The Emperors children

(Nope, nothing. Myaro reuniting with her family should be good though.)

Just like that, the group was off. They rode hard and fast, each one wrapped in their own thoughts, All undoubtedly were focused on the Emperor, and the worry that the situation may have escalated during their tenure off in Zhong. They arrived at the capital in record time, and managed to make it to the gates of the Palace before Goji called them to a halt,. The horses were breathing heavily, a thin sheen of sweat covering their whole skin. There were two guards, clearly startled at the sudden appearance of the group. They raised their yari in a warning gesture. "State your business!" One shouted. "You FOOL!" The other guard croaked, shoving his companion roughly. "P-please forgive our insolence, d-denka! Please go on through!" The other guard's eyes bulged as he too, noticed Sayomi in the back. "THE PRINCE IS BACK!" He shouted. "Ringo, go and tell the others. We must get them to the Emperor immediately!" The other guard, Ringo, nodded, turning around and dashing away for the guard house. Goji climbed out, as did Fujiwara. "Treat these horses to the most luxurious services you can find,"

Goji told the guard, apologetically patting one of the horses. "...they have served us, and the Emperor, honorably."

"It will be done, i'll have someone on it right away!" The group was ushered in a ridiculously short time, the horrors of bureaucracy nonexistent for a short time. Michiko stood waitinf for them at the door leading to the throne room, looking even older than he already was. "You're back...thank the goddess...." he breathed, running a hand through his wispy hair. "Please tell me, did you find the cure? Did you find anything?! he asked them. His gaze shifted towards Mei, although he dismissed her. There were far, far more pressing matters at hand. "Yes, kakka. We did. Thanks to Sayomi-sama, we have succeeded in our quest...." Michiko nodded simply. "Thank goodness. The Emperor is not well, so we cannot crowd you. Sayomi-sama, please come with me, with the cure in hand, if you will..." his gaze shifted towards the others apologetically. "...the rest of you, please wait here. I will dispatch for some servants to tend to your needs and whims. Please do not hesitate to take full advantage of them as you see fit." He turned around and slid open the elegant door, gesturing for Sayomi to follow, and then escorting him through the throne room and to the Emperor's personal room.

"Tenno Heika, Sayomi-sama has come back, with news of apparent success," he called through the thin, paper door. "Do you wish to see him immediately?" it was purely a question of formality. Of course Michiko had no doubt the ailing Emperor would want to see his relative immediately. Michiko had asked it simply to be polite and to give the Emperor time to make himself presentable, although Michiko knew none would fault him for not bothering with such a trivial thing in a crisis like this.

Michiko's lips pursed as Sayomi tried for a joke, but in the tense atmosphere, it fell quite flat. He chose not to remark on his explanation for Mei, too tired to bother.

Marisa opened the door, allowing both Michiko and Eriko to come in. Marisa returned to her place beside Eriko, lowering herself to a sitting position, seiza style. She stared at the charms Sayomi produced with a dubious eye. "...some sort of eastern magick?" she asked, unable to keep herself from scoffing at the notion. As if such a thing could work. However, she cast a sideways glance towards Eriko. Even if it was contrived or unlikely, she was willing to try anything at this point to save his life. If this mysterious item did the trick, so be it. She was not practiced in medicine, but the thought of curing oneself by nearly suffocating in smoke didn't seem like a smart idea. Then again, she surmised that everything she had thought had been turned upsidedown upon arriving here. She had heard tales of miracle cures derived from the horns of Elephants, so she surmised that something as improbable as this was totally probable. "...I do not know exactly what we could burn them with. My best guess would be an incense holder," Marisa spoke remarked. "Yes, you may be right in that regard..." Michiko replied, bringing a small wooden bowl which was used to burn incense. "We musn't wait, time is of the essence...." he placed the wooden bowl on the ground beside Eriko, nodding to Sayomi. "If you would, Sayomi-sama..." he mumbled, indicating for him to follow the instructions given to him by the wise old man. Marisa waited with bated breath, unable to keep herself leaning forward slightly, her eyes focused intensely on Sayomi.

