by Max Jager
With a small laugh, Chiren stepped closer to her and used a hand to make her look up at him. Her dark blue eyes now shinny and bright without any tears. "How about we teach them a lesson then?"
"Teach them a lesson?" Blinking as she stood there, Kiara didn't move. "What do you mean?"
Stepping closer to her, Chiren took a deep breath. "First of all I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you hear and now." He then dropped his head as he seared her mouth with a demanding and all consuming kiss as he pulled her flush to him around her waist. A moment later he ripped his mouth from hers as they both started to breath heavy. "I am not leaving the South without you."
Gasping as her eyes went wide and a few tears misted in her eyes, Kiara gripped his chest with all she had. "Really? You mean that?"
"I fell in love with you hard three years ago. The bond you pulled me into being a demon that bonds, I couldn't get you out of my head. I still love you, with all I have. You will be Lady of the North. Won't you?"
Acting the polar opposite of how she normally is, Kiara couldn't help it. She smiled as she threw her arms around his neck. "I couldn't think of anything that I want more right now Chiren."
With his arms around her, Chiren relished her being in his arms. And knew that soon she would never be out of them. But for right now, they had a plan to hash out of their own. Easing her out of his arms, he stepped away from her as he smiled. "I know exactly what we can do. You just need to trust me alright? And go along with anything that I say or do tomorrow."
"I can do that." But then Kiara sighed as she looked back at the palace. "I would gather that their plan is to try and make us jealous."
Knowing that was most likely it too, Chiren knew what to do. And he knew the female that was already mated that would go along with it, just because. "That's what I thought. Which is why I have the perfect plan in mind. My sister wants to sit in the garden with Seiji and myself tomorrow. I will pick this spot right here. Just go along with me and trust me alright?"
Nodding, Kiara let her nervous eyes glance down before she smiled and looked at him. "I can do that."
Seeing the fear that this wasn't real in her eyes, Chiren sighed. She still wasn't sure if this was truly to teach them a lesson or if he was going to be truthful about wanting her to go with him. "Until tomorrow then." But then he pulled a startled gasp as he snagged her around her waist and jerked her against him as he bore down on her mouth with a passion that he didn't even know he had. After a moment he ripped his mouth from hers and stepped back. "Go on."
Shaking like crazy, Kiara turned and rushed for her room. Her entire being was shook. Right to the core. But as she closed the door behind her she smiled as she looked down. She could still feel the tingling sensation on her lips where he kissed her for the last time. And now, for the first time in three years, she actually had an inner peace that she hadn't felt. And part of her couldn't wait to see the faces of her mother and Nyoko when they realize that their plan didn't work.
Branching Out Chapter 137
Giggling, Nyoko wobbled through the halls toward Kiara's room. Today was the day that they set their plan in motion. She just had to keep her brother and Kiara apart until after the evening meal was done. That was when everything would fall into motion.
But as she stopped at Kiara's door, she blinked. She was annoyed and pacing around her room. But there was something different in it. Opening the door she blinked as Kiara circled and bit her nails. "Why are you pacing like that Kiara? What's wrong?"
Kiara really didn't have to act like she was getting annoyed right now. She was. Part of her wanted to laugh and smile and cry and tell her best friend what happened the night before with her brother. But she had to wat a day or two at least to see what happened with her and her mother. Or what Chiren was going to do. "I wanted to do some morning training, but of course when I locate my brother, he is with Seiji and Chiren in the garden."
Smiling as she sat on the bed, knowing that Kiara would do nothing but ignore him, she laughed. "Okay so what is wrong with that one? Just go get Katana and make him train with you like always. Just ignore my brother like you do everyone who talks about him. Including me."
Turning to Nyoko with a growl, Kiara crossed her arms. She hated it when she would do that but that was done and gone now. "Really Nyoko? That is what you got to say?"
"Well like you say, it isn't like you are bonded to him or anything right Kiara?" Standing, Nyoko giggled again as she pulled an annoyed growl from her best friend. "Just come on. I will with you and while you drag Katana away, I will talk to my brother so you don't have too alright."
Rolling her eyes as she growled, Kiara let Nyoko take her hand and lead her toward the door. "Fine." But just before they got to the door, Kiara gasped as her eyes went wide. If everything went the way he said it would last night, she was going to be leaving to go to the North in just a matter of a couple of weeks with Chiren at best. So then that meant that Katana was going to have to do what she does for the defense of the South. 'That would be the perfect thing to do to walk up to them. Everyone knows I love it when I can make that lazy dog do something.'
"Kiara!"
Blinking as she turned to Nyoko, Kiara sighed as she smiled and fully relaxed. "I am sorry Nyoko. I just forgot that I need to go and oversee the new recruits again today."
Rolling her own eyes as she sighed, Nyoko crossed her arms as she half smiled. "Only you would get that happy about something like that Kiara."
