♦⊱ Chapter 17 - Abducted ⊰♦

This chapter is dedicated to TechTwin2! Happy reading!

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Ruka pov:

I hummed to myself as I walked down the hallways towards Kichiro sama's study. The attendants I passed by bowed to me respectfully and I gave them bows of acknowledgement in response.

It had been just a little over six months being here in the palace with Kichiro sama. It was surprising how comfortable I had become around Kichiro sama, so much so that I actually enjoyed his silent company. Smiling and laughing when around him came naturally now. Holding hands, sitting in his lap and sleeping next to him hadn't stopped – it still flustered me but I had convinced myself to just think of it as normal...so to say.

I also played my guitar often and learnt that Kichiro sama enjoyed it. He liked it when I sang and often insisted on that too. We had become closer to each other in an odd way and I had grown curious about the relationship between us. Sure, I considered us as good friends now – that's the only thing I could think of to describe us considering the comfort level between us – but it seemed to become more and more interesting with every day that passed. I felt drawn to Kichiro sama somehow, after all.

He was often silent and reserved but had a warm aura that made me content. His silent company didn't allow any sense of loneliness though I did feel lonely when he was busy with the work that came as a part of running his empire. While he was busy, I spent time with Kyo chan.

Kichiro sama trusted me now. As such, I was allowed to wander to almost any part of the palace whenever I wanted to and I had even visited the marketplace a few times with only a few soldiers as escorts. I cooked occasionally and Kichiro sama ate without any complaints on the rather simple foods. I was glad and even a little smug that my cooking skills were good enough for even an emperor to eat.

The talk with Kijima san had pushed me to being livelier around Kichiro sama and give him at least a slight sense of belonging. I was certain that Kichiro sama had felt the positivity from my behavior and so, his gentle gestures had increased. He was kinder to me, softer and tender, and managed to make me blush every time he did something that was the slightest sweet.

On that note, I was really touched when I had seen the very first painting that I had made hanging on the wall in his study. It was something he had insisted on keeping but I never imagined that he would cherish it. It had inspired me to make more random drawings and give it to him as gifts which he accepted without hesitance. They weren't great but Kichiro sama accepting it nonetheless made me happy.

All said and done, I wanted to go on a date with Kichiro sama now. On one of my excursions to the village, I had come across a beautiful meadow, a place I found to be magical! I'm sure it would be even more magical with fireflies flying about in the evening and I really wanted to go there with Kichiro sama. I was being silly, wanting to go on a date with Kichiro sama but I couldn't help but wish to...how things had changed in mere months.

Shaking my head with a laugh, I knocked on the doors of Kichiro sama's study that I had just reached. I was given permission to enter so I stepped it, my lips curling up into a smile. I walked to his study and shamelessly interrupted his work by saying, "Kichiro sama?"

He looked up from the parchments he was going through. I held in a soft laugh – despite being around him for so long, smiling and laughing and being light-hearted, he had not smiled even once. I suppose it was difficult for him to change after being alone and so serious all these years. The one thing that made me fell less troubled though was that the expression in his eyes was no longer cold when he looked at me.

"Kichiro sama, would you accompany me to the village today? There's something I want you to see," I said, unable to hold in the expression of excitement.

"I'm busy," he answered flatly and looked back at the paper in front of him.

I pouted childishly and sat down in one of the chairs opposite to him. As if sensing my penetrating gaze, he met my eyes. I tensed at the electrifying shock that went through my body at that, startling me and making my heart race. I couldn't look away from his eyes that seemed so deep and glowing today. They were beautiful and absorbing.

My cheeks slowly warmed up and I felt momentarily lightheaded. I averted my gaze while fidgeting and managed an awkward laugh. I then met his gaze again and said, "Please, Kichiro sama? I really want you to see the place I visited recently...I want to go there with you. We can have dinner outside and then see the place...please?"

"Be ready in two hours," he said after a moment, looking back at his parchments. Thanking him, I skipped out of his study cheerily.

