A/N: This work is a piece that includes plot and characters from the talented and wonderful @arashi-chan336 @arashi-goddess , she is incredibly talented and I am forever greatful to her for mentoring me trough my artistic endeavors both writing and writing, I miss you ❤️
This does not follow arashi’s nor does it suggest this is how arashi’s story will go, this is simply a take, I wrote a while back to practice encouraged by the goat herself, please take some time to check out her stories and art works, they are simply fantastic , true talent right there
This was my very first work that I completed a few years ago, I do hope you guys enjoy it as there is not too much content on these two royal blueheads
Dividers by @firefly-graphics
Hakuren and Hakuyuu were walking on one of the palace’s hallways talking about what happened during the 9 months they were away from each other when suddenly a soldier came running and stopped in front of them bowing his head.
“Sires!”
“State your business soldier” Hakuyuu demanded.
“Please follow me princes.”
“I will inform you on the details on the way”
“On the way to what?” Hakuren said following him with his brother next to him.
“I-Its Nemurihime, she woke up.”
“What?! I want talk to her! “ Hakuren responded getting excited but calmed down after a stern look sent by his brother, this left the youngest pouting but lost it when the soldier continued talking.
“Shes not alone.”
“What do you mean”Hakuyuu asked narrowing his eyes.
“When the monks went to check on her she was awake with a girl next to her and she...”
“She what?” Hakuyuu pressured wanting to have all information on this stranger invading the palace. Wondering how could someone enter the room without any of the guards noticing.
“She seems to have the characteristics of an assimilated household, but there is no sign that she is one,” the soldier answered, still trying to take in everything that was happening.
“Wow, I thought nothing could top a possible-century old girl but seems I was proven wrong.” Hakuren commented getting more and more exited to get to the room but not letting his guard down, after all no one knew what the intentions of the stranger were nor of what she was capable of.
“And how is it that a stranger managed to go all the way to a room heavily guarded by guards?” Hakuyuu inquired voicing out his previous thoughts.
“W-We don’t know, your highness she simply appeared out of no where
And now she is attacking every soldier that gets near Nemurihime”
“How can one simple girl hold back the whole guard?” Hakuren questioned
“About tha-
“Surround her!”
“Don’t let her gain ground!”
Their conversation was interrupted by a series of screams that came from the isolated room surrounded by a multitude of guards.
“Make way for the Princes!”
Weapons in hand the siblings approached the source of the screaming. There,surrounded by soldiers, was a panther bearing it’s teeth to anyone who dared tried to get near it or the person behind her.
“How did this animal get here?!” Hakuren exclaimed
“Its the girl, your highness”
“I don’t know who educated you but that ain’t no girl!” The youngest Haku exclaimed freaked out.
“The girl transformed into it sir.”
“A shapeshifter?” The first imperial Prince mumbled.
“Things are getting more and more interesting” he mused
“Give us some space!” The oldest ordered
The soldiers ,although hesitant, vacated the place after the look their commander gave them.
Hakuyuu quickly glanced to where Nemurihime was sleeping minutes before.
Said girl did not looked scared at the growling panther if anything she seemed lost and confused.
Meanwhile Hakuren started cautiously approaching the feline ,still holding his Naginata tightly in case the latter attacked. “Hey miss its okay we aren’t here to hurt you we just want to talk to you, could you transform back?”
After thinking it over for some time the creature approached the bed where the other girl was and sat next to her .After that, smoke started to surround her and in place of the haired beast was a girl with striking green eyes staring back at them.
“ Alexa whats going on” said the blackhead still trying to get used to her surroundings
“To be honest, im not quite sure” the pinknette replied looking at her fellow Alma Torran friend.
“ I died...”Esher mumbled knowing her friend would still hear her no matter how quietly she talked.
“You think I don’t know that?”she responded just as quietly.
“... “
“I saw you die
And that's why when I heard they found a girl a century old, apparently, I had to check her out.
I'm glad I did.
I don't know how, but you're back.
I missed you “ The wolf hybrid confessed hugging her friend at the end. After some time they let go of each other and looked in front of them, there standing in front of them were the Haku brothers. Hakuyuu had his brows knitted trying to understand the strange language the two girls were using. Hakuren was just looking back and forth between the two trying to understand what was happening,in a less serious manner.
