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Kaguyo looked concerned when the Emperor told her that. "Brought here? Then you must never admit having found me." she pleaded, "They'll try to take me back for certain..."
She wrinkled her nose at the peach color however, diving back into the wardrobe and finding another very similar, except almost entirely white and a pale cucumber green.
"Better." she sighed with a small smile. "Unless... is this too noticeable?" she glanced back at them. "I hate pink... I won't get that feminine..."
She already seemed rather attached to the dress she had found, biting her lip. "It's very soft...!"
She didn't care, diving behind a dressing-screen and quickly donning the robes. "This reminds me a bit of home, honestly... At least the dress hasn't changed too much." she peeked out from behind the screen, "Do you men perhaps have a katana I could borrow? I once had metallic whips... no longer... I doubt I could find them, but they could be unwieldy... A katana like Hikaru-san's might be better for me anyhow. Once I get that, we can leave.... Is that alright?"
She held her hands before her quietly, her eyes meekly shifting between the two. "Your kindness means a great deal to me, Your Majesty."

~~~

Kazuhiko nodded. "I thought the same." he admitted.
Once they landed, the boy was quick to scramble into the caverns, although a few things had changed.
For starters, certain paths he used to remember had been blocked off by earthquakes and the like; he took to blasting the rubble at first, before simply using his portals.
It had been so long, he had almost forgotten about using them.
"Can you sense anything, Da?" he glanced around, nothing but frowns and a furrowed brow, "His energy is so weak... It's hard to pinpoint it."
It was one of the first times Kazuhiko truly had to struggle to find someone---not something he was used to. Struggling AGAINST someone was one thing... but finding things, and people, seemed to be no big deal for him.
"Kage-kun!" he began to call out, "Kage-kun, where are you?! Wake up!"

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Kaguyo nodded quietly, following right beside Hikaru. "Perfectly fine..."
Besides, it would allow her to reserve her energy in the event something went wrong.
Once they came to the stables, she sheathed her katana and quickly climbed into the carriage. "How long do you think it'll take, Hikaru-san?"

"Ah..." Kaguyo murmured, before settling uncomfortably into her seat. She was silent for the majority of the hour, transfixed with the landscape outside.
For a second, she could sense Ainsu nearby, and kept her energy very neatly hidden within herself. The last thing she needed was to see him...
The carriage was useful for that, she had to admit.
But soon enough his energy passed, and with it, a bit of her anxiety. If he hadn't found her then, she was in the clear, at least for now.
The hills seemed bigger than she remembered them, mountains now; they were also of a verdant shade she didn't think existed. Everything was so brilliantly and vibrantly alive; it brought her a sense of peace, despite the heat.
She kept the inside of the carriage cool from nervousness alone. It appeared the year without her abilities had taken its toll; her control was weakened, and her powers intensely sporadic, relying on her emotions.
Practice as she did, it was like trying to catch an oiled-down snake: there was very little to grasp, and what she could grab was more apt to disperse or turn on her. Even so, her icy abilities were still stronger than her ki. There wasn't much more she could do to change that....
But when they approached the Palace, she felt as if she was entering a dream. The ruins had an empty, haunted feeling, moss and lichens, vines and trees working away at the stone and marble structure. She exited the carriage slowly, footsteps deliberate; they matched her hesitant breath, shallow and light.
"Home..." she whispered, looking up in awe, "I'm... I'm home..."
She completely forgot Hikaru's presence, absorbed into the landscape; she entered the Palace with the silent reverence of a priestess in a temple. Her hand idly brushed against the walls and pillars as she passed; she could remember so much...
Over there was where Aled and she had gotten married....
Right there, where Ainsu and she had tried their coup...
The spot Aoki had almost killed her...
It was strange, to be in a place devoid of anyone she related to it. She could remember the servants, the smells of the kitchen, the way the sunlight poured into the hallways....
"Watari's lab..." she whispered, "I wonder if anything survived??"
Entering the burnt husk of a room, she sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't look like much of anything survived here... did it...?"