I was a little away from our room when I came to a stop in the hallway. I pondered on what had happened in Kichiro sama's study – the unexpected jolt I had felt when our eyes had met. I wasn't afraid of him so the reaction was definitely not because of fear...so, what was it then?

I exhaled deeply whilst closing my eyes. I was still experiencing the after effects of that moment. I felt mildly lightheaded, my heart still beating faster.

I opened my eyes with a shake of my head. I was worrying unnecessarily – I was probably a bit too excited about our outing and it had made me woozy. Yeah, that's all it was, that's all I could be. I nodded to myself, huffed, and headed to our room to wash up and get ready for our outing.

Kichiro pov:

I exhaled deeply while wrapping up the last role of parchment on my desk. I had been doing so much planning on how to deal with the organization of rebels that had been stirring trouble off late – they were skilled and always seemed to slip out from under my army's nose. I had to find a weakness, an opening through which I could take them out from the root before they got any more troublesome.

The continuous work from this morning had made me frustrated and exhausted.

The thought of spending time with Ruka though, as per her request to visit the village, eased my frustration. However, it also roused the intense tightness in my chest. This had been happening very often off late and I was beginning to think that she was doing something to me. Perhaps she was slowly trying to kill me and I had to kill her to ensure that she didn't succeed.

However, the mere thought of never seeing her again made the tightness worse, even sending electrifying jolts through my body. I couldn't understand what was going on with my body anymore.

Concerned though, I had asked Kijima if he had any idea on what could be going on with me or what Ruka was doing. Much to my surprise, he had smiled in amused and told me that I had no reason to worry about what I was feeling. In fact, he said I would understand what I was feeling over time. I was relieved that I wasn't unwell but I couldn't get rid of the uneasiness entirely.

As I walked to my room, I ordered one of the attendants to get my horse ready along with inform Kijima and four soldiers to accompany us. When I stepped into my room, I spotted Ruka dressed in a short kimono and leggings – the kind she wore when we went horse-riding – and had her musical instrument strapped onto her back. Her face lit up with a smile when she saw me. She sprinted to me and took a hold of my hand in hers. It sent a jolt through my body yet again making me clench my jaw tightly. I said nothing though as she tugged me to follow her out of the room.

"C'mon! Let's go!" she said, excited.

She let go of my hand when we were in the courtyard to caress my horse, laughing with one of the brightest smiles I had seen her give. She tried to climb onto the saddle on her own but slipped and was left hanging oddly from his neck.

"Kichiro sama, help!" she squealed, her voice childish.

I stepped to her and held her waist to help her up. I got on behind her and took a hold of the reins, holding them tighter than necessary because of the warmth of her back against my chest. It wasn't long before we reached the village. I got off first and helped Ruka get off the horse as I always did. However, she was rather unbalanced and fell forward against me as she fell off the saddle. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I stumbled back to prevent from collapsing under the sudden weight.

I momentarily found it hard to breathe. The proximity, the warmth of her body against mine, the way she was latched onto me, and the sweet scent that lingered in her hair had startled me. I felt like I didn't want to let go, like I wanted to bask in this immense warmth, always feel this...completeness. I was almost enraged when she let go of me and put a little distance between us. She was still holding my arms and I hers though.

"Ouch," she mumbled, glancing down at her foot.

"Are you hurt?" I asked. She shook her head and met my gaze with a smile.

"I think I'm alright."

When we were no longer holding each other's arms, I felt...empty. It eased when she took a hold of my hand to pull me behind her. She led us to a jewelry shop first, letting go of my hand to look through what was on display. I stood watching her from a little away, the owner of the shop showing her what he had for sale while giving me occasional, nervous glances. Civilians who passed by gave me deep bows before hurrying on their way.

Following several minutes of debating, she picked two pieces of jewelry – a simple chain with a pendant and a bracelet with a replica of the pendant strapped in the middle of it – which she held out for me to see. "May I have these, please?" she asked.

