Goro took Akihfumi by the hand. "It seems we are intruding," Akihfumi smiled sadly. Goro's eyes lingered on the future Empress, drinking in her beauty for the first time. The two walked outside.

Aiko's soft lips stopped moving, and the Emperor turned around to kiss her on the lips, when someone knocked on the door, interrupting them.

TThe Emperor almost growled. Aiko slowly stood up, dragging herself out of her momentary daze, her memories of the past few hours slowly melting into oblivion. The only reminders were the reds blotches on her skin from the Emperor's lips.

Aiko readjusted her robe and quickly styled her hair, jabbing a few pins in it, acting like nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, the wind had stolen the rumors of a new Empress brewing in the palace and had spread them over the empire. The words had seeped into a villager's heart, who was returning from the capital. He passed to see the rich merchant, Uncle of three beautiful women. He secretly carried a letter from the Emperor, wanting to meet the family Aiko never spoke about. The villager was received, and the news was carried to him: one of his adopted daughters was going to become the Empress.

Back at the palace, Aiko had forced the Emperor to pretend he was looking at the flowers in the garden. The two had argued briefly, the Emperor yelling that she couldn't control him. The fight had ended with her glaring at him. The Emperor had sighed, slightly exasperated, before doing what he was told.

Aiko then calmly walked to the door. Right as her hand reached for the handle, the memory of what had just happened made her shiver. She had had an intimate moment with the Emperor.

Aiko shook her head and hid her emotions under her heart. "I'll worry about that when I'm alone." She whispered under her breath. After having calmed the waves of her heart, and having painted a smile on her face, she yanked the door open. She smiled coyly as she saw Akihfumi. She urged herself not to hit the concubine on the head. As Akihfumi slipped in, without an invitation, Aiko saw a huge man towering behind her.

He was tall and muscular, almost bulging out of his shirt. His hair was pulled in a small top knot and one of his eyes was black. A scar was on his lips ran over his lips. His presence was dark, staining the air around him. He had an armour on.

"Um...Your Majesty?" Aiko stuttered. The Emperor had been talking with Akihfumi, something glinting in his eyes. He looked up when his title was called. He saw Aiko slowly stepping backwards, as the huge man walked inside without waiting for an invitation. Aiko looked at the Emperor, trying to convey that she felt uncomfortable.

The Emperor smiled, his warm hands slithered away from Akihifumi's waist, to her dismay, and Aiko's pleasure. "Goro!" He yelled, advancing towards the man, who laughed and ran towards him as well. They collided midway in a crashing hug that almost sounded like thunder.

Aiko relaxed as she remembered the still-unknown Goro. And here he was, hugging the Emperor. Akihfumi slithered, like a sly snake next to Aiko. They both stayed still as statues, fanning themselves aggressively.

After having finished talking and catching up, the Emperor and Goro turned around. Aiko smiled politely. Goro grinned as well. His teeth glimmered. "That lady on the left is Aiko. The future Empress in a week." The Emperor explained. Akihfumi stiffened, clearly still irked. Aiko smiled sweetly at her.

Goro laughed. "I impatiently wanted to meet your unlucky bride, dear friend. I mean, you were dumb enough to place me at the head of your army; I was curious to see if you had made another stupid mistake in picking a bride." The two men broke out in boisterous laughter. "I mean, do you remember that prostitute in the pleasure quarters? You wouldn't want to get married to that!" The Emperor nodded, tears of laughter in his eyes.

"Didn't she chase you for a good 10 minutes after you insulted her?" The Emperor asked, his chest panting from the heavy laughter.

"Make it 20 minutes." Goro said.

"What did you even call her? I can't remember."

"Marinated pig! How could you forget? Is your memory already going to hell, old man?" The two men started reminiscing about old memories, laughing loudly.

"He talks to the Emperor like that?" Aiko thought angrily. "And I get hit if I even think about it."

They turned back to face the two women after some time, still chuckling.

Goro looked at her, expecting a reply to his earlier remark. Aiko grabbed the edge of her long sleeve from the inside, covering her mouth as she laughed delicately. "I won't describe myself as unlucky, rather, the luckiest."

Goro stepped closer. "You must know, you're one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Look at those red flecks in your eyes...Hisato sure did score a good one." Aiko smiled nervously. As she looked down, trying to avoid his dark eyes, Aiko heard the sound of doors closing. She thought it was somewhere else in the palace but as her eyes looked around the room, she realized her soon-to-be-husband had slipped out of the room with Akihfumi. Leaving her alone with Goro. She shivered in fear and anger, the boiling mixture acid in her stomach. Goro scared her. His aura was soaked with black terror.