“So, what are your names?” The youngest prince asked the girls.
“ What?” Esher replied
“Yeah... I don’t think they speak our language” Hakuren stated. He had hopes that maybe they were talking in another language because they wanted to and not because they didn’t know their language.
“What are we suppose to do Yuu?” he questioned.
“Well maybe we could try to find a translator , but without knowing what language we are translating thats gonna be near impossible.” Hakuyuu explained
“You can do that or you could simply ask me to translate for you” All heads rapidly turned to the ,now grinning, pinkenette.
“You Can speak our language?!” Hakuren exclaimed gapping at girl.
“Why did you not inform us before that you could understand us” Hakuyuu demanded annoyed at the fact that the girl had kept quiet about it all this time.
“You didn’t ask” she simply responded giving a lopsided grin. Hakuyuu sighed annoyingly and continued.
“Well now that you have so kindly informed us of that can we know your names?” Hakuyuu asked trying to keep calm.
“Im Alexa and this here is Esher, I hope we can become good friends” she introduced her smile never faltering, shocking the brothers a bit, no one ever had introduced themselves like that to them heck they barely met anyone who was informal while talking to them.After the shock of her statement wore off ,clearing his throat Hakuyuu started speaking.
“Hey Alexa do any of you know why Esher was in a stone coffin?”
“Now that you mention it Im curious about that too...” the girl pondered aloud before turning towards her friend.
“ Hey Esher do you know why you were sleeping on a coffin?” she questioned
“No,the last thing I remember is...happiness” replied the blackhead mumbling the last part. That answer filled Alexa with sadness and guilt.
“No, she doesn’t know why she was in that coffin” mumbled turning back to the princes who were staring wide eyed at her.
“Y-your eyes they turned blue!!” shrieked the youngest of the two answering Alexa’s unsaid question.
“Ah, yeah that happens sometimes please don’t worry about, it will turn back to green eventually” Alexa brushed off avoiding eye contact with Esher, knowing that would worry her.
“B-But why does that happen!” Hakuren insisted still awed at the girls unique eyes. The oldest although did not show any excitement physically you could see the interest and curiosity in his eyes.
“It’s just something I was born with, some people get super intelligence or incredible strength I got color-changing eyes and a few other things” She answered with a forced smile.
“Thats so cool” the youngest gushed. While the prince was expressing his excitement Alexa glanced at the blackhead giving her a view of her eyes. When Esher saw them, knowing immediately what was wrong , embraced her. After some time they separated and looking straight at her, now blue, eyes she stated
“It was not your fault. Please do not feel sad”. Even after hearing this guilt still lingered in the shifter’s eyes ,so the blackhead continued.
“ Don’t let the past affect you, live on the present”with that last statement from the former Resistance leader Alexa smiled gratefully at her companion ,her eyes changing back to their original vivid green. Hakuren was about to start gushing again but stopped when he noticed his brother staring at the pinkenette with furrowed brows and a small frown on his face. Knowing that that look probably meant he had a question for the girl, the youngest moved on to try to communicate with Esher, even though they the latter was not able to understand.
When the firstborn noticed the pinkhead was looking at him he voiced his thoughts.
“Alexa I’ve been wondering ,but why are you here?” what she replied next surprised both him and his younger brother.
“Why? I was able to feel Esher’s magic, i gave her a small memento before we departed, I felt it power on again, I knew the chances were low but i had to see, im glad I did, I was able to find a friend I thought I had lost” she finished with a toothy grin and unwavering eyes that showed that she meant each and every word she just spoked.
To say he was impressed was an understatement. In all his years of being the first Imperial prince he had never met someone like the girls sitting in front of him. Although he did not know much of Esher seeing as he couldn’t directly communicate with her ,but what he did know is that she was found in a place full of century looking things, she definetly peaked his curiosity.
Alexa did not fall behind in the slightest. Not only was she the first person to speak to her informaly,besides his family and Judar, she had a view on things he has never seen in anyone and she wasn’t afraid to show show her opinion something that Hakuyuuu found shocking. Plus there was her unique abilities and appearance ,it was needless to say that for the first time in a long time he was intrigued.