"Indeed. But first I need to go and speak to my father." But when she saw Nyoko's glare, Kiara laughed. "I will meet you in the gardens. Katana and I had a slight argument late last night and I am still not happy with how it ended up to a point. So I need to speak to my father more about that before I go oversee them."
Blinking as Kiara just walked past her, Nyoko sighed. "Alright." But she just stood there for a moment. 'What in the world was all that about? She was acting really weird but there is no way she found out about what the plan is right?'
X
Stopping at the door to her parent's room, Kiara closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Katana wasn't going to have a choice in this, he was going with her today. And she knew exactly how to do it so that her mother wouldn't know that she and Chiren figured it out. Opening her eyes again she knocked on the door.
"Come in Sugar."
As she opened the door, Kiara fixed her mother with the same annoyed glare she has had since she was a pup. "Mother I do wish you would stop calling me that all the time."
"Not a chance. What brings you here so early?" Yokiyo giggled as she sat on the bed as Kiara gave her another annoyed growl.
Taking a deep breath as she turned to her father. "When I came to you yesterday about the argument that Katana and I had, there were a couple of things that I did not tell you about what happened."
Giving her an odd look, Kiyoshi just stood there. Kiara always detailed everything when it came to her siblings. Especially Katana when he would make her mad. "Really? What were they?"
Without moving at all, Kiara met his eyes. "It was about how he acted. In a way he reminded me of you and Grandfather when you are upset about something. He proved last night that he can clearly be more mature than he acts, and does so to get out of responsibility until he ultimately has to I would assume. He had a sound argument, and even pulled rank out on me. So I want to take him with me to oversee the new recruits with me. But he won't do it without you telling him."
It was actually good for him to hear that Katana can get off his behind and do something without being ordered if it calls for it. Turning to the small table, he ripped a piece of paper and wrote on it to do what his sister told him to do no questions. Handing it to Kiara he let a small smile grace his face. "Give him this."
"Thank you Father." Turning to her mother who was clearly not in the room mentally, Kiara waved her hand in front of her face. "Mother." When she didn't answer, Kiara snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Mother!"
/> Blinking as she turned to see Kiara in her face, Yokiyo let her head fall to the side. "What?" She was just a little preoccupied imagining the faces of both her and Chiren when they were introduced to someone.
With a sigh, Kiara stood up. "I am going to the Western Fields today to oversee recruits and I am making Katana go with me. Send Santrix if she goes into labor."
Nodding as she smiled, Yokiyo sighed. "Of course. I will send her right to you first."
"Thank you mother." Kiara then bowed to her father as she left and headed right to where now everyone was in the garden but Santrix. They were all in the same place that they were when Chiren kissed her last night. Though, right now, her true joy was going to see the look on her brother's face when he saw the not from their father and what he has to do. It brought her nearly as much joy as finding out that Chiren did want to mate with her.
X
Barely even listening as Seiji talked with Katana and Chiren behind her, Nyoko methodically rubbed her stomach as she stared down at the ground. She couldn't get how odd Kiara was acting out of her head at all. 'But there is no way that she knows what is going on. It has to be just because Chiren is here. He isn't acting any differently so I don't think they have seen each other yet. That has to be. There is no way that she knows what the plan is.'
Nodding in agreement with the conversation, Seiji looked down at Nyoko. She was concerned about something, but she wasn't stressing over it at the moment so he wasn't going to say anything. But he figured it had to do with the little plan that they have hatched. First sign of stress and he sings like a bird. He wasn't risking her and their first child over his sister and her brother at all.
But then Seiji blinked as he looked up toward the palace. "Well that's odd. Kiara is on her way here. With Chiren standing here, I figured she would be half way to the East by now."
Blinking as he looked at him odd, Chiren saw this as the perfect time to teach them the lesson, and see if he is right. His sister's reaction would tell it. "What do you mean with me here?"
Laughing, Nyoko looked up at him. "She just avoids anything that has to do with you. Won't tell anyone why, just walks away."
As she reached the group and everyone stopped talking, Kiara wore a smug smile as she ignored everyone there and went straight to Katana. "Brother come with me. You are going to learn all about how the defense of this palace actually works. You are the heir to the South and it is high time you start to learn these things. Or would you be content with the fall of the South because you don't know how things work in your own palace?"
Looking at his sister like she had ten heads, Katana blinked. He knew that this was her way of trying to get back at him for pulling rank on her last night, but it wasn't going to happen. His father already told him that when the time came, he would be the one to show him everything, because that was when he was planning to step down. "Right, yeah about that Kiara. Nope."
Holding out the piece of paper, Kiara actually giggled as her smile got even bigger. Once he took it she crossed her arms. "I do think that this is going to make you change your mind on that answer little brother."
