I went back to my room to gather some money. I had a few bags lying around. I decided to take 2 bags with me. I'm going to buy something pretty.

Time pa.s.sed and it was almost sunset. Aino was accompanying me for the day. I stood up and ran outside.

"Yukina, where are you going?" I held Aino's shoulders.

"Don't worry Aino; I'm going to the festival."

"But, you're not allowed to leave." I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. I'm leaving whether he allows me or not. Now, don't say anything to anyone. I'll be back in a few hours." I jumped up and stood on top of the palace walls.

"Yukina, get down from there. You'll fall." I put my hand on my hip. I'm a master at this, I can't possibly fall. I was too confident with myself, as I stepped back, I stepped on a lose roof tile and it slipped under me. I was falling off of the wall. This is so embarra.s.sing. And I was bragging about it too.

I closed my eyes and waited for the pain. I felt as if I was caught. I opened my eyes and saw…

"Sora?"

[The Emperor's View]

The meeting was surprisingly quick. I was on my way back to the palace when I heard Akiko.

"Uhm, your majesty, isn't that Empress Yukina?" I peeked out of the carriage.

"What?" I asked. Did he say Yukina?

"Over there, standing on top of the palace walls." He pointed to someone standing by the wall. It's really her. Why does she do this? Was she trying to escape the palace by jumping over the wall? How could she even jump that high? I face palmed. I got out of the carriage. I was about to call her when she slipped. This is bad.

Luckily, I caught her. She had her eyes closed when she was falling. She slowly opened them.

"Sora?" She asked.

"What do you think you're doing?" I put her down and she looked around.

"You wouldn't allow me to go, so I decided to sneak out."

"What if you got hurt again?" She ignored me. I turned around.

"Fine, I'll let you go but with one condition." I looked back at her and she was sneaking away. Mattaku!

"Hey, are you listening?" She stopped sneaking and looked back at me.

"You are allowed to go but I'm going to accompany you." She raised her eyebrow.

"Fine, but let's hurry. It's going to start soon." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into town. One of the guards followed me. She went around from stall to stall, looking for something to buy. Everywhere we went, people would look at me. They would bow their heads constantly.

We were at one of the stalls that sell jewelry. Yukina was looking at one of the hairpins. It was a tsubaki flower hairpin.

"Ah, what a beautiful choice your majesty. I could give it to you for free if you really like it." The townspeople respect me so much that they are willing to give us anything without paying for it. I thought Yukina was going to accept it but she shook her head.

"I would not be able to sleep at night if I accept this without paying. I will take it but please accept this payment." Yukina handed her a few gold pieces. The lady was smiling from ear-to-ear. Yukina thanked the lady and we went to another stall.

"You didn't have to pay for it. She would happily give it to you for free." I told her but she just smiled at me.

"These people work very hard each year to bring beautiful items to this festival. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't pay for it." She continued to buy pieces of jewelry.

"What are you going to do with all that jewelry? I can buy you jewelries that are even more beautiful than the ones they sell here." She just giggled at me.

"I'm giving the other girls in the Harem some gifts. I don't wear jewelry that often so you don't need to buy me more." She's very different. She's kind and very humble. She doesn't use her status as an Empress. Who are you, Yukina?

She dragged me to the river where the lanterns will be released. She looked at some of the lanterns before turning to me.

"Will these float?" She asked.

"Yes, the people put them on the water and watch them float away." Yukina raised her eyebrow.

"They float on the water? They don't fly?" I got confused.

"I've never seen a lantern fly in the sky." She looked at the table of lanterns. She asked the one guarding the lanterns if she could take a look.

"Oh, that's why it doesn't fly. May I change them a little bit?" She asked one of the people who sold the lanterns. They looked at me and I nodded so they allowed Yukina. She did something to the lanterns for a few minutes. After that, she thanked the people who sold the lanterns for allowing her to change the lanterns. Everybody was confused as to what she did but I'm also interested to see.

"Sora let's get on a boat." She asked. I nodded but before we could, I paid for two lanterns. We rode the boat until we were a bit far from the sh.o.r.e.

"Don't light it just yet. We have to write something on them." She pulled out a brush and some ink. While writing I noticed that she was smiling. I wonder what she wrote. I wrote 'Yukina and Yukio' as they both symbolize my life.

"What did you write on yours?" She asked. She tried to sneak a peek but I didn't let her. She pouted. I looked back and they started to light their lanterns.

"They're lighting the lanterns." I lit both of our lanterns. I was about to set my lantern down the river when she stopped me.

"Let them float." She said and she let hers go. It floated up to the sky. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She held my hand and guided them to push the lantern upwards. I looked back and everyone was doing the same thing. The lanterns were floating up high and everyone was surprised. I looked at Yukina and she looked so happy. All of a sudden, she started to sing.

"All those days watching from the windows. All those years outside looking in. All that time never even knowing. Just how blind I've been." Her voice was back to normal and it was beautiful.

"Now I'm here blinking in the starlight. Now I'm here suddenly I see. Standing here it's all so clear. I'm where I'm meant to be." Yukina, whenever I look at you, my mind goes blank.