A girl who only spoke a strange language, wore strange clothings and who’s age could surpass all ancient things they had encountered before. And a girl with animal like appearence and eye-changing colors. Hakuren was curious yet exited for what was to happen in the near future.
Arashi I really miss you girl, I cannot put into words how much you helped me and inspire me both to write and draw, im so sorry if I did something wrong or if I was too much. I love you 💜 ( here’s to hoping that you’re okay, have been worried that something happened all these years)
Helllooo could I ask for love language hcs from each of the Hakusibs? Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely!! Oldest to youngest
Hakuyuu
Hakuyuu’s love language is quiet, and expressions of it are far and few in between. Mostly, you just have to know that he loves you, he’s just very private and rarely alone with you.
Both verbally and physically, he’s usually rather distant. Will not express ANY affection around others. At all.
You really have to be in private to get any affection, and even then it’s subtle. He’ll run his hand down your arm to grab your hand, or briefly brush his thumb along your jaw as he speaks (fondly) to you.
You can still tell though. How he treats you is a far cry to the more severe and pragmatic demeanor he regards others with.
His touches are gentle. Caresses, really.
His confessions also come quietly. A simple “I love you,” or compliments in a soft voice in private will do it for him.
Despite how busy he is, he’ll always make time to see you, and makes sure to take any spontaneous moment he gets to seek you out.
Hakuren
A little more forward than his older brother.
Less prone to reservedness. His love language is showing affection. Absolutely the definition of young love.
A romantic, you can’t convince me otherwise. He was in three panels I Make The Rules.
Cuddling and physical affection will have to wait until you’re totally alone for propriety’s sake, but he does enjoy it. Wants to be wrapped around you, always big spoon.
He’ll openly express verbal affection in public though.
“My love” “Sweetheart” etc
He’s not quite as busy as Hakuyuu, which means he has more time to steal you away to some secluded corner of the palace to get some alone time.
Hakuei
Extremely forthright, not so much into physical affection. Her love language is, ultimately, just showing you.
If physical affection is what you want she’ll accommodate that, but of her own volition it’s mostly surface level- a kiss on the cheek/jaw, hand holding, etc. Absent minded affection. Never seems forced, just what feels natural at any given point in time.
Will definitely cook meals for you, writes lengthy love letters and poems for you.
Never without something positive or romantic to say about you. Turn-your-knees-to-jello type thing. Not cliche romance. She’s classy. Sing you a song? No, she’ll write you one. Hakuei is SMOOTH.
Even if she’s not particularly physically affection, she’s always close to you. Finds a way to squeeze herself as close to you as possible all the time.
Hakuryuu
Quite frankly, Hakubaby’s love language is just doing whatever makes you happy.
Will go to the ends of the earth for you, drop just about anything for you. You could never question his devotion. You’d literally never have a reason to be insecure in your relationship- he only has eyes for you.
Will openly, around almost anyone confess his love to you. Affection is toned down around others, but still happens. He’s totally unconcerned about it.
Wants you to know you’re loved no matter what situation the two of you are in.
One day bleeds into the next, turning to passing years and blurring lifetimes. Even with heavy fogs descending on inherited memories, your hearts had held firm. You and Hakuren had belonged to each other since your soul’s conception.
You began as childhood friends, struggling to survive in destitute families. You had grown up together. You showed each other your birthmarks by the creek, hiding behind trees so your parents wouldn’t catch you revealing so much skin to each other. Improper; even with chubby cheeks and tiny fingers you knew you weren’t supposed to reveal so much skin to a boy- your parents would have your head.
When you got older, you massaged his shoulders and hands, sore from work on the farm, averting your eyes as he boyishly smiled up at you while you worked your thumbs into his palm. You ignored the butterflies in your stomach until you couldn’t hold them back anymore.
After that, more childish sneaking. Your parents would have his head for stealing kisses the way he did. You met at night, and when he was supposed to be working the field, and sometimes the two of you managed to sneak off to the creek you two played at as children, showing a little too much skin again while you splashed in the water and didn’t even try to avert your eyes anymore.
