Chapter 22 - Emperor Ryuusei and Empress Izumi

Just as a reminder, the pic at the top is that of Shogun Ichirou :)

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Izumi pov:

I narrowed my eyes as I sat on a tree branch, hidden by the thick cover of leaves. It was early evening and slowly getting dark and the shadows were a great cover for those of us sneaking into Taheji's camp close to Yokobu Shore. There were several guards walking around, though they were scattered and relaxed and not enough to spot us when we sneaked in.

Having spotted and opening to get to one of the tents, I held up my small flashlight and flashed it to Haji san, Asahi and Iwase san, who were waiting in three other locations to infiltrate. I received a signal in return, not of a flashlight but a spark from spark stones, giving me the message that they were good to go too. Nodding to myself, I jumped down from the tree, rolling as I landed on the ground and sprinted quietly to the shadowy side of the tent.

I took a moment to relax my body and let the numbing pain of my yet-to-heal wounds decrease. I felt tightness in my chest and it didn't allow me to breathe very comfortably but I inhaled deeply to ease out the clenching. When I felt good to go, I proceeded around the tent to find a loose sleeve to slip in through.

There was no one inside the tent so I began to snoop around without worrying about being seen. I first walked to the desk at the very center of the tent and scanned through the papers haphazardly spread out there. They were mostly Taheji's agreements made with different governors saying that they would continue supporting Taheji as the 'Emperor' because they had received bribes and other assets. If they were to breach the contract, they would be liable for lifetime imprisonment or death. Thankfully, they were all yet to be signed and made official.

As I looked over the agreements, I tapped the small button on the right side of my smart glasses to get pictures of them – to know the names of the governors who had taken money or any other bribe from Taheji in return for giving him their support. There were about twelve people in total, most of which were quite high ranking.

"Twelve people isn't very much for political support in such a big country but their subordinates have also probably been dragged into the agreement indirectly. That would add up to a lot of people...." I mumbled to myself.

Having seen through all the agreements, I scanned the rest of the tent to see if there were any weapons I could find or poisons that Taheji might plan to use in the food or tea served to us. I found nothing though, not even in the chest of drawers beside the luxury throne that had been made ready for the festival. I wasn't sure if it was for Ryuusei or for Taheji though. Clicking my tongue in dissatisfaction, I decided to head back out while hoping that the others had got some better information.

However, just before I could leave from where I had sneaked into the tent, I heard footsteps and voices near the main entrance sleeve. I hurried over to the side to hide behind the chest of drawers and crouched while keeping absolute silence. Two people entered the tent and I hid more from the light that was brought in along with them. Someone sighed as they sat down at the desk, moving the chair with an annoying screech against the ground.

"It's finally time!" The person said and I cursed under my breath realizing that it was none other than Taheji. Of all the people to run into now – I had to make sure I wasn't found out if I wanted to live.

"I suppose it is..." Another person agreed hesitantly.

"In just two days, I will be the new Emperor of Nihon! The Blood Emperor, my foolish little brother will fall to the darkest depths along with that brat Shichiro. But Izumi, that beautiful woman that Ryuusei doesn't deserve, will be in my arms. I'm looking forward to her company!" Taheji said with a chuckle making me mentally gag.

"But Prince Taheji, I...."

"No no no...." Taheji interrupted. "It is Emperor Taheji, Governor Houki. You should practice how you will have to refer to me from now on."

Governor Houki? That was one of the names I had seen on one of the agreements just now! He had received fifty thousand gold pieces from Taheji as a bribe – one of the highest amounts given to any governor that Taheji wanted support from. He must be a really high ranking official.

"A-ah, yes, Emperor Taheji." He corrected and continued to speak. "I was just wondering if this really is a good idea. I mean no disrespect but the Blood Emperor is a formidable opponent, even for you. After that day when he slaughtered the rebels when he was just fifteen years old, we have not seen him fight openly anywhere. We do not know of his true strength...."

"Oh? Are you afraid, Governor Houki?" Taheji mocked.

"I am embarrassed to say that I am. In all honesty, I am eternally grateful to you for providing me with money in time to treat my wife's illness, but I do not wish to be a part of this war. I am content with the life I have in this province and I do not wish for anything more than a life rewarded by my hard work." Governor Houki said.