Opening the paper and reading it, Katana growled as he dropped his head. Not only was she going to force him to do this as payback, she had his father backing it! "How the hell could you do this to me?"
Her smile never leaving, Kiara turned her back to him. "I am your big sister. It is my job to make your life hard as Imae does me. Come."
Seeing this as his chance, Chiren took a step and cleared his throat. "Kiara could I have a word for a moment?" The way that everyone tensed told him he was right. But what? Was it because of how she said she reacted to his name, or a plan? Their reaction to what he said next would tell them that.
Not hiding her glare, Kiara crossed her arms as she took a deep breath. "One."
"That is all that I need." Smiling as he met her eyes, Chiren sighed. "There is a leopard in the North that I have been courting. She has a half-brother that is a full wolf demon, just a couple years older than you. He has recently expressed interest in meeting and mating one of Lord Kiyoshi's daughter's possibly. I thought of you?"
"I have made my stance on mating clear since we were children Chiren." A small growl in her voice she narrowed her eyes at him. "That hasn't changed so you should clearly know the answer to that without really asking."
"Yes I know. Has your mother left you alone about a grandchild though? I know that mine hasn't. He is not a Demon Lord, but his family has been loyal to my father and grandfather for a very long time. He would be exactly what would make your parents happy if you at least agreed to meet him. And I would be able to keep his sister happy by helping her brother at least meet you."
Growling as she closed her eyes and turned her back to everyone, Kiara was stiff. Though it was not because of the suitor. This must have been what he was talking about when he said he had a plan. And she promised to go along with it. "Damnit. Santrix and I just got a lecture about this the other day." Turning back around she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. "Fine. At least if I am seeing someone it may get my mother off of my back about having a pup. Just wait and have him come three days after Nyoko gives birth. For now I have things that I must attend too. Come Katana."
Giving a small bow, Chiren smiled. "Thank you My Lady."
Her eyes about popping out of her head, Nyoko could only gawk up at her brother with pure shock in her face. She really thought that what she and Yokiyo planned out was a done deal! No one told them that he was courting anyone! Her mother would have said that! And she knew who he was talking about with the wolf half-brother! Kaiya and Takuma! Pushing herself to stand up, Nyoko glared up at him with a growl. "If you are courting someone then why didn't you tell me last night Chiren? I would have liked to have known about it."
Seeing the mix of emotions in her eyes and the rage that she was never told, Chiren knew it for sure. They had something planned. And he wasn't going to let them do it. With a small laugh as he looked down at her, Chiren crossed his arms. "It doesn't make a difference now does it? For one you wouldn't let Seiji and I get two words in last night. And Kaiya and I didn't want to tell everyone until we were serious about it. She and Takuma have matured a lot. I think that he will be a good match for her and I can see myself mated with Kaiya not long from now." He then laughed again at her shocked face, as well as Seiji's. Stepping closer to his sister he kissed her forehead. "if you would excuse me sister, I do have some things that I wish to discuss with Kiyoshi, and a message to send to mother."
Once he was turned away from them, his smile got even bigger. Clearly by not meddling, they worked things out. And probably would have last night if Katana wouldn't have stopped her from going to the room. Images of Kiara and her smile flashed through his head making him close his eyes. 'You did wonderful Kiara. Just wonderful.'
X
Watching her brother until he was gone, Nyoko then kept her shocked look as she turned and waddled toward the palace. This was a nightmare! They didn't know anything and they were going to have to call everything off!
Seeing her walking away, Seiji then growled as he went to her and touched her back and took a hand. "Settle down or I blow the lid off. You are getting too worked up and it isn't happening with the baby."
"I know I just can't help it. We thought we had it perfect. Will you help me to our room and then go get your mother for me?" Nyoko then smiled as Seiji nodded and lifted her and jumped for their balcony. She was upset, but there was nothing she could do about it, so she did need to settle down so Seiji wouldn't blow it all if this was just a joke.
X
Sitting in his study with Chiren across from him, Kiyoshi had his hands folded on the table before him and his emotionless mask in place. "So you are formally asking for my permission to take Kiara as your m ate?"
His eyes never leaving Kiyoshi's, Chiren gave a nod. "That is right My Lord."
Nodding as he looked down then back into the leopard's eyes, Kiyos
hi sighed. "However you do not wish to have me share this news with your sister or my mate why?" He figured it was because they caught onto the plan. What he wanted to know for sure is that he is not doing this just because of that, or if he really wants to mate with her.
Shaking his head side to side. "I do not want them to know until after the fact. Sort of a divine intervention for them." When all he got was an arched eyebrow, Chiren smiled as he took a deep breath. "This morning I mentioned sending a male from the North for Kiara and that I was courting a female from the North but we didn't want to tell everyone if it did not get serious. I told Kiara this beforehand so she knew. The look on their face was proof enough. I don't know what, but I know that they are planning something for she and I."