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Chapter 2

When Shūei didn’t show his face around the palace the next day, I knew that something was gravely wrong. While he could be quite egotistical at times, Shūei was well-aware of the fact that his duties were important to the function of the Imperial Court. He would not abandon them at a moment’s notice for no good reason; it may have run opposite to the attitudes he hid behind, but Shūei was nothing if not responsible. Why else would the emperor have chosen him?

I may not like to admit it, but there reaches a certain point when one can’t lie to themselves anymore. The fact of the matter was that I have an unusually horrible sense of direction. However, somehow, when the situation was dire enough, I always somehow managed to find my way, no matter how incredible it seemed. Considering how long it usually took me to find my way to places I visited every single day, it was almost alarming how quickly I found my way to Shūei’s quarters.

I called out several times, but received no answer. “Shūei?” I called out, a bit louder. “Shūei, are you alright? It’s not like you to not show up for duty.”

Still, there was no reply. Frustrated, I gave the door a sharp kick, intending to give up soon after. When the door swung inward and into the room, something possibly related to alarm settled in the pit of my stomach. Shūei was a military officer responsible for the personal safety of the Emperor of Saiunkoku: he did not go around leaving his doors unlocked. His training had made him way too paranoid for such a folly.

And perhaps his paranoia is rubbing off on me, I supposed, trying to figure out why I had the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had on the day Lady Shurei was kidnapped. I positively refused to believe that it could be terror; I don’t get terrified because of stupid generals who can’t show up for duty for one day, because that would be insane. And though I might be many things, I usually never counted “insane” among the numbers.

I stepped into his quarters tentatively, figuring this was a scenario in which it was best to error on the side of caution. Rarely had I ever been to this location and only once before had I been invited in for social purposes, so I had to figure things out as I went. Carefully, I figured out my way to the bedroom that I had left him in last night.

When I found myself standing at the foot of his bed, I had to look away and then take another look to verify that I really was seeing what was truly there. Ran Shūei looked like a completely different man.

He still wore the same changfu from the night before. However, the garment was completely rumpled, and the usually casually yet seductively loose lapels now gaped. His usual belt was now absent, as were the usual ornamentation. His hair was loose and splayed around his face. His skin was flushed. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dampened his clothes enough that they clung desperately to the muscular planes of his chest.

I reached forward almost automatically, resting my wrist against his forehead. He was burning up! He turned and made a noise in his sleep.

Ah, hell. When Ran Shūei got sick, he couldn’t just get a simple cold: he just had to go all out.

I swore under my breath. He was definitely running a high fever, and I didn’t think it would be safe to leave him to suffer through this illness alone.

Onyx eyes fluttered open slowly. “Kōyū?” he asked softly, his voice almost weak.

My gaze jerked to his. “Shūei. Might I suggest that the next time you take ill, you should take care to not let it get this bad?” I asked tartly, not wanting to show him just how worried this made me.

“Sick? I can’t be sick… I never get sick…” His statement was punctuated by a coughing fit, as though his body was intent on proving to both him and me that he was wrong.

“I assure you, you are most definitely ill.” I gave him a tight smile that probably only held a hint of genuine warmth. “Is there anyone who can watch over you until you get better?”

He shook his head, his eyes falling closed again. “No…”

“Let me go to the emperor. He’ll dispatch the royal physicians.” I turned on my heel, ready to leave.

His hand reached out weakly and grabbed my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. I turned to look at him again. “No...” he rasped out. He swallowed before opening his mouth again. “Stay?” he asked me.

I kind of wanted to smile. Shūei may be ill –and quite so, if his symptoms were any indication– but the fact of the matter was that he wanted me to stay with him and care for him. It showed he trusted me greatly, but more importantly, what I saw was that he trusted me as much as I trusted him.

Every now and then, I wondered if he’d somehow managed to get it into his head that I was his over-sized housecat that didn’t live with him. He watched after me and cared for me, but it was common for him to sort of treat me like some sort of pet. Yet, he found me trustworthy enough and responsible enough to care for him when he was ill, something that only seemed to occur every once in a great while. It was almost the highest form of compliment, coming from a man like him.

I tore myself away from my thoughts only to find that Shūei had fallen asleep. Yet I recalled his desperate plea that I not leave him, and I could barely bring myself to leave his bedside.

