, and his hair was longer as well. Just looking at him made her feel guilty, recalling the time she put a sword at his throat.
"Hey Kouha"
"Yeah"
"Do you remember the time in the civil war when I started acting weird."
Kouha didn't stop doing her hair but he said "yeah"
"I'm really sorry"
Kouha looked up at her and he put his hands on her shoulders, and said " It's okay, it wasn't your fault. I should have known better when you were sent away. I should be sorry." and he bowed his head to her
Kougyoku felt tears well up and said "Thank you" and lifted her sleeves to hide her grimaced smile.
"Anyways, you're sweating all over so you should change into lighter clothes, I'll wait for you." he said
After Kougyoku changed into lighter (way lighter) clothes, she looked at the mirror again. Her hair was not in the twin loops she always wears, but rather her bangs and some of her side hair were braided and the back of her hair was plain and flat. Her hair touched the ground so she put some of her hair over her shoulders. She looked like Kouha.
She felt lighter and free without wearing the robes of an emperor and the headpiece either. She wasn't wearing makeup also. She felt so light. No stress or strain. She looked so different
"Maybe the sleep helped?" Kougyoku pondered, but her mind was set on the dream she had.
She hadn't thought about the mysterious man until now, so why now?
She would've kept on pondering if Kouha didn't call out for her.
"Kougyoku, come on. It's time to go."
"Go where?
"Dinner, where else, that's the reason I came to get you"
Suddenly, Kougyoku pulled on Kouha, forcing him to sit on the ground.
"Hey, what was that for!" a surprised Kouha says.
"Well, you did my hair so I can do your hair" Kougyoku says while forming twin loops in Kouha's hair.
After she was done, she gave Kouha a mirror.
"I suppose it doesn't look that bad."
"I know right"
"Well, we should go or everyone is going to eat everything."
"Yeah"
At that, Kouha and Kougyoku left for dinner
Hey guys,
This is my first story I've ever written before, so if you don't like it, please forgive me.
Also, I'm a very sensitive person so if I see a harsh comment, I will cry my eyes out.
Hope you like it, sister1012