Verdant Skies

There was a heaviness in his limbs as he finally began the slow walk to his rooms after seeing Koumei off, the darkness of night having long since enveloped the palace. In every conversation shared that day, the admittance that had been given made each step feel as if his limbs were made of lead. His chest was heavier than ever, the knowledge that Iris had gone to such drastic lengths just to ensure Gyokuen couldn't go through with those threats seemed almost unbelievable. But with the evidence stacked against her and the words she'd spoken, he knew that there was no way to deny it.

Hesitating before the door to his room, Kouen found his stomach dropping at the realization that Iris had likely chosen to stay in her former room. Swallowing against the forming lump in his throat, he pushed open his door and stepped into the dimly lit room. As his eyes adjusted, he felt the tension in his chest relax at the sight of Iris's form lying on the couch with Sirius curled up beside her. The cub's head was on her chest as the wolf's ever-growing body curled across her legs. Her fingers were burrowed into his ruff, Iris's head was pillowed underneath her arm.

Moving towards the pair, Kouen saw Sirius's eyes slide open and the cub peered at him for a second before those stormy grey eyes closed with a soft huff. Slowly slipping onto his knees beside the two, he found himself shifting hair from Iris's face. His chest felt warm despite the earlier conversations, he found himself yearning for it to be the night before when he hadn't yet known of what Iris had done. There was a twinge of jealousy within him at how easily Sirius seemed to accept his mistress, the cub's demeanor had never changed despite how deeply the blood must've coated her scent. Hand settling on her cheek, he felt a bolt of frustration rush through his chest.

Every attempt to force himself to understand why she'd done it was met with a wall, Kouen found himself unable to reconcile what Iris had done against his values. If it had been during war, he knew her actions would have been acceptable, but they weren't at war no matter how he tried to word it. Frustration raced through him as it warred with the love he felt for the woman before him, the betrayal she had committed had shattered the trust he'd given her. How their bond would recover, he wasn't sure though it wasn't something he'd willingly give up on. Not when he felt something this strongly, he couldn't turn off his heart that easily anymore.

His fingers traced her jawline, the soft skin felt warm beneath Kouen's fingers as he tried to figure out what to do. He dropped his hand as Iris shifted slightly and let out a low murmur. Her expression shifted as a sigh left her lips, the flutter of emotions drifting across her expression for a brief moment before fading. As Iris murmured in her sleep, he couldn't help but wonder what dreams played across her mind. Did she find peace in her slumber, or was she haunted by the consequences of her actions? Leaning back, Kouen observed her features—the gentle slope of her nose, the curve of her lips, the way her long lashes rested against her cheeks. There was familiarity in the sight of it, the morning he'd spent watching over her had brought him comfort on countless occasions, but now that comfort was stripped away.

There was no denying the love he felt for Iris, it had grown deep and genuine. But the trust he'd once thought unbreakable had shattered like glass with her actions, the bond would need time to mend. And with her past actions, he was unsure if she would allow it. There was a sinking feeling of unease in his chest, he knew that Iris had a habit of taking off if she felt too overwhelmed. While it had seemingly calmed down since they began their relationship, he had a feeling it might resurface with this. His fingers clenched into a fist, he didn't want her to run off no matter what the reason could be.

Moonlight entered his room through the windows, Koumei stared up at the thin crescent as his stomach clenched and knotted with the emotions rolling through him. Everything felt as though it was crashing down around his ears, the painful beating of his heart was layered with betrayal. There was no solace to be found in his room, the stillness felt like a lake primed to drown him. There was a discordant symphony playing within his mind, the day's events refusing to leave him even as he tried to work through the paperwork settled at his desk. His fingers clenched around a quill, the shaft splitting into his palm as his jaw clenched.