"Are you saying that you accepted money from me while being halfhearted about supporting my rise to the throne?" Taheji asked, now sounding angry. "It seems I haven't made myself clear enough, Houki. You are nothing but a pawn in my hands. Your job is to do what I ask you to and it's all the more obvious because you took such a high amount of money from me. If you back down from our agreement, I will kill not just you but your entire family. You wouldn't want your precious wife and sons to become sacrifices, now would you?"

"N-no, Your Highness! Please forgive me! I will follow you and support you in everything so please! Spare my family!" Governor Houki begged and I heard a thud. Peeking out from behind the chest of drawers, I saw that the governor had fallen to his knees, bending forward so his forehead was touching the ground, and his shoulders were trembling.

My lips twitched, threatening to break out into a bitter smile. Taheji was bribing the governors for their support but it looks like not all of them were accepting the money just because they were tempted by luxury. There were people like Governor Houki who were in desperate need of money for other reasons and Taheji was using it to his advantage. How much more despicable could this guy get??

"Hmph! You know, I really hate people who are half assed. It puts me in a rather foul mood." Taheji commented. "Well, let it be. I have too many victorious thoughts in my mind at the moment to have my mood ruined by your pathetic comment."

"Y-yes, Y-Your Highness...." Governor Houki stuttered.

Just before he or Taheji could say anything else, another person walked into the tent. I got a peek at him and I smirked when I recognized him. He looked annoyed, just as he always was when we spoke about anything that pertained to Taheji, but he did a good job of covering it up with fake respect.

"Ah, General Roichi." Taheji said while smirking. "Are all preparations ready? I hope you have spared no expense at setting up precautions for all Ryuusei and his Elite Division are planning."

"Of course I have, Your Highness." He said while taking a quick and unnoticeable glance at where I was hiding. "The boat is ready as well, just as you want it."

Ichirou san, under Ryuusei's orders, had become a spy. He had infiltrated Taheji's army and had himself promoted to one of the Commanding Generals of the army. To ensure that Taheji didn't get suspicious of him, he even changed his name, though it was merely interchanging the syllables. I was actually quite surprised that Taheji had never seen Ichirou san in the palace before but I had been told that he wasn't observant and it was the duty of most of the members of the Elite Division to keep their looks and identity hidden when dealing with anyone besides the Emperor himself. That made me the only exception.

Three days ago, on the day I was almost killed by Taheji, Ryuusei and I had met up with all of the members of the Elite Division as well as those of the Crimson Rose led by Hanzaki san and Haruko. I believed that we had to be aware of the gist of what Taheji had planned for us on the festival so we could retaliate effectively and prevent him from succeeding in his goal of overthrowing Ryuusei. On that note, I had proposed the idea of Ichirou san pretending to be an ally and participating in preparations – it was agreed upon by all and Ichirou san had left immediately while the rest of us worked out the next part of my strategy.

The Crimson Rose was just as strong and reliable as the Elite Division but it was what one could call the unofficial army of the Blood Emperor. They couldn't accompany us to Yokobu Shore and to the festival and help fight against Taheji's men so I decided that they would take the place of the Elite division in Sei'an as well as the other provinces to subdue the enemy there while we handled those on Yokobu Shore. The day of the festival would be the day when the enemy in all provinces as well as Taheji himself would be apprehended together – the roots taken out once and for all without anyone getting the chance to escape.

Ryuusei and I were to leave the palace and head to Yokobu Shore by carriage today. But in order to set up security around Taheji's camp as well as sneak in to know the final details of what Taheji was going to do on the day of the festival, more than half of the Elite Division, including myself, had to leave early. Since Taheji's spies were hanging around the palace, most of which we had already identified, I had to sneak out of the palace in the middle of the night while making sure I was not seen by anyone. The spies wouldn't suspect me to not be in the palace even if I didn't leave my royal chambers for a few days because they knew I was injured.

After getting out of the palace, the Elite Division and I had travelled by horse without taking more than one short break so we were able to get to Taheji's camp in less than one day.