Frantically, I searched and managed to come up with a few blank sheet of parchment. Reishin would not appreciate a sick note from me, especially since the man that had adopted me knew that I certainly wasn’t ill. But he would understand my need to take care of a dear friend, in the manner he would care from Minister Ko on such an occasion. In addition, I also needed to inform Shūei’s subordinates that he was too ill to work and I needed to inform the emperor that both of his advisers would be absent. My notes were brief and curt, and I stepped out of Shūei’s rooms only long enough to find someone who would risk going near Minister Hong to deliver that particular note. I had a feeling that Reishin wouldn’t take the news graciously –there was much work to be done in the department and my absence would be a detriment– but he would understand.

When I ducked back into his quarters, I wandered back to Shūei’s bedside. His skin still bore the flush I’d seen earlier, but the sweat was beading more abundantly on his skin. Glancing around, I found a basin and a clean cloth. I had to go to the well for water, but the cool water would hopefully ease his fever. I poured it carefully into the basin and brought it over to his bedside. I brought a chair over as well so I could sit beside him. Wringing out the cloth, I laid it across his forehead gently and watched the furrows of discomfort ease some.

The dampness of his garments concerned me. I would never be able to even out his body temperature if he was soaked in sweat! Besides laying there in the clothes he wore yesterday was probably the least comfortable thing aside from his illness –or it would be for me.

I bit my lip and worried. I mean, we were friends: what’s a little nudity between same-gender friends, especially one who was taking care of the other? Except I knew something he didn’t: I’d been stupid enough to fall in love with the man who was basically my best friend.

Taking his clothes off was probably a bad idea. However, I couldn’t just leave him in discomfort; I just couldn’t. So I took a deep breath and peeled back his blankets until they rested on his hips. Slowly, careful to not disturb him, I parted the lapels even further and carefully pulled his arms back through the sleeves. Gently, I returned his arms to his side and eased the garment out from beneath him so that he might rest more comfortably.

I retrieved the cloth I’d placed on his forehead, dipping it back in the basin and wringing it out before I wiped down his chest briskly, trying to ignore the muscular planes of his chest. Distracting myself with his chest when I was to be caring for him was a very bad idea indeed.

When I had dampened the flesh lightly, I took a moment to study the contours and muscular planes of his chest. I was unable to keep myself from it, so I decided to limit my exposure to his strong physique and my temptation. After around a minute, I pulled the covers back up over his chest and tucked him in carefully. Then I allowed myself a few moments to relax and stretch out from where I was seated.

I’ll only close my eyes for a moment, I promised myself as my heavy eyelids drooped. I’ll wake up if he needs me…

To Be Continued...

Description
Chapter 2

When Shūei didn’t show his face around the palace the next day, I knew that something was gravely wrong. While he could be quite egotistical at times, Shūei was well-aware of the fact that his duties were important to the function of the Imperial Court. He would not abandon them at a moment’s notice for no good reason; it may have run opposite to the attitudes he hid behind, but Shūei was nothing if not responsible. Why else would the emperor have chosen him?

I may not like to admit it, but there reaches a certain point when one can’t lie to themselves anymore. The fact of the matter was that I have an unusually horrible sense of direction. However, somehow, when the situation was dire enough, I always somehow managed to find my way, no matter how incredible it seemed. Considering how long it usually took me to find my way to places I visited every single day, it was almost alarming how quickly I found my way to Shūei’s quarters.

I called out several times, but received no answer. “Shūei?” I called out, a bit louder. “Shūei, are you alright? It’s not like you to not show up for duty.”

Still, there was no reply. Frustrated, I gave the door a sharp kick, intending to give up soon after. When the door swung inward and into the room, something possibly related to alarm settled in the pit of my stomach. Shūei was a military officer responsible for the personal safety of the Emperor of Saiunkoku: he did not go around leaving his doors unlocked. His training had made him way too paranoid for such a folly.

And perhaps his paranoia is rubbing off on me, I supposed, trying to figure out why I had the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had on the day Lady Shurei was kidnapped. I positively refused to believe that it could be terror; I don’t get terrified because of stupid generals who can’t show up for duty for one day, because that would be insane. And though I might be many things, I usually never counted “insane” among the numbers.

I stepped into his quarters tentatively, figuring this was a scenario in which it was best to error on the side of caution. Rarely had I ever been to this location and only once before had I been invited in for social purposes, so I had to figure things out as I went. Carefully, I figured out my way to the bedroom that I had left him in last night.

When I found myself standing at the foot of his bed, I had to look away and then take another look to verify that I really was seeing what was truly there. Ran Shūei looked like a completely different man.

He still wore the same changfu from the night before. However, the garment was completely rumpled, and the usually casually yet seductively loose lapels now gaped. His usual belt was now absent, as were the usual ornamentation. His hair was loose and splayed around his face. His skin was flushed. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dampened his clothes enough that they clung desperately to the muscular planes of his chest.