"And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright. And the world has somehow s.h.i.+fted." She looked at me and held my hand.

"All at once, everything is different. Now that I see you." I inched closer to her until I could feel her breath on my face. I held her face and pulled her close. Her lips felt warm on mine. Yukina…

After our kiss, she pulled back and looked me in the eyes. She didn't say anything. She held my face and she smiled.

I paddled us back to the sh.o.r.e. When we arrived, the townspeople thanked Yukina for changing the lanterns. The merchants who sold the lanterns asked her to teach them how she did it. She showed them how and after that, we walked around.

"Should we go back? I know you're tired. After the meeting with the daimyos, you went with me here." She said.

"If you want to go back, we can go back." I answered. As we were walking, she pa.s.sed by a stall that sells necklaces. There must've been something that caught her eye because she stopped and took a look. I didn't see what she bought, she just paid the merchant and left.

"What did you buy?" I asked. She just smiled at me.

"You have to close your eyes first." I raised my eyebrow but did what I was told. I closed my eyes and I felt her arms around my neck.

"You can open your eyes now." When I opened them, I saw she was smiling. She was wearing a necklace with a yang pendant. I looked down and saw that I was wearing a necklace with a yin pendant.

"Why am I wearing the yin pendant? The yin symbolizes femininity. The yang symbolizes masculinity." She looked at her necklace and laughed. She took them off and switched them.

"How about that?" She asked.

"Much better. Why did you buy these?"

"It's a thank-you present, for accompanying me today." She smiled at me. She held my hand.

"Let's go. You have to rest." She said while smiling. Her smile… it makes all the tiredness from my body disappear.

We went back to the palace. When we arrived, we were greeted by my concubines. Yukina happily gave the other ladies the gifts she bought. They all thanked her. Yukina seemed to have befriended all the ladies. Except for… That girl. She doesn't look happy. I have to watch out for her. The other ladies thanked Yukina and said their goodnights to us. After they left, Yukina and I went back to my room.

"Will I stay here tonight?" She asked. I nodded. Suddenly, both our stomachs growled. We looked at each other. She burst out laughing.

"I forgot we haven't had dinner yet. I'll go cook something for us, okay?"

"I'm coming with you." I stood up and followed her to the kitchen. When we arrived, I requested all the servants to leave.

"What would you like to eat?" She asked. I thought about it.

"I want the one you cooked for me yesterday."

"Oh you like the Katsudon? How about I make you Oyakodon?" Katsudon? Oyakodon? I've never heard of such names before. I simply nodded and she went ahead and gathered the ingredients. I watched her as she sliced the meat and the vegetables. She prepared the stove and started to cook.

"When did you learn how to cook?" She looked at me over her shoulder.

"It's something I decided would be useful if I were to marry." She wanted to learn how to cook so she could cook for her husband in the future. How n.o.ble of a woman.

"I'm almost finished. I'm sorry that you had to wait." She's been nothing but kind to me today. Maybe she's in a good mood because she got to go to the festival. She placed the cooked dish on top of the rice. She even cleaned up after herself. She handed me one bowl and she grabbed the other.

"Let's go eat it in your room." I nodded and we left the kitchen. When we got back, we placed our bowls on the table.

"Itadakimasu." We both said at the same time. She smiled. I took a bite off the food and it tastes amazing.

"This is just as delicious as the one yesterday."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it." After we ate, I called one of the servants to take the dishes back to the kitchen.

"Do you want to take a bath?" I asked her, she nodded. She went over to the bath and undressed behind the paper divider. I heard her step in the bath. I decided to join her. I undressed and stepped in the bath.

"Ahh, what are you doing?" She screamed. She went to the other side of the bath.

"I'm bathing. Come here." I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me. I had her sit in front of me; her back facing me. I wrapped my arms around her and felt her warmth.

"How is the investigation about my father? Did you find out anything?" Her question shocked me.

"Chojiro must have just arrived at the Northern Border. I've given him responsibility. He will report to me if he finds anything suspicious." She kept quiet.

"That's good then." T'was her only reply. I hugged her tighter.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. I just like your warmth." We stayed silent for a while. I decided to break the silence.

"Let's go, you might catch a cold." She agreed and I stood up first. She quickly turned around.

"What?" I asked.

"Put on your robe. Hurry." She said. I smiled. She's still shy after all these years. I put on my robe and I grabbed hers and helped her wear it. I grabbed a towel and helped her dry her hair.

"Let me do it. You should rest. I know you're tired." I nodded and went to bed. She paced the room while drying her hair. I was in bed but my eyes were on here. She must've noticed that I was staring at her. She came to the bed.

"What are you looking at?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing. Come here." She put away the towel and lay beside me. I wrapped my arms around her and she snuggled closer to me.

When I was younger, before I met Yukina, if I had the chance to be in bed with another woman, l.u.s.t usually takes over. But when I met Yukina, it didn't matter to me if something happened to us. It mattered to me when we sleep in the same bed together and I have her in my arms.

I looked at her and noticed that she fell asleep. I kissed her forehead and I fell asleep.