Ryuusei was very much against the idea at first because he didn't want me to do anything dangerous, especially when I wasn't in a condition to fight in case I landed in some trouble. But after convincing him that I would be okay, that I would just sneak around the periphery and leave the tough jobs to Haji san and the others, he allowed me to leave.

Of course, I had my fingers crossed behind my back so here I was right in the middle of everything.

Ryuusei left the palace a day after we did and he was traveling in a carriage at a comfortable pace that would take about a day and a half to get to our rendezvous point. Of course, a consort slathered with enough makeup to resemble me had taken my place to avoid any suspicions from rising and I'm sure she was just as unaware as she was happy that she was being considered important enough to attend the Annual Lantern Festival with the Blood Emperor. Man, was Consort Kiyori's pride going to be shattered when I turned up.

Ichirou san, who had been in Yokobu Shore for several days while handling much of the preparation, was supposed to send a report detailing out the itinerary of the festival with a member of the Elite Division to the rendezvous point where Ryuusei was to stop for a break in the journey. Haji san, Asahi, Iwase san and I were to report there tonight too and we would proceed to Yokobu Shore as the actual couple from tomorrow morning. But now, since Ichirou san knew that I was here, I assumed he would find a way to get Taheji out of the tent so I could escape.

"The boat is the most important thing, General Roichi, so I want those preparations absolutely perfect." Taheji said and Ichirou san narrowed his eyes just a bit.

"Of course, Your Highness. But may I ask why the boat is so important? Wouldn't the preparations on land be more important, considering the fact that we wish to surround the Blood Emperor and kill him?" He asked casually.

"It's a trap, obviously." Taheji replied with a chuckle. "I will kill Ryuusei and Shichiro when we go out for a calming cruise, striking when they least expect it! Just as we have planned, no weapons will be allowed on the boat except for the katana hidden in the storage barrels on the main deck. When we're a good distance from the shore, away from any audience, I will kill them and shove them overboard so even their bodies cannot be found."

I smirked just a bit – his plan wasn't going to work and I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when Ryuusei and the rest of us fought back.

"That's an excellent plan, Your Highness." Ichirou san said too, smirking and glancing my way.

"It is, isn't it?" Taheji mused and leaned back in his seat.

"Your Highness, there is something I wished to speak with you about. It has to do with the number of guards we should put on the boat. And would you prefer your elite team or regular soldiers?" Ichirou san pressed, wanting to squeeze out more information for me.

"Hmm....I doubt an elite team will be necessary. Just a dozen regular foot soldiers should do." Taheji responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Anyway, enough of that for now. I wish to check on the fireworks that we will be having when I'm being crowned as the new Emperor. Let us go now, General Roichi."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Ichirou san responded and stood up to escort him out of the tent.

When they were out and I could no longer hear their footsteps, I stepped out from behind the chest of drawers. I smirked as I looked in the direction they had just left before exiting the tent myself and bolting into the darkness of the trees beside the camp. When I was several feet away, I flashed my flashlight several times to see if the others were done with their information gathering as well. I received two flashes in return and after waiting for another ten minutes, I received the third flash. I responded and having confirmed that all four of us had gathered, we sprinted to the rendezvous point.

The four of us reached the rendezvous point together and noticed Ryuusei's carriage parked under a tree – it seems he had arrived as well. I smiled and headed into his tent first, not bothering to ask for permission and my smile turned to a grin upon seeing Consort Kiyori standing a little away from him silently and smiling hopefully. But Ryuusei stood near the window of the tent, looking out into the distance while completely ignoring her presence.

"Good evening, Your Royalness." I greeted and both of them turned to look at me.

"Izumi!" Ryuusei called and hurried to my side to bring me into a tight embrace. He loosened his hold though when I winced and softly apologized for hugging me with such gusto.

"Y-you!" Consort Kiyori stuttered but fell silent to remain respectful to Ryuusei.

"You're finally back, Love. Are you alright? You didn't get stuck in anything dangerous, did you?" He asked after pulling out of the embrace and cupping my face.

"I'm fine, as you can see, and we've returned with some pretty exciting information." I said grinning again.