Had her actions been just that, Koumei wouldn't have felt so keenly as they'd known she'd been an assassin. But the betrayal came from Iris taking the actions she had, the secrets and lies that had been confessed just hours earlier. His teeth clenched as the urge to scream hit him, the bond they shared with Iris was cracked in a way he wasn't sure it would ever fully be able to recover. How could it when he'd never fully be sure if she was hiding anything else from them? Pressing a hand to the cool glass, he took a calming breath knowing that such thoughts wouldn't help right now.

His mind wandered over to Kouen, Koumei wondered how his older brother was dealing with the situation. He knew that Kouen had decided to move Iris into his rooms and wondered how the situation was going. Part of him wondered if Iris had even gone to Kouen's room, he knew Iris tended to hide herself away from overwhelming situations. Rubbing at his tired eyes as they began to blur, he jolted as wetness coated his fingers. Lips pulling into a wry smile, he muttered a low curse and finally moved toward his bed.

Her body was warmer than it should have been, Iris's eyes opened at the realization and she found her gaze met with the cloth panel that sat over Kouen's bed. Slowly sitting up, she glanced around as the familiar sheets slipped from her shoulders. While she was still wearing her clothes, the shoes she'd been wearing were absent. Her fingers reached out and she found a fading spot of warmth beside her, a mixture of emotions welled up within her. Rather than let her sleep on the couch, Kouen had moved her to the bed and slept beside her. Her chest felt heavier and lighter at the gesture, she found it harder to move even as the same determination to stick to her plans settled into her bones.

Her mind flickered to Kouen, Iris knew that he was likely already heading to the main palace by now if his father had him working on things. She'd have time to completely remove her presence from the palace save for the large things that would need more than one set of hands to remove even with magic. Her chest felt heavy as the memory of yesterday crept back in, she wished that her bag of trinkets had never found its way into Koumei's hands. With a heavy breath, she finally got up and left the bed feeling as if her body just wanted to collapse. Changing into new clothes that wouldn't get any raised eyebrows from the staff, Iris went about the task of packing away her things from Kouen's room while using her magic to make things quicker.

Pausing as a knock sounded on the door, Iris threw up a simple illusion to make it look as if her things were still in place and moved to answer the door. A maid was standing at the door, "Lady Iris, we weren't sure when you'd be up. Prince Kouen said you'd been through a lot yesterday," She mentally grimaced, "Would you like anything to eat?"

Despite her urge to say no, Iris nodded with a light smile, "Yes, I think I'll take it in my old rooms."

There was a startled look on the maid's face, the woman hesitated, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm feeling a bit...nostalgic," Iris leaned against the doorframe, "So if you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate it,"

"Of course," The maid bowed lightly, "I'll get that set up shortly,"

Waving the maid off, Iris ducked back into Kouen's room and took a deep breath. It took little time for her things to be fully packed away into the chests and with a firm tap on each one, she had them shrunken down. Placing them into her pocket until she could place them into the chest Luna had given her, she left Kouen's room for her old one with Sirius following after her. The cub nosed her leg curiously though didn't make a noise which was a relief. As the food was brought up, she ate quickly and mechanically, the taste barely registering on her tongue. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, each bite a reminder of the reality she sought to escape. As she finished the food off and sent away the remnants with a waiting-maid, she began the painstaking process of removing her presence from this room as well.

Her things were stored within the trunk Luna had given her, the trunk alongside its sister created by Hermione became sealed in a pair of studs that Iris pierced into her ears. Returning to Kouen's study for what would be the final time, she took out a few pieces of parchment and a quill before sitting down to pen a letter. This letter would be for both Kouen and Koumei, she finally admitted via ink just what was driving her actions. Sealing the letter as she always had, she set it on Kouen's desk and finally began making her way out of the palace.

As she reached the entrance hall, the head steward stopped her with a stern look, "Lady Iris, where are you going?"

"Kouha wished for me to join him today," Iris offered the lie as Sirius stood beside her looking more like a full-grown wolf than a cub, "I assume you weren't given any notice of this fact?"