He had wanted to take his time when it came to marrying you- wanted to propose when he had some money to his name and could take care of you and have a family with you. He wanted to have something to bring to your father when he asked for your hand. Neither of you expected the marriage proposal from the merchant’s son.
You had only seen the boy before, but had never spoken to him. But he was well traveled, intelligent, and had wealth to offer your family for your hand- of course your father accepted. Hakuren was devastated, and avoided you for days before insisting on eloping. You wondered how could he even ask such a thing of you. To abandon and shame your family, potentially launch them into ruin by scorning a higher ranking member of society? It was unthinkable and you told him such.
You had your first real argument in your lives that day. You were both devastated; he felt betrayed by your refusal and you were just sad he refused to understand. You were picked up and mere week later without so much as a chance to speak with him again, and within the month you were a merchant’s wife- he wasn’t even invited to the ceremony.
You never saw him again in that life. You both died longing for something you hadn’t truly even known you’d lost, and the cycle started anew.
In your next life you shouldn’t have had the slightest chance to meet Hakuren, but you did. Poor again, you found yourself a little orphan left soaked and dirty on cobblestone streets. This time he was wealthy, the heir to a banking family. You met as teenagers by chance once, twice, then thrice, finding yourselves getting into and out of trouble each time. Stolen bread paid for, bruises from a fight treated with precious, dwindling supplies, and a warm meal brought on a cold night.
The fourth time he came accompanied by a young lady, blonde curls peeking out of a meticulously done updo. He introduced her as his fiancee and she glowed as he said it. Childhood friends, he said. Everyone had just known they would end up together from the time they were little. You stifled a cough as you eyed her. Some part of you felt bitter when you heard their story, but you didn’t know why so you ignored it.
Over the next few weeks they brought you clean clothes and food, and when you broke into a fever they even had you treated by her own brother, a doctor. Unclean drinking water, cold, starvaton, and a number of other maladies had finally taken their toll. You died not long after of an illness that they couldn’t find a way to treat.
Your third life took him far too soon, death robbing him of his breath while he was sleeping in a cradle. You lived your life never having met him.
Your fourth life you met once the two of you had already married, your sons attending class together. While your husband traveled and Hakuren’s wife socialized and attended parties, the two of you met in private, without the knowledge of anyone else.
Your husband divorced you when he found out, calling it scandalous as he sent you away without so much as a word to anyone, including your son and daughters. You went back to your childhood home in the country, where your aging parents still resided. Try as he might, Hakuren was never able to find you.
Yours and Hakuren’s children eventually found you- Hakuren’s youngest daughter married your son. They moved you in with them and you were dismayed to find out Hakuren had passed on years ago: dropsy. You visited his grave and tended to it until the day you died. Your children buried you beside him, hoping that even if you were separated in life, you should at least be close to each other in death.
In the fifth, the first time you saw Hakuren he looked at you funny.
“Have we met before?” Your brow furrowed. You were fleeing a civil war in your country, and your ship had docked in this strange new place only two days ago. How could you have ever seen each other?
“I can’t say we have, I’m sorry. You must be mistaken.” In consolation, you offered him your name and he offered to show you around. You accepted.
You met the next day at midday, after he had snuck away from the other merchants he worked with. He showed you historical sites, shopping districts, markets, and he bought you a much too expensive necklace with a sapphire set in the pendant.
“It’s a welcome gift.” He says, too stubborn to take no for an answer. You’re forced to accept the overly generous gift, even if it’s beautiful and you secretly had really wanted it anyway.
Before you part ways that afternoon, you agree you meet again the next day, and it doesn’t stop there. You go from seeing each other during afternoons to seeing him in the evenings too, and then he’s staying overnight in your home and you wake up together the next morning. At some point in the relationship he shows up for an afternoon meeting with meals, bashfully admitting the two of you had been found out, and another member of the caravan had made the two of you something to eat for when you see each other.
One morning he turns over in bed, looks at you, and grins. You grin back, still a little drowsy, but giddy despite the hour.
“What are you smiling about so early?” You inquire. He rolls over onto you and buries his nose in your neck.
“I remember where I know you from.” His words are muffled by your skin, and you can feel the smile still on his face. You bury a hand in his hair and kiss the crown of his head.
“And where is that?”