Aiko glanced back at him; he had gotten closer. Aiko started glancing around her, trying to find a way to escape. Goro's eyes glinted menacingly. His lips were dry and cracked. His eyes swirled with darkness. He stepped even closer. Aiko bumped her legs on the bed and tumbled on it. The covers welcomed her. Goro jumped on her, not hesitating for even a second, the desire to consume her evident in his gaze. Aiko yelled and screamed but Goro pressed his sly lips on hers, his hands roaming on her body. His cold hand yanked her kimono up, gripping her thigh.

Aiko's eyes widened in fear. She went limp for a second in his arms. He chuckled, his hand reaching for her sashThe thought of her first kiss taken by this bastard made her furious. She kicked him in the lower parts, smiling as he rolled away from her, groaning.

Aiko tried running. Her hair whipped backwards then forwards as Goro grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. He tried slamming her against the wall, but she slipped from his grasp, tumbling to her knees.

Aiko crawled to her dresser, grabbing a random fan that was on it and stuck it up his nose. Goro cursed loudly and stumbled towards the door. His eyes glittered. Blood gushed down his nose. "We're not over yet. I'll make you mine, darling. And don't you worry, I always get what I want."

And with that, he left, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Aiko was left alone in her chambers. Her hair was disheveled. Her clothes were wrinkled. She was trembling, her pale skin marred red by his hands. "I have to go to see him." She thought, not even trying to deny, she would only feel safe in the Emperor's arms.

Aiko stumbled out into the corridors and ran around the corner, tears forming in her eyes. She felt dirty. She needed to hide in the Emperor's arms, inhaling his jasmine scent to forget Goro's hands on her body. Aiko was about to enter the Emperor's chambers when the guards blocked her.

Aiko felt her heart stop. She couldn't breathe for a second. She calmed down quickly enough was about to start protesting when the doors burst open. Akihfumi appeared. Her kimono slipping off her shoulders. "Don't worry. You can let her in. I'm done with him." And with that, she slinked away.

Aiko furiously turned around and was about to stomp away, when she heard a ripping sound and a draft hit her legs. Aiko turned around. Her calves were exposed to the guards, who blushed and looked away. The hem of her skirts had gotten caught in a loose floorboard. The sad remains of her beautiful kimono lay draped on the floor, looking like a rag.

Aiko ran to her chambers. Humiliated and in tears.

•

•

•

As night descended, Aiko laid sprawled on her bed. She had refused dinner. She hadn't even changed her kimono. Her left leg was still exposed to the cold air. She had just stared at the ceiling, her eyes wide, almost unblinking.

Bile burnt her mouth as she thought of the subtle battle, she had lost with Akihfumi and the humiliation and terror she had felt with Goro. Her eyelids wouldn't close. She couldn't fall into Sleep's arms, her mind whirring too fast for that. After a while, Aiko stood up; the covers were now disheveled. In the dark shadows she saw her hand. The feel of the Emperor's hand still lingered on her waist.

She took the other half of her kimono leg and ripped it off, using her anger as fuel. She threw it somewhere on the floor. It made her feel better. Aiko grabbed a sharp hairpin from her drawer and ripped the long sleeves of her shoulders. The sound of the fabric ripping in pain made her hands stop trembling, her anger slightly quenched. Aiko placed the hairpin back in her drawer. Her hands were no longer trembling.

Aiko stepped into the garden. The wind blew strong. It drew out one single tear. She then turned to face the wall. Aiko started running and then jumped, grabbing the top of the wall. With a little more difficulty than the Emperor she lifted herself up and dropped to the other side. Aiko hissed in pain when her feet hit the ground, a jolt of pain running up her knees.

The garden was quiet. The screen doors were open, showing just darkness. The Emperor appeared from the shadows.

TAlthough the Emperor wasn't surprised to see her, he was surprised by how she looked. Her hair was wild and black, blowing in the wind. Her kimono ripped was. Her eyes glinting in the darkness. The red flecks looked like rubies.

The Emperor felt his heart tighten and shame drown him when he realized he had replaced her, even for just a moment, with another woman.

His rose. His wonderful rose.

"I have something to tell you." She whispered, her words almost getting lost in the dark night.The Emperor stayed quiet, feeling unsure.

Aiko took a deep breath, pushing out the words."Goro tried to kiss me."