RIVALS INCARNATE

Chapter Eleven: What A Long, Eventful Night

Doing something right, and doing something good are two completely different things.

Maneuvering his entire actions based on how Yuko would have wanted it to be for Kyouhei Kurosaki, he tried his best to obediently blend into the background as much as he can. Yet for that entire time, Kyouhei was also starting to hear this annoying voice inside his head that kept telling him, why? Why do you keep letting that b***h control you? Why are you so compliant with everything she tells you? Why can't you say no?

He had always tried to make himself think that this was the right thing to do, for all the years he had known her and made her take over everything about his journey to the political society. Yuko had always been the one who continuously told him what he must do to avoid any errors since he became a public figure and started to work as a representative in the Lower House. She always made sure he knew the risks and how he needed to avoid all the bad stuff, bad controversies, scandals, or any sort of trouble he might get into (which most of the times he still end up messing up with)... But he long since knew, he had to always do the right thing.

But what about the things he wanted to do? Say? Can't he have a say on those things at least?

You're not dumb, Kurosaki. Get a total grip of yourself and MAN UP! 

But Kyouhei would always, always, try to block that voice off of his mind and continued to work for whatever that he must be doing for the sake of his reputation--or the so-called "political strategy" that Yuko kept pushing on him. He knew that he was being too dependent, over-reliant even, to all of Yuko's demanding instructions and rules. It might be quite weird that sometimes, he can not even do a simple decision for his own good, even choosing a good tie for his own suit (on some occasions).

Kyouhei had been so inclined to the entire habit that it seemed like he can't ever really imagine a world without Yuko anymore... He had been too attached.

Sometimes, he would still try to beat himself to it. He would start to reanalyze and rationalize the entire situation, how he seemed to not notice that it was actually worse than he kept thinking it still was right now. But for some inexplicable reason, Kyouhei would still end up going back to Yuko, asking for her thoughts, relying too much on her instincts, unable to see how much he had been so fixated on making sure that every part or even the smallest aspect of his life would have to be approved and okay-ed by her.

And now, this daunted over him, right when he finally felt how small he was compared to how Yuko stood beside him. As soon as he realized how much control and power Yuko had over him, he started questioning himself. And maybe this was because he was also too aggravated to accept the fact that she had been that way with him for so long now. And despite being successful and very remarkable in his career, Yuko still had a hold over him that she could even suppress him in a place where he was supposed to look like intimidating. When as it turned out, he was just not more than a sad lost puppy in a crowd of big scary tigers. And this... made him feel slightly aware of the things that were happening. 

He felt insignificant like an empty can with fake gold paint to conceal its standard lower value from the view of the naked eye. Compared to Yuko, he was complete trash and the real ace card was actually her. For how many has it been now? They were supposed to be partners but it felt more like a master and a slave. But he still could not blame Yuko for that. In fact, on the contrary, he was actually trying to justify her way. And Kyouhei, kudos for being too blinded by what Yuko was doing to him, accepted it as if it was normal.

And he was okay with it because he also wanted to achieve the very same thing... To be the Prime Minister.

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839 AD, 9th Century of Japan (Kyoto)

***Prince Shin was just a few months before finally turning twenty-one years old at this time. The events below happened a year and five months before Prince Shin succeeded his father as Emperor of Japan Empire***

He did not want to be engaged with someone he barely knew. 

At first, upon hearing the plans of the Emperor that he was in the middle of arranging Prince Shin's impending marriage with one of his trusted Royal subjects' daughter, Shin immediately felt like he had been betrayed. He was very against it that he wanted to run away. It was at the time that the pressure of being the Crowned Prince got to him to the point that he had always avoided the chance that he might meet his father in person.

Their relationship then, while Shin grew much older, became more and more distant due to the different issues that had occurred in the span of years while his father started to become more absent as Shin sought more of his presence. The Emperor had been too busy to keep his watch as he tried his best to manage and organize the entire Empire. Invaders from different lands started to try and obliterate the army and take over their territory leading to a decade-long war of protecting the nation's safety.

It was a very horrendous reign and a long era of famine and drought in the lands of the empire, Prince Shin's father was being pressured to provide maintenance and resources to sustain the shortage of the entire population, face the adversaries and criticism, and evade the wrath of the people who had been enduring poverty in the lowest classes as it severely surged through those years of tragedies.