=====

Goji turned around as the group heard a voice call to them. "Pleasure to meet you!" What was clearly a servant stood nearby. He was about middle aged, but still walked with a spry in his step. "I am Haru. I have been instructed to serve you to the utmost of my abilities."

"Alright then," Fujiwara remarked. "Please follow me..." The servant guided the group to a small common room with a table and several cushions. On the table was a plain tray with a tea kettle, several cups, as well as some confectioneries. "Please help yourselves, if there is anything I can get you, do not hesitate to ask..." Fujiwara and Goji sat down. "I suppose all we can do now is wait," she remarked. "Yeah, sadly..." Goji replied, sitting down cross legged and taking one of the small cakes, popping it in his mouth. "Oh, it's surprisingly good."

"Thank you," Haru replied with a bow. "I will pass on your compliment to the chef...." The door opened, admitting Akira. "Ah, so this is where you were..." Haru gasped, hastily bowing deeply before the prince. "Akira-sama, I did not expect you to arrive so suddenly...."

"There is no problem. It would be unwise for me not to come and welcome such important people, not to mention thanking them for their efforts to save the Emperor..." The prince's gaze shifted towards Mei. "I recall four of you leaving, yet five have come back. May I ask where you picked up the newcomer?"

"...its a long story," Fujiwara remarked. Akira sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea. "It is fortunate then, that I have nothing but time. Helping Michiko with administrative work has been very tiring, I think a story would do me much good. Please, regale me with your tale. Perhaps I can immortalize it within a poem, hmmm?"

Myaro sits down after the servant leads them here, only to stand and bow to Akira. It takes her a moment to think of what she can say. A ninja will work as an informant, certainly, but Sayomi has not given her permission to speak of this. So perhaps she should stay silent.

Akira blinked when Mei told him her full name. "...Zong, you say?" he echoed, taking a quiet sip from his tea cup, the ghost of a smile on his face. "My, you managed to pick up Zongese royalty, then? What an interesting predicament..." Goji raised an eyebrow, but said nothing further. "I know none of you are fools- surely you must've considered the consequences of this action. Of course, her lack of duress means this must be an entirely consensual affair, but will her family know that? If they find out, it will not look good on our part...."

"...we were very well aware of that when we made the decision," Fujiwara said levelly. Akira nodded. "Yes, evidently. But, I cannot be mad. I am curious to see how the Zongese will react to the loss of their princess. Not to mention we know have a very valuable pawn in our court. Saving my brother's life is one thing, but bringing us more political leverage? Priceless..."

Goji fell silent at that. Even if Mei was not sovereign royalty or a low ranking noble, she was still royalty, which meant there was absolutely nothing stopping the Seseonese Royalty from using her as leverage to say, broker a one sided deal with the Zongese using her as a bargaining chip. Goji didn't think Eriko was the classic die-hard Emperor archetype who would do such a thing, but Akira, or indeed, any of the Emperor's relatives, certainly might not have the same obligations. Political prisoners were quite common in the age of feudalism- many a daimyo would send their son or daughter to the castletown of a rival warlord to placate them or seal an alliance. They were treated nice, sure, but remove the niceties, and all you had was a hostage situation.

======

Michiko also reeled at the smell and he immediately ducked away, covering his mouth. "F-forgive me, Heika...but I will wait outside while the treatment is ongoing..." he quickly made his exit, which was a wise move- he was old, and breathing in smoke, even the medicinal kind, was probably not a smart idea. Marisa's nose wrinkled as the pungent odor hit her nostrils. She also began coughing, covering her mouth with the long sleeve of her yukata, using it as a makeshift filter. The improvement was somewhat noticeable, but only just. This smell...definitely medicinal. It...reminds me of a tribal ritual... She had heard tales of tribesmen inhaling smoke for the purpose of cleansing bad spirits, or to divine one's position within the tribe, and other similar rituals. Marisa's eyes began to water as the smoke quickly filled the room, but she endured. If the Emperor must go through this hellish trial, so too shall she.