"Ryuusei sama, may I ask why she is here? Only one of your wives is to accompany you to the festival, is it not?" Consort Kiyori asked while stepping closer to us.

"Actually, only the Empress is to accompany him, Princess." I said and resisted from laughing at the look of pure displeasure that came onto her face. "Now if you'll excuse us, we've got important matters to discuss."

"Ryuusei sama! She's jesting, is she not? You were so kind and loving when you asked me to accompany you!" She complained while holding his arm.

"Forgive me, Kiyori. But there has been a change of plans." Ryuusei said sternly and pulled his arm out of her hold.

"B-but...!"

"Oh, would you stop wibbling already? We've been working our butts off while you consorts have been lazing all day. We don't have time for your emotional drama so shush and leave us alone." I said and took a hold of Ryuusei's sleeve to drag him out of the tent.

"Ryuusei sama! W-wait! R-Ryuusei sama!" She called, though it fell on deaf ears as we headed to another tent for discussions.

When we had gathered in the back section of the other tent, we stood around the sheet spread out on a table on which Taheji's camp as well as Yokobu shore had been drawn. Haji san. Iwase san and Asahi first explained what they had seen and heard on today's spying mission – it was of how Taheji's army had been spread out in the camp, on Yokobu shore as well as in the provinces during the time of the assassination plan. The number of people in the provinces had been reduced so the Crimson Rose would have no problem taking care of them. Members of the Crimson Rose had infiltrated his army as well, much prior to hearing from us, in hopes of finding a way to stop Taheji. We had enough people to counter Taheji's army on Yokobu Shore. Copies of the information were made and sent to different provinces using passenger pigeons – it was the fasted way for us to get the information across to everyone in time.

After hearing what I had heard from Taheji, Ryuusei settled into a rather bitter mood. I was sure that Ichirou san would ensure that a few of our people were on the boat during the cruise but that didn't solve the 'no-weapons-on-board' problem. Haji san suggested that we use weapons from the guards on board but I negated that possibility by telling him that the guards too would probably not have any weapons besides daggers or small knives. Annoyed with the lack of ideas, Ryuusei decided to think about this matter later on and closed the topic before I could suggest something.

With discussions done, Haji san, Iwase san and Asahi left to make other preparations in camp while Ryuusei and I were left behind by ourselves in the tent. I sighed deeply and plopped down unceremoniously on the fluffy sofa like furniture in the tent and closed my eyes to relax my mildly sore body. I felt the cushion beside me dip and I opened my eyes to see Ryuusei sitting next to me. I smiled but it faltered when I saw the rather serious expression on his face.

I straightened up a bit and frowned, wondering why he was suddenly looking at me like this. However, I had a hunch on what he was going to ask me and it was only proven true when he spoke up, asking the question he had been resisting to ask me for heaven knows how long.

"Izumi, where are you really from?"

Ryuusei pov:

I watched Izumi carefully and cautiously. I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer and the question that had been lingering in my mind for the longest of time just slipped out.

She watched me blankly, her eyes swirling with emotions I couldn't understand. She seemed to be debating on whether to answer my question or not. I wanted answers – I wanted to force her to tell me because I was uneasy and anxious but at the same time, I didn't want to damage our relationship. I didn't want to lose her and yet....I wanted answers. Was I just being selfish and cold hearted or was I right in wanting to know of her true identity?

I regretted asking it for a moment but knew that I had every right to ask her about what she was hiding from me. I tensed when she looked away from me and sighed deeply. She stood up and took a few steps forward while running her hand through her hair. After a moment of the tense silence, she turned to look back at me and smiled apologetically.

"I guess I have been hiding this long enough, haven't I?" She said and I stood up as well. "I'll tell you what you want to know, Ryuusei, and I hope that will not change the way you see me. Well, it's not something that will hurt you in any way but it is something that you might find hard to believe. And honestly, I don't know whether you'll see it as a good thing or a bad thing."

"What is it, Love?" I asked gently, hesitantly.

"I...." She started and paused to take a deep breath. "I'm not from around here. I'm not from Sei'an, or Jin Province or any other place under your rule. I'm not a person from this time."