“It’s a secret.” He kisses your shoulder, then the base of your neck, and works his way up to your mouth as you wrap your legs around his waist like they were meant to be there.
After a few more months you feel as if you’ve never been closer to anyone- like you’ve never known anyone better. You could spend the rest of your life with Hakuren and be so happy you feel as if the time might pass in an instant. When he tells you his group is leaving he sounds so disappointed, you almost don’t expect him to say that he’ll be coming back for you, but you laugh when he does.
“You sounded as if you we going away forever!” You joke, but Hakuren takes it very seriously.
“It feels like forever! I’d rather die than leave you for a second.” He whines, but as soon as you start laughing again so does he.
The two of you dress together and eat breakfast together before heading out the door, into the warm sunshine and to the docks, where the other members of his merchant group wait for him. You converse with them for a few minutes until they’re due to leave, and when the ship sets sail you wave and watch until it disappears over the horizon. You already miss him.
“One month,” he had told you, “then I’ll be back.”
After two weeks, you got a letter. He arrived safely after ten days, and had sent a bird as soon as he had gotten on land, he wrote. Reim was truly something else, and he wanted to take you there someday. They’d be staying for a few days to pick up new merchandise to sell before coming back- there’d be a surprise for you as well. He couldn’t get you out of his head and he missed you more than anything. You traced the characters on the page as you read it, imagining the excitement he had written it with.
Another two weeks pass, and you don’t receive another letter but you’re not worried. He should be home any day now.
Another week- no word.
Five more days. Would he have sent another if they decided to stay longer?
Two more days pass before a body floats to shore, any flesh left exposed fish eaten and decaying. You don’t see it, but the fishermen who found her report that she was one of the people on the merchant ship Hakuren had been on. You tune out the rest of any rumors or gossip you hear, dodge the pitying looks of acquaintances. The ship likely sank, they said. Maybe from a sea monster, maybe from a storm, or maybe from deceptively calm waters. Either way, if nobody was back by now, they weren’t coming back.
You still held out hope. Hakuren wouldn’t just die on you- he was too stubborn for that, too devoted. He’d come back no matter what the cost.
You bit your fist to muffle your screams and cried when you couldn’t smell him on your sheets anymore.
You reread the letter in the middle of the night when you wake up from dreams of him. Any of number of nights pass doing this routine before you meander out of the house, no longer a home, to the dock where you last saw Hakuren. You look out over the horizon, dark against the night sky, as if the ship might appear and he was just late. There are other ships docked there right now, bobbing gently over the water.
You clutch the letter in your fist, feeling the paper crumple between your fingers, and take a step over the dock, dropping into the inky depths.
Finally, in your sixth lifetime, you remember him. Some cosmic sense of mercy or sadism, you don’t know, but you’re eighteen and a servant for the Kou royal family. You don’t often see the royal family, especially the older princes, who lead foreign conquests as military generals. You hear stories of them; Crown Prince Hakuyuu’s valor and strategic genius, and Prince Hakuren’s bravery in the thick of battle and his ability to rally the men. The pair make a perfect team and an unbeatable duo, and with their father have conquered Gou and Kai under the Kou Empire.
You first see him at a celebratory meal, the Royal Family and members of other noble families gathered together. There are dancers and musicians there for entertainment, and the Emperor and his family sit at a raised pavillion, looking down at the other families and the festivities. You stand behind them, your sole purpose for the evening being refilling their cups when they need it. You keep your eyes low, head down, and stay quiet.
You do well and keep yourself in check the entire night, until at one point when you’re filling Hakuren’s glass your eyes glance up, meeting his. The sudden onslaught of five new- old?- lifetimes startles you enough you drop the pitcher, the porcelain shattering on the floor near where he’s seated.
He only halts in his staring when the sound of the glass hitting the floor resonates, jerking away in surprise before looking down at the shards and puddle of alcohol and then back at you. At this point though, your focus is no longer on him- rather, your wide eyed fear is directed at the rest of his family and the nearby nobles who had heard the commotion over the music. Quick to react, Hakuren brushes the incident off.
“I bumped into her, it’s not her fault.”
Prince Hakuyuu and Princess Hakuei, directly across from him, both send him looks as if they know he’s lying, but don’t say anything. His parents buy it, which is what counts, and young Prince Hakuryuu just seems puzzled at the sudden tension.