I motioned for one of my soldiers to pay for it and she wore the necklace and pocketed the bracelet. She had me follow her yet again out of the market and through the streets of the village. She pointed at some things on display in the shops we passed by, excited when there wasn't anything to really be excited about. She told me few facts she had heard about particular things on display while I listened merely to her voice than concentrated on the content. I was so used to silence but Ruka's constant talking didn't bother me. In fact, it was comforting, dissipating any hint of frustration I had because of the matters of the empire.

She suddenly fell silent when we heard the loud wailing of a child. Ruka stopped walking and so did I, and I watched her search for the child that was crying. Upon spotting him, she hurried to the child and kneeled in front of him, holding his shoulders while looking at his face. I narrowed my eyes, curious and intrigued by the way she caressed the child's head before wiping off the tears that had rolled down his cheeks.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Why are you crying?" she cooed softly.

"O-Okaa-san...I-I can't find Okaa-san!" he cried, more tears falling from his eyes.

I clenched my jaw at the very word Okaa-san. It sent unbearable rage through me. I loathed the woman who was my mother, even though she was long gone from this world. I hated her for being the reason for my suffering, for making me take the blame for something I wasn't responsible for, for having my brothers who did nothing but abuse me...I hated her for everything that she had done to me with or without knowing.

I snapped out of my thought when Ruka lifted the child into her arms. "Don't worry, sweetie, Onee-chan will help you look for your Okaa-san, alright?"

The child calmed but I was angry. I had no intention to deal with something unnecessary. I walked to Ruka and glared at the child in her arms. He, in turn, whimpered and wrapped his arms around Ruka's neck to hide his face away from me.

"Leave him be, Ruka," I hissed and the child whimpered more.

"But, Kichiro sama, we can't just abandon a helpless child," said Ruka, looking up at me sadly.

"I do not have time to waste on such nonsense," I spat, still eyeing the child in dismay. However, Ruka smiled and placed a hand on my upper arm. It calmed almost instantly and I met her gaze.

Her smile widened when she spoke, "This is not nonsense, Kichiro sama. These are small gestures that will make people happy and I'm sure you will be appreciated for helping this child find his mother. The people you govern will look up to you with not just more respect but with affection as well."

How could something so foolish gain appreciation or affection from narrow-minded people? If gaining appreciation and affection was so easy, the world would not be a battlefield drenched in blood all the time.

Nonetheless, I remained silent and let Ruka do what she wished to. I followed her through the streets while she searched for the child's mother, calling out her name every now and then. Someone finally pointed into an alley and we followed the directions to a small courtyard where a woman was searched for something frantically. She was crying too and seemed to be panicking.

"Okaa-san!" the child in Ruka's arms hollered and squirmed to be let down. Just as Ruka did let him down, he ran to the woman who embraced him with an expression of joy and relief.

"Oh, my dear Kojiro! Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried when I couldn't find you!" the woman fussed before looking at Ruka. "Thank you so much for finding my son, my dear! I was so worried that I had lost him and would never see him again! I don't know what would have become of me if you had not found him and brought him to me!"

I suppose Ruka wasn't entirely wrong in saying that her gesture would be appreciated. But, as expected, the woman's eyes widened in fear when she saw me standing behind Ruka. She got down on her knees and bowed deeply, even making the child bow to me.

"Y-Your Majesty!" she stuttered, trembling in her fear.

"It was thanks to his generosity that we were able to help you, ma'am," Ruka said, smiling at the woman.

The woman, clearly surprised, looked at Ruka before meeting my narrow gaze. Instead of looking terrified, she was first shocked then smiled wide in much happiness, surprising me. She bowed several times before she spoke, "Thank you so much, Your Majesty! Thank you for being so kind to your humble subject! May the great heavens bless you with health and prosperity, Your Majesty!"

I clenched my fists tightly. For the first time in all the years I had lived and reigned as the emperor of Japan, I had been appreciated by someone. A person had wished for my well-being. A person had thanked.

"See, I told you," mumbled Ruka when the woman left after a few more bows. She then held onto my arm and gave me a flushed smile. "Let's go eat, now! I'm famished!"