I narrowed my eyes a bit, not quite understanding what she meant. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I am from a time six hundred years in the future." She clarified but her words seemed to make no sense. "I turned up on Yokobu Shore several months ago just like all the other people and objects that magically appeared there with no records on them. There are many more of us here, as I heard from a very reliable source, but they have all been kept locked up in Taheji's fort on Yokobu Shore."

"You're from an era of the future?" I asked, ignoring the comment she made on Taheji as well as the fort on Yokobu Shore. We were going to deal with him on the day after tomorrow anyway so I could look in to the fort then.

"Yes." She answered instantly. "The glasses you saw me wearing are something from the future – it is a contraption that helps me see things that we wouldn't be able to see normally. I have a few other things from my time though they're not in working condition at the moment."

"Glasses?" I asked, finding the word to be strange and foreign.

"Oh boy..." Izumi said with a sigh and pulled out the strange object she had worn above her eyes when we had gone to the warehouse together. "These are called glasses – well, smart glasses in this case. Regular glasses help people with bad eyesight to see better but this baby here can do a lot more than that."

She beckoned for me to come closer and I did, bending so I was at her level. I clenched my fists as she slipped the object over my ears and onto my eyes, just the way she had been wearing them. I felt no different wearing them and the only thing I was awed about was the fact that I was able to see through something solid. However, when Izumi touched something on the side of the object, I jumped back startled upon seeing some strange words and images flash in front of my eyes.

Izumi chuckled at my reaction and pulled me down to her level again with a hold on my haori. She touched the side of the object again and my eyes went wide as I saw paintings of something I could understand now.

"These....these paintings....these are agreements between Taheji and the people he wishes for to support him." I said, having been able to see the title. However, the other smaller writing wasn't clear enough for me to make out details.

"They're not paintings, Ryuusei. They're called pictures. And yes, they are agreements that Taheji plans to make with the governors he's bribed to ensure they continue supporting them. If you wish to see the details of the agreement, I can zoom in to it for you." Izumi said and I nearly jumped out of my skin again as the 'picture' became bigger and the smaller writing was now very clearly visible.

"Amazing....I have never seen anything like this before." I said airily though Izumi only laughed again.

"That's a better reaction than what I expected." She said smirking, though her face wasn't very clearly visible with the picture in front of my eyes. "I thought you were going to scream and run in panic like a headless chicken."

I couldn't help but raise a brow at her. "You didn't really think that, did you, Love?"

"It was hoping you would." She said with a shrug. "It would have been fun to watch."

Seeing her hazily like this was straining my eyes and I could feel a mild headache starting. I took off the object and blinked several times to clear my vision and then looked over her properly. She was still smiling though it seemed forced – she looked apologetic and nervous and I knew why.

A suffocating tightness rose in my chest as I looked over her. What she said was strange and hard to believe but perhaps it was true. She was different from other people – she was so brave, so skilled in fighting and sneaking around and she was intelligent. I could see why there was so much more to her than what met the eye. I could now understand why she was so secretive and why she had hesitated to talk about herself. And despite her being so different from everyone I had seen in all my years of living in this world, I couldn't help but trust her with my life.

I stepped closer to her and lifted my free hand to cup her cheek. She tensed for a moment but closed her eyes with a sigh. When she met my gaze again, she seemed hopeful.

"So, Blood Emperor, did I impress you?" She asked, trying to sound confident through her hesitance.

"More than ever, Love." I answered honestly. "I am astonished that something like this is possible but it doesn't change the way I feel about you. You have earned my trust so strongly that this doesn't matter in the least where you're from. In fact, I am only glad that I have someone as brave and strong as you by my side. I am also at ease now, since I know why some of my subjects do not have any past records."

"So....you're not angry at me?" She asked tentatively.

"It's hard for me to get angry on the only person I've seen to be the same both on the inside and outside, Love." I said and pulled her into my arms. "I love you, Izumi, and I always will."

"Well, that went better than I expected...." She said before lifting her arms to wrap them around my torso.