“Clean this up and go get another pitcher, quickly.” His father orders. To your credit, you compose yourself rather quickly after you’re addressed, bowing low towards his father.
“Yes, your majesty.” You said, before kneeling and setting to work picking up the shards. Hakuren worries you might cut your hands.
You mop up the spill with a rag another servant brings over before depositing the porcelain in the center of the cloth and rushing out with it. He watches from the corner of his eye as you rush out of the room to get more drink. He’s anxious for the ceremony to be over- he’s certain you remember this time. Why else would you look so shocked? How long have you been right under his nose, in his home? He wonders to pass the time.
The rest of the night goes uneventfully, save for Hakuren getting more tipsy then planned so you’ll come over to fill his cup, close enough that he could reach out and touch you, if he wanted- but he can’t do that here, so he’ll take what he can get: proximity. His unusually exuberant drinking raises some eyebrows among his family members, but again, nobody questions.
When the celebration ends and the Royal Family and officials have excused themselves, the servants stay behind to clean. You spend nearly an hour bringing dishes to the kitchens to wash, cleaning spills, and cleaning the floors. As servants start filtering out, you stay behind longer for a scolding as an older woman reprimands you for dropping the pitcher. She makes sure you understand how generous Prince Hakuren was to take responsibility for something that could have gotten you fired and kicked off of the palace grounds, if not worse. You’re the last to leave for bed, and by the time you do you just want to sleep the day off.
You’re not expecting the hand that wraps around your arm, pulling you into a shadowed hall and holding you against a solid chest. You’re about to scream when another hand covers your mouth.
“Don’t scream, it’s me.” You know immediately it’s Hakuren and you fluster, pulling away to bow in front of him.
“I can’t thank you enough for earlier, you have my eternal gratitude.” He is silent for a moment, but you don’t move until he places his hands on your shoulders and rights you, looking you in the eye.
“I remember you, and I know you remember me this time.” He tells you. Your lips part in surprise and you gaze up at him, his eyes intense and searching your face for any hint of reaction.
“It took longer than expected, but I came back after all.” A crooked smile, and your eyes well up with tears. You wrap your arms around him, burying your face in his chest as he returns your embrace. Your breaths are heavy with the effort it takes to restrain your tears.
“I missed you,” you choked, “I didn’t know what to do with myself with you gone.”
“I’m here now.” He reassures.
The two of you hide in the shadows as you catch up. You tell each other about your current lives, fill in details from what you missed of each other in your last ones. He holds you tighter as you recount the end of your last life, taking a sharp intake of breath and muttering to himself as his eyebrows furrow.
“The surprise I mentioned,” he begins, ”in the letter. I wanted to propose. I had bought a ring while in Reim.”
You want to cry again.
When it’s time to leave each other neither of you want to, but you can’t risk being seen alone together, especially when neither of you had returned to your quarters yet. As you part Hakuren kisses your forehead and then your hand, promising to make time for the two of you to see each other again.
The secret meetings made a smile touch your face, reminding you of sneaking away behind the backs of parents and spouses and coworkers like you once had, lifetimes ago. Despite the reminiscent quality though, you had a hard time believing this relationship wasn’t as doomed as the last ones, needing to hide your feelings lest someone forcibly put an end to your affair with the Kou prince. Even if you remained undiscovered, what was the end goal?
“I’ll never marry, if I can’t marry you,” Hakuren offers as a solution. “I’ve waited long enough to have you and I won’t compromise anymore.”
Did that really settle it, though? You sincerely hoped it would be enough.
The tension in the palace grew thicker by the day, and you joked you worried about Hakuren sprouting grey hairs in an attempt to ease his mind. He and Prince Hakuyuu trusted each other implicitly, and he was acting advisor to his older brother. You had a suspicion that role was becoming more perilous and stressful by the day.
Hakuren became more protective of you, as well, warning you to be even more careful answering any questions pertaining to the Royal Family, particularly he and his older brother and their mother.