As if to answer her question, she accidentally knocked over one of Watari's plastic test tubes, sending it rolling across the floor. It appeared to have some sort of gel in it; she wondered if it was medicine. "Crap..." she bit her lip, rushing after it, "Where did it go...Ah!"
Bending down to pick it up, her eyes were met with three surprising words printed in block letters across a metallic tank, its viewing window too dark to see its contents. "Suspended Animation Prototype..." she beamed, "Watari would be pleased this lasted so long..."
But something was in there. She pressed her face and hands against the glass, blue eyes burning like small lanterns; the inhabitant would have received quite the shock hearing her chatter. "Is someone in there...?"
The rectangular window didn't allow the most light into the tank; she began to search around. "Where's a light switch..." she murmured to herself, "I wonder how you open this..."
She couldn't explain why, but now that she was here, there was something about this tank that now had a firm grip on her curiosity. Something in her gut was insisting he was here...
"Aled, I hope you're here..." she uttered a quick and quiet prayer, "Let it be you...."
She turned the wheel to release the lock, a strange blue liquid spilling all over the laboratory floor like an oceanic flood. There were two more locks on either side to release, which allowed for the tank's front to slide down to a little under waist-level; it took a bit of effort, due to her height, but she managed to release them. The door fell to the floor with a loud clash, falling off the tank entirely; the door wasn't the only thing falling, however.
"ALED!" Kaguyo's eyes widened, the woman rushing to his side, "Al-kun!!! Al-kun, Aled, oh good gods you're alive!" she began to weep, holding him close, "Al-kun..."
She snapped out of it however, helping the man to clear his lungs of the fluid. It was taking a bit, but he was definitely starting to come around.
"Al-kun..." she whispered, "Are you alright, beloved??"
She stroked his back affectionately, kissing the top of his head. "I won't ever leave your side again, Al-kun, I swear it..."

"Atrophied." Kaguyo whispered, holding Aled close to her, "Hikaru-san, please do me a favor and try to find some blankets... He needs to be kept warm. I can help carry him to the carriage..."
In her mind, she had no other reason to stay on the planet, save Aoikage; she had Aled, and that was enough to make her say to hell with the rest of the past. The fact he was alive had brought her to tears, although she did her best to keep herself under control.
"I'm going to take care of you, Al-kun." she kissed his forehead tenderly, "I promised I'd come back for you..."
She took off her outer robe, carefully wrapping Aled's lithe form in the white silk; in a way, he reminded her of a newborn, helpless at first.... Helpless, but he would grow.
"Come on..." she nodded to Hikaru, trying to hoist the former king over her shoulders with some difficulty, "Let's go!"
It wasn't a matter of weight---well, in a way it was. It wasn't that Aled was extremely heavy, just that he was a great deal taller than the petite, fay-like woman, and at the moment, he was dead weight.
With a little exertion of her ki, Aled seemed to be weightless on her shoulders. She didn't want to reveal her abilities to anyone more than she already had; she had to play her cards right. So far everyone here had been helpful...
But...
Well, Kaguyo knew firsthand how quickly things could change.

"Aled." Kaguyo replied matter-of-factly, "I told you, a thousand years ago, he used to be king of this planet. He was used, though..." her expression softened, a frown upon her face, "He was used by those who sought to manipulate his strength... He has a strong heart."
She didn't say much else until they arrived at the palace. "It... Look, it's not easy getting him to sit comfortably on my shoulders."
It wasn't a lie, technically...
"I... I may've been able to do it the first time, but could you please help me carry him? My strength was maxed out finding him..."
In truth, it was partially adrenaline that allowed her to even handle him in the first place.
"And in truth, this turn of events has left me very tired."
But guards came and took care of everything, picking up the man as she requested---even if it was of Hikaru---leaving the two standing outside the carriage.
"I worry very deeply for him." she admitted quietly to Hikaru, "Despite who he was... I know he wouldn't mind a new life elsewhere... Neither of us would. It has been too long... Our time came and passed in this world. I feel like a ghost here... so out of place..."
She began to walk toward the palace, slow and thoughtful. "Once he gets better, I'd like for us to leave here... We would never disturb your people again, if you so desire."