I chuckled and let her go but reached out to push some strands of her hair behind her ears. She smiled and shook her head, probably still mildly surprised that I had taken it as well as I did. I was surprised too because I would never have been so calm about something like this if it were with anyone else who told me about it – Izumi had truly calmed the turmoil I had constantly lived with in my heart. If she was from a time many years in the future, so be it. It wouldn't change who she is and how important she was to me.

"Here." I said and handed her glasses back to her.

She took it without hesitance and touched a small silver protrusion on the side before putting it back in her bag. She walked back to me and smiled wholeheartedly this time and I returned it while reaching out to touch some strands of her dark hair that ell over her shoulder.

"Your Highness? Dinner is served." A voice interrupted us both of us turned our heads to look at the shadow behind the sleeve of the tent.

"We will be right there." I responded and looked back at Izumi who seemed rather excited.

"Finally! I'm starving! I was wondering if they'd forgotten about dinner!" She said and sprinted out of the tent.

I smiled, finding this childish side of her adorable. I followed suit and raised a brow seeing her next to Haji and already digging into a plate of food while my consort Kiyori looked on with an expression of disapproval. She smiled and blushed when she saw me though and came to stand in front of me.

"Ryuusei sama, shall we have dinner together? I had an attendant set up a table for us under the persimmon tree. The blossoms are beautiful and their sweet scent lingering in the air makes such a romantic setting." She said.

Her idea was splendid but only with the thoughts of eating alone with Izumi. I couldn't completely ignore Kiyori though – I would have to allow her to sit with me along with Izumi since I had brought her along on this trip. I smiled gently in return and touched her jewelry adorned hair making her blush more.

"Thank you, Kiyori. It is very thoughtful of you to have a table set up there. Let us eat now." I said and she nodded, still very happy. "Love? Why don't you join me and Kiyori at the table under the blossoming persimmon tree?"

Now, Kiyori looked angry. I couldn't help but chuckle, finding her jealousy amusing. She was yet to accept the fact that Izumi, a 'commoner', was my Empress and that I doted on her much more than I doted on any of my other consorts. Kiyori, having been my wife for six years, expected to hold greatest importance in my harem for her seniority but I saw no reason to see her as anything different from the other consorts I had married for political power. They were all the same to me.

Speaking of marriage, I was yet to officialise the relationship that I had with Izumi. We were Emperor and Empress only in name and no one had witnessed our wedding. After dealing with Taheji, I would have to see to it that a ceremony was held in public to officialise Izumi as my wife and Empress – only then will she be seen by all, unquestionably, as the Empress of Nihon and of the same status as me.

When the three of us were seated at the table, with Izumi next to me and Kiyori opposite to us, attendants came to serve us dinner. Izumi had brought her plate of food with her and I finally noticed that she wasn't eating what had been prepared for us but what had been prepared for the guards and those of the Elite Division. She was eating commoners' food even though she was royalty.

"Oh dear....how can you eat that? It looks so....strange." Kiyori said while covering her nose with her kimono sleeve.

I stayed silent, curious to see how Izumi would react. She stopped eating after slurping the steaming noodles she had in a bowl on her plate and raised her brow at Kiyori. She swallowed and pointed to the food she had on her plate with her chopsticks.

"This stuff is really good, much better than the bland food of the palace. Man, I can't even tell how much I missed eating food like this!" She said and ate another cooked vegetable side dish. "Haven't you ever tried this before? I mean, surely you've not lived your entire life eating nothing but royal tasteless food."

"Unfortunately, Love, we haven't eaten such food before. Does it really taste better than what we eat?" I asked her and she looked at me.

"Not you too....geez." She huffed before picking up another solid piece of food in her chopsticks and holding it out to me. "Here, try this. It's a type of fish cooked with a variety of really tasty spices."

"You can't possibly think that Ryuusei sama would want to eat something like that! It's probably unclean and unhealthy and...!"

"Hurry up and eat! My hand is hurting and I want to get back to eating too!" Izumi complained, completely ignoring Kiyori's comments.

"As you wish, Love." I said and ate what she held out for me.

My eyes went wide when I chewed it. It was absolutely delicious – the flavor was exotic and was the most amazing thing I had ever eaten in my life! It was spicy compared to the food I always ate but definitely something that I would want to eat more often from now on. Besides, if one item was this delicious, I couldn't help but want to taste all the other foods.