"I-no," The steward rubbed at his face with a tired expression.

With a look of irritation crossing his features, the steward muttered under his breath, "The boy never considers anyone's schedule, does he?" He shook his head and adjusted the slim glasses on his face, "Please enjoy your day, Lady Iris, though do be back before nightfall. Prince Kouen wishes to have dinner with both Prince Koumei and you."

Her heart ached sharply at those words, Iris barely managed to keep a straight face as she nodded softly and forced a smile to curl across her face, "He does? I can't wait. I'll have to ensure Kouha lets me return in time to enjoy it. I'll be off now."

With a light wave, Iris was leaving the palace as her chest grew heavier with each step. Walking through the palace gates with Sirius, they acted as if they were heading for Kouha's palace until they'd walked out of sight of the guards. Slipping into an alleyway, she cast a spell over them both to hide their appearances. Her hair became a pale shade of blonde, the appearance more raggedy as her clothes were changed out for that of a traveler. Sirius became an overgrown German Shepard as his fur smoothed out. Half-smiling as he let out a sneeze, she gestured for him to walk with her and they began to weave their way through Rakushou.

As they passed through the main market, Iris heard Kouha's familiar laughter and spotted him walking towards a stall laden with fabrics. Her chest felt heavy, she almost wanted to give up the plan and go join him. But her feet continued to move towards the city's exit, the knowledge that she couldn't stay in Kou any longer without risking those she held dear within it. There was a low whine from Sirius, she patted his head as his ears dropped and whispered a few soft words of encouragement. Soon enough they'd left the market and were making their way through the streets once more, the traffic becoming less prominent as they came to the outskirts of Rakushou.

Exiting the city took little time as Iris used her magic to get past the gate guards, they made their way down the main road for a while before moving into the treeline. It took them a good hour before they were able to find a suitable clearing that was far enough away from Rakushou for her to risk transforming. Urging Sirius to sit, she moved to the clearing's center and started the process. Her inner dragon was a ball of mournful fury, it wanted to return to Rakushou and rip Gyokuen to shreds for being the main reason they were unable to stay. Soothing the beast with promises that they would one day see Kouen and Koumei again, she shifted and began the slow process of coaxing Sirius to her.

With great care, Iris gathered the cub into her great claws and took off into the air. With barely a glance back towards Rakushou, she let out a mournful rumble and began to wing fly away towards the nearest port city.

His body felt heavy with the lingering emotions from yesterday and new ones that had spawned with today, they had predicted that Gyokuen would attempt to throw Iris into the crossfire, but Kouen had thought the bitch would wait a bit longer. But Gyokuen had proven him wrong and made that attempt today, Koumei had been quite quick to refute her with him backing his brother up. While he hadn't exactly wished for his father or anyone on the council to know that Iris had been sharing his bed, it meant that Iris was safe for the moment. His mind went to Iris, the impulsive decision to bring her to bed last night had soothed him to a point and it only furthered his desire to figure things out between them.

Glancing towards Koumei as they both waited for the carriage to come to a stop, Kouen knew it would be harder for Koumei to forgive Iris. Giving people his trust came harder for Koumei, he was far less forgiving for all that many considered his younger brother the more friendly of the two. If they all worked hard, Koumei would forgive Iris in time, but only after she'd actually worked towards regaining their trust. Standing as the carriage came to a stop, he knew tonight would be difficult as Koumei would be reluctant to even speak with Iris.

As they entered his palace, Kouen raised an eyebrow at seeing his head steward. The man bowed quickly, "My Lord, I am sorry to inform you, but Lady Iris still hasn't returned from her day out with Prince Kouha."

Confusion erupted from within him, Kouen hadn't heard anything about Kouha going out with Iris today. Hell, Kouha hadn't spoken with Iris for a few days. Eyes narrowing slightly, he asked the man, "When did she say she'd be back?"