Kaguyo nodded slowly. "Perhaps he would want that...." she murmured, staring at the floor for a few moments, "I understand well his connection to the people. I was his wife---I once was Queen."
A position she had taken with the utmost seriousness; given the chance, she would've gladly lived the rest of her years taking care of the old Tarnbsei.
But now...
"Perhaps if Aled-kun wishes to help..." she shook her head, "I cannot promise anything in his stead."
She wasn't sure what to do with herself now; given nothing else to do, she would return to Aled's side. "Is... is there anything else you or your Emperor might wish to ask me?" she bit her lip for a second, looking up, "I... well... now that I have found him.. I... I'm at a loss of what to do, save help him heal."

Kaguyo frowned. "Alone...?" she asked, crossing her arms and pacing slightly. By this point she had redressed in dry cloths, identical to before; she paused, biting her lip. "I have a friend," she began, turning to Hikaru, "I have a very young friend capable of healing... Perhaps, between the two of you, you could heal him even more quickly than that."
She lingered by Aled's side, gently stroking his hair and cheek. He looked so gentle, sleeping there...
It was hard to imagine the Muse could be lurking within him, even now.
"Perhaps I should go request foo-...ah...." her face fell immediately. "No.... No, it can't..."
The color blanched from her face as she rushed to the window, energy spiking dramatically; without warning, a pillar of ice shot down the castle wall, clinging like a vine. With a tiny gasp, she shot back from the window, looking around.
If there was any doubt as to where she was before, it was gone now. She could practically feel Ainsu's thoughts meshing with hers, except his felt....well, full of pride and maybe even smug satisfaction (well, at least as of the past minute).
She, on the otherhand...
"Found me." she held her head in her hands, "F#ck, how does he always f#cking find me...?!"
She couldn't fly out the window, as tempting as it was; she had yet to see anyone fly anywhere... It was hard to tell what would and wouldn't get her labeled as a witch and burned. If Earth's history had taught her anything, one had to keep up appearances if you wanted to be safe.
She kissed Aled quickly, but deeply, leaving another kiss on her forehead before trying to make a run for it....
But much to her chagrin, Ainsu was inconveniently blocking the door, which she found out only by nearly knocking him over---something she could have done if she had more mass.
Instead, she found herself stumbling backwards, breath caught in her throat.
What did she say to this turn of events...?
She couldn't say anything, gaping at him in utter disbelief.

Kaguyo didn't say anything at first, but once Ainsu started getting to close to Aled, the temperature dropped a good twenty degrees. "Stay away from him." she growled, "Why couldn't I wait? Because you kept me caged on that planet..." she trembled, "Because you took him away from me."
But oddly her eyes seemed glued to Ainsu's; his gaze seemed to pierce a part of her she didn't think anyone could reach... Well, very few people, at the very least. She didn't think he still could, after what he did...
The temperature lowered even further, clouds billowing from Kaguyo's lips with every breath she took. "Shouldn't you be off finding your father, instead of trailing after me wherever I go?" she challenged him darkly, "After all, you're responsible for his fate these past thousand years... You at least owe an apology."
In a few seconds she had gone from terrified to absolutely venomous. She felt cornered again, no doubt...
"Not that an apology can make up for an entire lifetime..." she whispered. He had, single-handed, killed her hopes for making her parents grandparents, for the holidays, birthdays... Granted, she needed to HAVE kids first... but...
Well, it didn't matter now. Kaguyo hadn't let on how infected the wound he gave her had become; the past year, for all that had happened, she appeared fine, happy even.
Her eyes told a completely different story. While his could pierce through her without any resistance, hers could cause a pain that no other could come close to.
"You stole everything from me." she tried to sound strong, but her voice cracked and only came out as a whisper. "You made me the loneliest person in the universe... Yes, yes Ainsu, we are enemies. I... I hate you more than anyone... You... You should have thought of me, before thinking so much of yourself, of what you wanted..."
She shivered, frost beginning to build up like a halo in her hair and eyelashes. Her skin almost looked blue. "I will never forgive you... Now.... now get out..." she threatened, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "Just get out, and leave me alone!"