But that would have to be saved for another time, a time of peace and joy having been victorious in the fight we would have in just two days. What we ate now didn't matter as long as it gave us the strength and stamina we needed.

Having finished with our dinner pleasantly, we retired for the night in our respective tents.

Morning came much too quickly for my liking and despite not wanting to let Izumi out of my arms, I had to do so and get ready for the travel to Yokobu Shore. Much against Kiyori's wishes, I told her that she would remain in the camp here, protected by two of the Elite Division, while Izumi and I went to Yokobu Shore along with the others.

Izumi had gone to a different tent along with two attendants to ready herself in royal robes – of course, not before complaining about how uncomfortable she would be wearing that many layers of clothing. I too got ready in attire that showed off my power, authority and ferocity to its maximum. I carried a katana by my side – an heirloom passed down from Emperor to Emperor with its hilt made of gold and the royal dragon emblem embossed on it with great importance to the finest details – and wore the traditional gold crown with most of my hair tied up in a high ponytail.

While I waited for Izumi, I discussed the plan once again with Haji, particularly that of how we would take a weapon on board the boat – no one would even be able to guess where we were hiding it. Preparations to confront those in the provinces as well as on Yokobu Shore too had been taken care of and I was sure that everything would go just as I wanted it to without any flaws.

"Your Highness? Empress Izumi is ready." One of the attendants interrupted our conversation, having stepped to us from behind.

I narrowed my eyes upon noticing Haji's eyes go wide and a dark blush dust his cheeks as he looked behind me. He averted his eyes immediately though, fully aware that he shouldn't be ogling at the Empress, especially when in my presence. Narrowing my eyes at him dangerously for a moment, I turned to look at Izumi. I tensed, feeling a violent jolt run though my body, and my eyes went wide at the sight in front of me.

Izumi looked absolutely breathtaking and I felt an overwhelming rush through my veins. When she smiled at me though, I lost the last bit of rationality I had left in me. Ignoring our spectators, I walked up to her swiftly, pulled her to myself and crushed my lips against hers with my eyes shut tightly. She didn't expect my gesture and tensed in my arms for a moment before relaxing and returning the kiss. These few moments of passion wasn't enough for me and I wished to sweep her off her feet and just shower her with all the love and desire I had for her. However, I composed myself and pulled away from her lips, knowing well that this wasn't the time or place to be thinking of making her mine, only to notice her watching me with a raised brow.

"I'll take it that I look good?" She teased but I closed my eyes and let my head fall on her shoulder as I breathed heavily, still trying to calm down from the rush of emotions.

"You tempt me, Love. You look stunning....like a true Empress and I am at a loss for words to describe how much you have entranced me." I said and held her in a tight embrace.

"Alright, that's enough with the flattery, Ryuusei." She said with a laugh and pushed on my chest to make me let her go. She then smirked, getting an excited spark in her eyes. "We've got more important things to do at the moment so I'll let you flatter me as much as you want later. Now, are you ready for the mission?"

"Of course. Let's put Taheji in his rightful place." I returned her smirk and held my hand up for her to take.

She placed her hand in mine and we looked ahead, heads held high, ready for battle. With Izumi by my side and the Elite Division and Crimson Rose ready to pull out the trouble from the roots, I was looking forward to justice being served.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Awwie....isn't it great that Ryuusei accepted Izumi for who she is? He trusts her so much that he doesn't mind that she is from a time six hundred years from now. He loves her so much, doesn't he? :3

Doesn't Izumi dear look stunning in that picture? She's all dolled up like a real Empress and even Ryuusei couldn't keep his hands off her! And it's a total blow for Kiyori XD As for the Blood Emperor's attire, I'll put up a picture of that in the next chapter ;)

Alright! It's finally time to kick Taheji's butt! All preparations have been made and everything is going to play out flawlessly....or maybe not? >:D What do our protagonists have in waiting for them on Yokobu Shore?

Stay tuned for another exciting chapter! ;)

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P.S. Left y'all just before the action could start, didn't I? Oh, how I love cliffhangers! XD