Ruka pov:

I ate my food along with Kichiro sama at the fancy restaurant in the village, a small, nostalgic smile playing on my lips. It was funny that the boy I had helped early was also called Kojiro. I was mildly homesick, feeling mildly depressed after a long time. My eyes prickled and it was difficult to swallow the delicious food.

I inhaled deeply though and smiled, pushing away the depressing thoughts and just hoping that Kojiro, my parents, and Sparks were all doing well.

After satiating our stomachs, I led Kichiro sama to the meadow I wanted him to see. It was just as beautiful as I thought it would be in the evenings, numerous fireflies lighting up here and there every few seconds. I took a few steps forward reaching out to try and touch the fireflies. I then grinned, turning to look at Kichiro sama who was also looking around calmly.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I said, gaining his attention. He looked back at the meadow soon though and I used the chance to observe him.

In the moonlight and magical surrounding, he truly looked handsome. He was relaxed but there still seemed to be a hint of loneliness in his eyes. It appeared that he was in a different world altogether, isolated from those around him. My eyes stung at how forlorn he looked – I had to blink rapidly to prevent the tears that had welled in my eyes from falling. I felt like adoring him more, giving him all that he had missed out on that normal people would have got so effortlessly.

I walked back to him after a deep inhale. I took a hold of his left hand and held it up while reaching for the bracelet in my pocket. I met his gaze with a smile after tying the bracelet around his right wrist. I rubbed soothing circles on the back of his palm.

"This is a small gift from me, a lucky charm I want you to have...even though you're the one who paid for it," I said sheepishly.

"You bought this...for me?" he asked, his voice soft and laced with curiosity.

"Yes, along with a matching chain for me," I answered, touching the pendant of the simple ornament I wore around my neck.

A blush rose to my cheeks when he caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. I averted my eyes shyly but gasped in surprise when I was suddenly grabbed by the wrist. I looked up at Kichiro sama then followed his sharp gaze to the trees that surrounded the meadow. It was mere seconds later that four people emerged from the trees.

They wore simple clothes but had red sashed tied around their foreheads, as if symbolizing that they were members of a particular gang. Half their faces were covered, making it impossible to identify them. They had katanas at their waists which they unsheathed before lunging at us.

I was shoved behind Kichiro sama seconds before he blocked the enemy's blade with his katana. The assailant's attack was brutal and the look in his eyes expressed his intent to kill. He was very skilled, blocking Kichiro sama's attacks easily and landing powerful, consecutive onslaughts of his own. Kichiro sama's skills were no joke, obviously – he was much stronger than the assailant. The assailant knew that well, it seems, and attacked continuously so as to not give Kichiro sama a chance to strike him down.

Clutching Kichiro sama's clothes tightly, I briefly glanced at the soldiers and Kijima san. Three of the soldiers had been knocked out by one of the attackers who stood near them while another was fighting Kijima san and the remaining soldier.

Wait a second...there were four men who had emerged from the trees. I could see only three; where was the fourth?

Just as I thought that, an arm was wrapped around my middle. I shrieked when I was snatched away from Kichiro sama. I reached out to him with my hand outstretched, screaming for him to help me. He turned to look at the man who had snatched me with a glare but had to return to his fight, blocking a lethal strike from the man he was fighting.

The assailant who was standing near the unconscious soldiers whistled and retreated with the others. I screamed and struggled, reaching for Kichiro sama again desperately. He ran towards me, his eyes glowing in rage but we soon disappeared into the trees. My guitar was snatched from me and thrown to one of the other assailants while I was shifted so that I was held close to the man carrying me with a grip around my waist.

"Let me go, you freak!" I yelled, trying to hit him hard enough to make him let me go. I froze, however, when he brought a sharp knife close to my throat.

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you, girl," he said. "We're taking you back to our hideout because you seem to be important to that b******. We'll let Nii-sama decide what to do with you."

I shuddered after the knife was moved away from my neck. I had just been caught by Kichiro sama's enemy...what was going to happen to me now?

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Of course, it was the calm before the storm. Didn't you know?

And I've left you at a cliffhanger! MWaahahahahahahahaha!!! XD XD XD

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