Akira slowly nodded, taking another sip from his cup. "Hm, is that so?" he echoed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose in such an event, we'll just have to see, yes?" he laughed softly to himself. "...of course, such a thing depends entirely on my brother, whom I doubt has the wisdom to take advantage of such a favorable decision. What he decides to do with you will determine whether or not you live your life in the lap of luxury as one of our own (for the most part~!)...or assume a quiet life among the serfs in the fields...." Fujiwara cast a sideways glance towards Mei as she shifted closer to her, but paid it no heed. After Akira's chilling words, she had every right to seek comfort. She was glad Eriko was in charge. Sure, Akira was of the pragmatic kind, but there was such a thing as too pragmatic. "Have I unsettled you? My bad, it's hard not to speak my mind at times. I'm sure nothing will come of it, my brother is kind..." despite his words, there was a subtle tinge to his voice that seemed to communicate 'kind' as more of 'foolish'. "...far, far too kind...." his head tilted as a muffled scream echoed throughout the halls, the tone's distinctly Sayomi's. Goji and Fujiwara startled at the sudden appearance of such a sound. "Oh? Wonder what's got my brother riled up..."

Akira mumbled, half to himself. He didn't seem too concerned, frankly. Yes, it was all nice to care for one's family, but that tended to go out the window when a throne was involved. While the others could only guess, Akira knew for certain that if Sayomi was screaming up a storm, surely it must've meant something had gone horribly wrong with the Emperor, which meant the throne just might open. Any opportunity to put him on the throne was a welcome one. Akira was not the sort to play dirty or engage in subterfuge, but he was certainly an opportunist. "We should go help!" Goji said, standing up. "No." Akira's stern voice cut the air like a whip, stilling Goji. "It appears you have forgotten that you are once more within the house of Seseon. Whatever bonds you may have formed outside of here mean nothing now. This is a matter of royalty, and only royalty, and at the very least, anyone with advanced medical skills, which is a skillset I am certain none of you have...." Goji slowly lowered himself to a sitting position, unable to argue. Akira was right, sadly. "Do not fear," Akira remarked in an attempt to assuage their fears. "My brother is persistent, if nothing else. I am certain he will pull through this..."

=========

Like Sayomi, Marisa also rapidly acclimatized to the smoke, though it was still very, very unpleasant. Despite her coughing, her rusty colored gaze never once left Eriko, monitoring his progress. So she jumped to her feet, her heart plummeting when she noticed Eriko's body still. Son of a...I knew this was a bad idea! Perhaps they had done something wrong. Perhaps Eriko had progressed past the stage where he could be cured. Maybe the ritual simply did not work. There were many variables that might explain this, but none of it mattered. What did mattered was that Eriko was no longer breathing for some reason, and that was a problem. "S-stay calm!" she shouted at Sayomi, trying to get him to stop screaming. IN situations like this, panicking was the least action one wanted to take. A moment later the door was thrown open, admitting Yami, the royal physician. His eyes screwed shut as he began to cough violently upon inhalation of the smoke. "What in the Goddess is this?!" he said in between breaths, his voice almost a screech. "Are you all mad?!" he ran straight for Eriko, shooing Sayomi away and quickly glancing over him. "...I can try my best, but this does not look good. What were you thinking, making an ill man breathe in smoke?!" he asked Sayomi. "...we thought it would help," Marisa said, wheezing slightly. Yami looked incredulous. "Help me move him out of the smoke, we need to get him to fresh air...."