I reached forward almost automatically, resting my wrist against his forehead. He was burning up! He turned and made a noise in his sleep.

Ah, hell. When Ran Shūei got sick, he couldn’t just get a simple cold: he just had to go all out.

I swore under my breath. He was definitely running a high fever, and I didn’t think it would be safe to leave him to suffer through this illness alone.

Onyx eyes fluttered open slowly. “Kōyū?” he asked softly, his voice almost weak.

My gaze jerked to his. “Shūei. Might I suggest that the next time you take ill, you should take care to not let it get this bad?” I asked tartly, not wanting to show him just how worried this made me.

“Sick? I can’t be sick… I never get sick…” His statement was punctuated by a coughing fit, as though his body was intent on proving to both him and me that he was wrong.

“I assure you, you are most definitely ill.” I gave him a tight smile that probably only held a hint of genuine warmth. “Is there anyone who can watch over you until you get better?”

He shook his head, his eyes falling closed again. “No…”

“Let me go to the emperor. He’ll dispatch the royal physicians.” I turned on my heel, ready to leave.

His hand reached out weakly and grabbed my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. I turned to look at him again. “No...” he rasped out. He swallowed before opening his mouth again. “Stay?” he asked me.

I kind of wanted to smile. Shūei may be ill –and quite so, if his symptoms were any indication– but the fact of the matter was that he wanted me to stay with him and care for him. It showed he trusted me greatly, but more importantly, what I saw was that he trusted me as much as I trusted him.

Every now and then, I wondered if he’d somehow managed to get it into his head that I was his over-sized housecat that didn’t live with him. He watched after me and cared for me, but it was common for him to sort of treat me like some sort of pet. Yet, he found me trustworthy enough and responsible enough to care for him when he was ill, something that only seemed to occur every once in a great while. It was almost the highest form of compliment, coming from a man like him.

I tore myself away from my thoughts only to find that Shūei had fallen asleep. Yet I recalled his desperate plea that I not leave him, and I could barely bring myself to leave his bedside.

Frantically, I searched and managed to come up with a few blank sheet of parchment. Reishin would not appreciate a sick note from me, especially since the man that had adopted me knew that I certainly wasn’t ill. But he would understand my need to take care of a dear friend, in the manner he would care from Minister Ko on such an occasion. In addition, I also needed to inform Shūei’s subordinates that he was too ill to work and I needed to inform the emperor that both of his advisers would be absent. My notes were brief and curt, and I stepped out of Shūei’s rooms only long enough to find someone who would risk going near Minister Hong to deliver that particular note. I had a feeling that Reishin wouldn’t take the news graciously –there was much work to be done in the department and my absence would be a detriment– but he would understand.

When I ducked back into his quarters, I wandered back to Shūei’s bedside. His skin still bore the flush I’d seen earlier, but the sweat was beading more abundantly on his skin. Glancing around, I found a basin and a clean cloth. I had to go to the well for water, but the cool water would hopefully ease his fever. I poured it carefully into the basin and brought it over to his bedside. I brought a chair over as well so I could sit beside him. Wringing out the cloth, I laid it across his forehead gently and watched the furrows of discomfort ease some.

The dampness of his garments concerned me. I would never be able to even out his body temperature if he was soaked in sweat! Besides laying there in the clothes he wore yesterday was probably the least comfortable thing aside from his illness –or it would be for me.

I bit my lip and worried. I mean, we were friends: what’s a little nudity between same-gender friends, especially one who was taking care of the other? Except I knew something he didn’t: I’d been stupid enough to fall in love with the man who was basically my best friend.

Taking his clothes off was probably a bad idea. However, I couldn’t just leave him in discomfort; I just couldn’t. So I took a deep breath and peeled back his blankets until they rested on his hips. Slowly, careful to not disturb him, I parted the lapels even further and carefully pulled his arms back through the sleeves. Gently, I returned his arms to his side and eased the garment out from beneath him so that he might rest more comfortably.

I retrieved the cloth I’d placed on his forehead, dipping it back in the basin and wringing it out before I wiped down his chest briskly, trying to ignore the muscular planes of his chest. Distracting myself with his chest when I was to be caring for him was a very bad idea indeed.

When I had dampened the flesh lightly, I took a moment to study the contours and muscular planes of his chest. I was unable to keep myself from it, so I decided to limit my exposure to his strong physique and my temptation. After around a minute, I pulled the covers back up over his chest and tucked him in carefully. Then I allowed myself a few moments to relax and stretch out from where I was seated.

I’ll only close my eyes for a moment, I promised myself as my heavy eyelids drooped. I’ll wake up if he needs me…

To Be Continued...