It had been also that time when Rei from the Takugawa household took over the supervision of his family after his father died during the war. Too many things happened not just within the borders of the nation, but also within every upper-class family. The Takugawa household by then was starting to face a bigger dilemma and obstacle with their status and finances. Though their lineage had been long supported with many properties and vast rice paddies, garnering them immunity from losing their entire wealth and ranking. This gave them the advantage to make deals with different merchants and foreign noble traders that helped them gather a lot of connections especially from those influential ones that had come from the East. 

At the time, the Emperor heard about this right away and devised a scheme to strengthen the power of his ruling. Deciding to make a historical change to his own benefit, the Emperor and his trusted right-hand advisor, Royal Minister Takugawa (Aoi's father), eventually talked and soon came up to an agreement to unite each other families.

Knowing that it will both support each other's rise to power, Takugawa and the Emperor conspired to lure the traders and merchants by providing them resources and advancements in terms of business and economy. Gold started to become their main objective, and the only way they can officiate their partnership was to make sure they would be tied to each other legally... So the marriage was quickly decided.

And before Prince Shin could even meet his soon-to-be wife and future Empress, Aoi Takugawa, things had already been planned out for the two of them.

Their fates by then had already been all sealed.

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PRESENT, 2020 (Tokyo)

Since discovering the existence of her former lover and wife from her past life, Yuko Amazawa decided to stay beside Kyouhei the whole night to make sure there will never be another interaction between him and Ami Komatsu. 

She kept a close eye on him, making sure he would introduce himself to the different people they met and talked to as they proceeded willingly with the whole event program. It was near the end of the party, in the middle of all the dancing with the soft mellow music playing in the background, that Yuko found herself awkwardly idling and standing beside Kyouhei as they watched every couple in the hall passed them by to do a sweet dance on the dance floor. Kyouhei was starting to contemplate whether he should or should not ask Yuko to dance. But when he had finally gathered the courage to go and ask her, she suddenly moved and told him she needed to excuse herself for a moment. 

She wanted to fake an escape, that was on her mind because she just sensed that he was going to ask her for a dance. She did not want to do that, by pressure, even if she was sensing it wrong. And maybe her gut was really right because she immediately met his stare when she had turned to tell him she will have to leave for a moment. He almost stammered when he let her go, and Yuko felt a bit relieved walking away.

Thank gods, he did not ask her. 

Yuko was about to look for the comfort room when this time she suddenly felt this weird feeling that she was being stared at. She might just be getting paranoid and all. She had been drinking too much wine in the last hour. Yet, something just made her feel so uneasy. She did not like the kind of discomfort it gave her. So she quickly looked around her surroundings and tried her best not to look bothered while she checked. She found no one suspicious and paused when Kyouhei came into her view. He was still all alone, now sipping on a glass of wine in his hand, while he kept watching the people dancing right in front of him. 

Yuko eventually let it go, and she tried her best to rush until she reached the comfort room. As she got inside, she felt a little safer.  

What was that? She wondered herself. It felt strange, and she just got into some sort of panic mode for no reason. She still could not explain it.

Luckily, there was no one else inside the comfort room. She was all by herself. And when she went to get a look at herself in the mirror, she suddenly gasped. Instead of seeing herself as Yuko in a dress, she saw Emperor Shin in his traditional clothing. She was so surprised that she stumbled a step back and almost shriek. She stared right back to her reflection and almost believed that she had suddenly transformed into Emperor Shin's appearance.

She touched her face, gazing into Shin's complete image, mirroring her move, right in front of her. It felt so real, his body, his warmth, she was almost too drawn towards it. But as she tried to look down, to see her arms, her hands, and her clothes, she became so confused. She was still... Yuko.

Then she quickly looked up to the mirror to check again, and this time the entire realistic view of Shin from her reflection was already gone. And as if it had only been a complete hallucination, Yuko saw nothing more but her own present self: looking so confused, shaken, and deeply frowning. 

What the hell just happened?  She started questioning her sanity because that was crazy. And she still could not explain how she got a vivid reflection like that. But it really happened, she knew she saw it. She touched her face and she really felt Shin. Was that all real or was it just an illusion?

What the hell was going on here?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------next chapter: Chapter Twelve