OC: So more research to the rescue! CPR as we know it was invented in 1956, however, the Japanese (and invariably, Europeans as well) had developed their own techniques early beforehand, which makes sense. Specifically the Japanese had a school of discipline within certain martial arts known as Kappo, which was kinda sort of 'healing blows', and went hand in hand with Sappo, killing blows. They were taught together so people could kill and revive their opponents (a common trope you certainly might recognize if you've seen eastern or eastern influenced films). Anyhow, Kappo was an ancient resuscitation technique, which can be summarized with this paragraph

"While kappo, also known as fukkatsu, is an ancient resuscitation art, seifukujitsu are methods of adjusting and restoring (healing). Shiatsu (finger pressure techniques), anma (ancient massage), do in (gentle approach to the Way), and sekotsu (bone setting) were other restoration techniques. The Shiatsu ryoho (finger pressure way) of healing later became known as shiatsu ho (finger pressure method) of healing. Amma or Anma (ancient massage) is over 300 years old, dating back to at lease the Edo period (1603-1868) later to become seifukujitsu (restorative massage) under Professor Seishiro Okazaki. "

Kappo was mainly used to revive unconscious who fainted or become unconscious, but was later used to try and revive victims of attacks and was also inevitably found to be, hey! surprisingly effective for victims of drowning. However, even if ancient, the time frame here clearly specifies a set period, that being within the 1600's, which may be a biiiiit further ahead of the current chronological setting we're going here on the thread .However, there's no reason we can't use it as a basis and speculate that its entirely possible they may have had even more ancient techniques prior to the 1600's for resuscitation. Such a thing wouldn't be too far from the truth if we bent the rules a little. Regardless, whether or not the doctor knows any resuscitation techniques of any kind (or if they as a concept are even invented yet) is entirely your call though.

Silber's Suggestion: Alternatively, since it's a discipline taught in martial arts, it's very likely a ninja would know the concept if not the art, which might give Myaro something to do to get more involved. It's up to you though

Source used: https://www.ajjf.org/kappo-jap…suscitation-robert-reish/

Tch. What an insolent cur...." Akira spat, abruptly standing up. "There is a western phrase I once heard Eriko-san's personal dog utter...'too many cooks spoils the soup', I think? Fits this situation to a 'T'....."

"What does that mean?" Fujiwara asked,. Poetry and sayings had never been her strong suit, but Akira was already walking out. He stopped momentarily, however. "Why not ask her, if you get the chance?" he asked sardonically, right before the door slid shut, and they were all left alone. ".....what just happened?" Haru asked, a tremor in his voice. "The heika looked kinda....pissed off, didn't he?"

"...well, they never really take kindly when you step on their toes," Fujiwara remarked. Haru eyed the door suspiciously, as if worried Akira might come back in at any moment, but it would not happen. "Kinda wish I had the guts to do that," Goji remarked. "Should we go and also provide assistance?"

"Probably," Fujiwara remarked. "Are you really going to disobey the heika's wishes?!" Haru asked them, eyes wide. "Well, we already kidnapped a princess, so why not?" Goji asked, "Doubt I can be of much assistance, but can't hurt to try..."

"You go on ahead, I'll stay here," Fujiwara remarked. "Eh? Not coming?"

"Nah, I'm confident you guys can handle this. I'll stay and keep Mei-san company..wouldn't be wise to have her running around, now would it?"

"Fair enough. Come on Myaro-chan!" Goji said, pulling open the door and racing after Touma. ".....madmen....you're all madmen...." Haru whispered. "Comes with the job, usually," Fujiwara told him, not at all assuaging the poor servant's fears.

=======

Michiko was waiting outside the door, though he turned around, surprised at the sudden shouting. of course, he figured that was to be expected. Nothing good could come from choking the Emperor with 'medicinal' smoke.... he turned around once more, however, footfalls rapidly approaching. A spit second later and Touma appeared, racing for the door. "Touma-kun! I thought I told you to-" his admonishment was cut short as rthe door was roughly thrown open, the fragile paper and wooden frame crumpling under the force. Instantly, smoke began to pour out of the room. "By the Goddess....what am I going to do with you lot?!" Michiko asked himself, covering his mouth and stepping away from the insidious tide of wispy black smoke.