“And let me know who asks, if they do. If you happen to hear any gossip, no matter how outrageous, tell me that as well.” His request put you on edge more than anything else. You racked your brain trying to figure out what precisely was going on, but all you could manage to glean was someone was plotting something, but you didn’t know who or what. You could only pray Hakuren would be alright.
He made more time for you recently as well, to the point you felt he didn’t take any time for himself. Even sleeping, he insisted you be there.
“I can’t rest if you’re not with me anymore.” He explained to you. You pursed your lips at his reply.
He was laid with his head in your lap as you rubbed his temples at that very moment. Seeing how bloodshot his eyes were before he shut them made you wish he would just sleep for a few hours. Surely he could be spared that long? Was this threat looming so close he was afraid to even close his eyes?
“I fear for your safety. I have nightmares of these dangers finding you. I wish I knew somewhere away from everything going on I could send you, but I don’t trust anyone anymore outside of my siblings.”
This was the first time you had heard Hakuren so at a loss. He was well known for his intelligence and cleverness and severity in facing any threat. You could tell he could sense your concern, because his eyes opened and he smiled up at you.
“Don’t worry yourself over it. Hakuyuu and I will figure something out. I’ll keep you safe above all else.”
“I’m worried about you, my love. You’re in the thick of it.” You said. He grabbed one of your hands and shut his eyes again at you admission.
“I’ll be fine as long as I can keep you, my family, and the empire safe.”
You leaned down to kiss his forehead but your fears hadn’t abated.
You slept within your quarters less and less now, and people were beginning to notice your particular closeness with Hakuren. It wasn’t unusual for a prince to use a pretty servant to warm his bed, but it was unusual when it was nightly and monogamous. Other servant girls began questioning you directly about your relationship with the prince, their curiosity overtaking any hesitation they may feel. No matter how they pleaded for details though, you only answered in one way.
“I will be there for the prince in whatever way he needs me.”
They never left entirely appeased with that answer, as it didn’t answer any of their questions nor did it raise any more. You told Hakuren of their inquisitiveness in the gardens one day, and he only nodded.
“Why have you become so open about this? What changed?” You asked.
“We were spotted a long time ago, I believe. That’s why I’ve been keeping you close to me more often- I’m afraid someone might try to use you against me and I can’t protect you any other way.” His tone was somber as he explained this and you felt your blood run cold. So you were a target? Someone wanted to hurt Hakuren in that way?
He pulled you closer to him on the bench you two were seated on and held you tight to his side, tilting his face into your hair and breathing you in.
“I’m afraid this might be something that can’t be stopped.”
The night you woke up to the sound of fire cracking you felt as if all of your fears had come crashing down on you at once. Your first thought was of Hakuren, how this could be the culmination of what he had been trying to prevent. Looking around you, you found that he wasn’t even in the room. Your only accompaniment was the smoke steadily building up, filling your lungs and causing you to choke.
You lept from the bed, running desperately to the door and sliding it open in an attempt to escape. You knew Hakuren was still inside, he never would have left the building without you, but you didn’t even know where he could have gone. You held your breath as you moved towards the way out, searching for any sign of your lover as you went. The only thing you managed to stumble upon was Prince Hakuryuu, burned, covered in blood, and pink tear tracks left in the soot covering his face.
“My prince,” you called, “are you alright? Where are your brothers?”
This only seemed to upset him, tears building in his eyes again and leaking down his face. You knew what that meant, but now wasn’t the time to think about it.
“Let’s go, we have to leave now.” You urged, ushering him ahead of you as you left the burning palace.
Your chest tightened thinking of Hakuren in there, even if poor little Prince Hakuryuu had all but told of his demise. Even in death, you couldn’t stomach the thought of not being able to see him, hold him, tell him goodbye and that you loved him for the last time. Your only consolation was knowing that you two have done this six lives over, and eventually you will get to meet, fall in love with, and hope for a happy ending again with the man your very soul sings for for a seventh time.
You interrupted you melancholic internal musings and looked at Prince Hakuryuu standing nearby a tearful Princess Hakuei and strangely mild faced Empress Gyokuen. For now, you needed to keep an eye on what Hakuren had left behind and keep them safe the way he would have
Maybe your happy ending would come next time.
A/N: this has been sitting in my head for months and took way too long. it’s 6:30 am and I am so tired