Marisa was moving forward to assist to Emperor, but a shadow barreled into the room, scooping the Emperor up a few seconds after Yami barked the orders. Marisa's eyes widened in surprise. "T-Touma-san?!" his sudden, unexpected appearance was surprising. Yami, for his part, looked pissed. "Where the Goddess did you come from?!" His voice rose an octave higher at the sudden intrusion, though he quickly dismissed this minor happenstance. "Whatever! Bring him out here, follow me..." He made his way to the exit, gesturing for Touma to follow him. Marisa followed suite, but stopped, her gaze falling on Sayomi. She quickly looked towards Eriko, cradled in Touma's grasp, and then back at the fallen Sayomi, her mind racing. Coming to a split second decision, she quickly crouched down, bringing herself closer towards Sayomi, and thankfully, out of the thick smoke that had filled the room. "Sayomi-sama! Pull yourself together!" she barked angrily at him. "Our Emperor will not die so easily, so don't you dare assume otherwise! You must stand and watch over him. More than ever, he needs you!" Marisa wanted to desperately stay with him, but she could not give him her full support.

Unable to bring herself further from the Emperor, she stood up, attempting to pull Sayomi up, and then rapidly distancing herself from him, regardless if he followed or not, quickly catching up to the small entourage, which was now making it's way down one of the many halls. "Here!" The wall beside them had a large, open frame that revealed the small, royal garden. Above, the azure sky could be seen, white clouds lazily rolling along, carried by invisible winds. Yami exited and pointed to a spot coated in thick, luscious grass. "Put him down here, please...." he ordered firmly. "Hopefully the air should clear out his lungs, if not we may need to try more drastic means...."

"Like what?" Marisa asked.

"...like kappo, though I'd require the aid of a ninja to do so." Marisa's lips pursed, wishing there was more she could do. If it was hypothermia or pneumonia, she knew several home remedies, having dealt with them quite commonly back in her homeland, but neither of those was the case here. In truth, she was just as distressed and distraught as Sayomi was...but she was far better at hiding it.

What kind of servant could cook, clean, and hell, even fight (sort of), but couldn't even save their master's life when he was in danger? Marisa knew first aid, but that would not work here. What good could a bandage or cloth due for an ailment that was not even visible? Perhaps there might've been something useful to help out at one point, but it had been a long time since Marisa had used anything she retained from before she came here- many things she had forgotten. The fact that Eriko lay here in need of desperate help, and the fact she could provide none, was the ultimate despair for someone with her mindset.

"...I'll make sure the servants are cleared from the area," Michiko, who had followed after them, said, leaving with a small bow. Ever pragmatic, he figured it would not be good for morale if the palace staff were to see the Emperor in his current state.

OC: Ok! Then that just leaves things up to Emma

Myaro nods curtly, and sprints after the group, getting to the scene as Yami says he will require a ninja to try to save him. “Present.” She says simply, her face without expression as she kneels beside the emperor, quickly checking his pulse, temperature, and any movement of the chest or face.

“Heart is functional. Lungs are not.” She gets into a position, and presses down on the chest, trying to force him to cough up the smoke, before going in for rescue breaths, using her hands like a funnel so she doesn’t make contact between his mouth and hers.

Myaro hurriedly wipes some blood from where it landed on her face, checking his pulse again. “Alive. Weak.” She reports, pressing on his chest again, and continuing the cycle, forcing him to breathe.

Marisa almost let out a startled gasp, both in pain and shock at the sudden point of contact between her and Sayomi. She instantly suppressed a litany of choice words, instead directing her gaze at the emperor, trying to ignore the iron grip on her arm. Forced respiration via pressure on the chest...I see,,,, Marisa osmosed this information, watching the procedure with eyes not unlike that of a wolf. ...he must've been drowning in his own blood, she thought, the sudden realization causing her eyebrows to crease with worry. She hoped that didn't entail internal bleeding- such an ailment was beyond the skills of anyone, alive or dead, to treat. She made a point to ask Myaro about how to do this at a later point. Marisa was no fool- she was smart enough to keep back, knowing she'd only hinder Myaro's efforts. However, the thought back of the time when Tomas had nearly drowned after falling in a lake. Water and blood were similar...right? "Perhaps try turning him on his side," she offered Myaro. "...that helps with breathing..." Yes, she did remember learning something similar to this in the past. But it was clear remediation was needed for those fragments of knowledge to have any use. She absolutely would learn how to perform this art, kappo, as soon as possible.

That aside, she did not notice the flecks of blood on Myaro's face. She hoped Myaro wouldn't risk infection- she knew of some diseases that were heavily contagious through bodily fluids. It'd do them no good if she contracted the same illness from the Emperor just because a stray blood droplet managed to get in her eye or mouth.

Such a thing was beyond her control. so she dismissed it. Myaro was smart, she knew what she was doing. Judging by his labored breathing, they had succeeded in reviving him...for the most part. She refrained from feeling any sort of hope or remarks on Myaro's work- they weren't out of the woods yet. "...for the most part, I think he'll be fine. Keep him breathing, and we'll see if more blood comes out...otherwise, I think some rest will do him good..." Yami replied.

========

Fujiwara was in the process of eating another small pastry, though she stopped, her mouth half open to bite into the soft treat. "Eh? That's a weird way to break the ice," she remarked, eating the pastry and chewing thoughtfully. "....no, for the most part. I haven't really considered settling down. I'm certainly no yamato nadeshiko, and I have no plans on allowing myself wedded to some warlord. Thankfully my family is mostly supportive of that decision, considering they've got two other kids to pawn away if need be...." For the most part, Fujiwara rarely visited or associated with her family, and they made little effort to keep in contact with her. It was an ideal arrangement, though she did sometimes send them money from what she earned, just as a sign of respect. "Maybe a few times I've thought about it, but nothing ever came out of it. I like being a free spirit, yanno?" Mei's assumption was right, for the most part. Fujiwara wasn't the type to gossip, but being a skilled practitioner of cloak and dagger tactics meant she certainly was capable of it, as well as play the part of many other personalities, if need be. "...what about you? Assuming your hackneyed marriage was forced, was there anyone you wanted to be with, but couldn't?" It was a common trope consistent with many princesses, be they eastern or western, that Fujiwara had mentioned. Romance wasn't exactly her choice subject, but seeing since Mei had started with it, she felt it polite to carry on the subject, at least until a suitable moment to change it to something more substantial arrived.

Marisa turned a sidelong glance towards Sayomi, watching him run away, looking like he as about to cry. She couldn't blame him. His plan had failed spectacularly, and likely would be the final nail in Eriko's coffin, gouging away his already limited lifespan. She returned her gaze back to the Emperor, her inside self internally freaking out. What if he died? She hoped to the Goddess that would not happen, but after this, it was uncertain. A part of her wanted to hate Sayomi for causing Eriko to go through such pain, but she knew it was pointless. He had done his best, journeyed to an alien land to find something, anything that might work. She could not hate Sayomi. She returned to Eriko's side, slowly lowering herself into a sitting position, and gently took his bloodied hand in hers, ignoring the uncomfortable, warm liquid on it that was already rapidly cooling. Yami looked up, staring at the nice, blue sky and feeling the halcyon breeze. "...I think it's best if we leave him as is," he said slowly.

"Too risky to move him so soon, but we must get him cleaned up. Marisa-san, please lend me your assistance in fetching the required supplies," he directed to her. Marisa nodded, taking off with utmost speed. "See to it no one comes into the garden from this moment henceforth!" he called to her. He turned his attention to Eriko, his face grim. "...is there anything else we can do?" Goji asked. "No. For now, all we can do is wait and see if the heika will die...or if he will live." His gaze focused towards the direction where Sayomi had run off too, further into the palace garden. Goji also observed. "...I should go talk to him," he said, but Yami shook his head. "No, Goji-kun. I suspect that Sayomi-sama will want some time to think. Whether this plan succeeds or not, it will have ramifications. He is too young to bear this weight...and yet he must shoulder it nonetheless. Perhaps the flowers will lend him the peace he needs in his hour of need..."

Goji stared at Yami, then slowly nodded. "...yes, you're right," he mumbled. "I will head back then," Goji mumbled, bowing. "You do not need to wait any longer in the room, you are free to return to your duties, or your house of residence. Failure or not, you have had a hard journey. I do not think anyone will complain if you all take some time off...." Goji nodded, taking the royal physician's words into consideration. Marisa returned, carrying a small bucket with warm water coated in suds, in addition to a few wash rags and some towels. "I had to go to the onsen for the towels," she mumbled, placing the items down on the soft ground. Goji retreated, and Yami knelt down beside the fallen Emperor. Marisa also knelt down, ignoring the fact that her yukata might get dirty from the grassy ground around them, wet cloth in hand. With a gentle hand, she pressed the wet, warm cloth against Eriko's face, wiping away the red liquid that had been bubbling from his lips only moments prior.

"Should we fetch clothes as well?" Marisa asked as she tentatively worked. Yami sucked in a breath, chewing his lip in consideration. "...best wait until he's stabilized," Yami said after a bit. "It's too dangerous to move him around, and it'd certainly be even more so to try and maneuver him about so we could swap his bloodied clothing. This is the best we can for the moment, sadly..." Marisa nodding, continuing to use the rag to try to clean up Eriko's bloodied skin as gently as possible, a thoughtful look in her gaze as she stared at his face. Once more, she considered the thought of him dying. You can't. In his death, there was one final order she would have to follow, given to her by him: Live. She struggled to think of living without the Emperor, though she expertly chewed it in the back of her mind, not allowing the roiling emotions within to interfere and possibly hurt Eriko further. But her cool demeanor had collapsed under the awful thoughts, for the thoughtful look had now been replaced with an anguished one, worry for the Emperor clear as day within her once reticent gaze.

He was a delicate flower, a rose. And that rose was stained. Tainted. Corrupted by this foul, crimson liquid! The liquid that gave life...and took it away. He was dirty, and she could not stand for dirt. The Emperor deserved better than that. She would clean him, erase the foul substance that dared tarnish his beauty. Before her was the most powerful man in Seseon, the brightest of flowers, now on the cusp of wilting. Her hands inadvertently tightened on the cloth, but just as quickly relaxed, her discipline overriding her emotions. But her motions were the only measured movements she had, the restraint quite impressive in spite of the consuming thoughts that blanketed her mind, seeming to override all thought. She couldn't stand to see the bloodied Eriko before her, a shadow of his self. Flowers should bloom, and be pure, not wilted and corrupt. She wanted desperately to see him bloom, to see that beauty once more. He was supposed to change the world for the better...this she knew. It was a brilliant future where the rising sun shone upon a field of flowers, standing fast no matter what Nature threw upon them. And now...that future hung bleak, the glorious sunrise seemingly never to come. "...please hang on, Eriko,,,," she mumbled softly. Yami cast a curious look towards her, unsure of what she had said, but he quickly dismissed it, keeping an eye on the Emperor to make sure nothing else happened. "Myaro-san, you may go now," he told Myaro with the same voice he had used with Goji. "Actually, stay...I might need you in case he has trouble breathing again....I hope you do not mind waiting," he told her, returning his attention to the Emperor, who was now no longer so bloodied thanks to Marisa's efforts.

=======

"Yes, I suppose all the good one's tend to throw themselves on a sword before you can get them, don't they?" Fujiwara remarked dryly, taking a sip from her tea. "But, I suppose it is as you say; it means nothing anymore...." she pondered her next words. "...how long do you think it'll be before you miss home? Before you miss seeing the sights of Zong, in her glory? Even as a princess in a castle, I imagine you must've done your fair share of parading around. I know it can't be easy...."

Myaro nods to Yami, moving her legs to a better position for staying here a while. “Of course. I can only hope that he lives through this. The man we got the remedy from said he would cough up the infection, but he did not say it would be so violent… I hope it will save him.” She is very concerned, but she’s trained far better than to let that lead to panic. She must be calm, so she can do her work properly.