"She didn't," The steward replied after clearing his throat, "She did seem excited at the prospect of dining with you tonight, My lord,"

"I see," Kouen's chest filled with unease, "Have the staff stop dinner preparations, we will not be eating until she returns. And please send a messenger to Kouha, I want him here with Iris as soon as possible,"

"Yes, My lord," The steward bowed lightly before moving to do as he asked.

There was a low sound beside him, Kouen glanced at Koumei as he moved to walk upstairs. Expression shifting through a mixture of emotions, Koumei's voice was soft, "Something isn't right..."

"No, it isn't," Kouen had to bite back the urge to go tearing through his palace looking for Iris.

As unease gnawed at him, Kouen felt his shoulders tense and found himself glancing around the halls for any sign of Iris. Something was in the air, a sign that something had changed though he couldn't put his finger on it. Entering his study, he found his eyes drawn to a carefully sealed letter settled atop his desk. Moving with more speed than he had all day, he felt the breath leave his lungs at the sight of Iris's familiar seal pressed into the letter. His fingers tightened and he looked up to meet Koumei's gaze, the younger man murmured, "En?"

"Iris...she left a letter," Kouen found himself his body growing heavy, "I...Mei, you don't think..."

"I..." Koumei's eyes were filled with a war of emotions before he finally admitted, "I don't want to, En. I don't," It was said in a hoarse voice, "But we have to open it to find out,"

His fingers felt uncooperative as he slowly cracked the seal and opened the letter, the familiar scrawl met his eyes with small splotches splattered about the page. His chest ached as he began to read aloud:

My Dearest Kouen and Koumei,

Had I any other chance, I would have taken it...I should have before even coming up with the fucking assassination plan to begin with. It just shows how fucked up my mindset has become since coming to this world. How deeply the Jackass managed to leave a mark without me realizing it, I...I regret it with every fiber of my being. Not being able to stop myself from rushing to that conclusion, I should have stopped for a moment and thought. But I didn't...I couldn't after Luna told me what she had-

(There was a thick line of ink through a small paragraph and Kouen couldn't make it out)

Before I continue...Before anything else is laid bare, I love you both far more than any words will ever be able to describe. Every part of me loves you both, the dragon within me is included. Do you know how strange that is to say-well, write? My dragon side rarely cares for much. My friends are treasures and they're the only ones that it has ever taken to since I've gained it. But you two...you're my dearest treasures and it feels as if I've broken something deep inside myself for betraying you both like this. Part of me wishes that the dagger that currently feels like it's being shoved into my heart were real, it would hurt so much less, but I know...I know that it would solve nothing in the end.

To be honest with you and lay it all bare, I was not truthful with either of you when my friends left. While it has not been outwardly stated, Luna is a seer of sorts though the true extent of what she can see has never fully been discussed nor have any of us tried to press. After all, we love our blonde little moonhare even if she can be a chaotic little crackhead. While I think you might understand what I'm getting at, I'll lay it out to bear...Luna gave me a prophecy a few days before they left. This prophecy is what motivated me so deeply into taking down Gyokuen's web, I was almost completely blinded by it because I didn't want it to be true. But as with all prophecies, once they're told to someone that's part of them, they almost always come true and I...I made it worse.

Rather than tell you the prophecy, I'll give you vague details because it told me what to do next...after my little fuck up. And for once, I am giving into fate even if I'd rather swallow my favorite dagger. Shadows would force me to leave you both, I'd assumed that meant Gyokuen. I would be forced to leave Kou even as you two try to stop things from happening. Now that everything going on, I think it's all a bit clear now. And now, I have two places to choose from where my friends will be...I'm going to search for Luna and the others though it'll probably be a bit before we find one another.

(Tears stained the parchment more thickly)

Fucking hell, I wish that there was an easier way to say it. That I could have done this in person, but I'm not strong enough for that though. I...I would want to stay too much. Spending these months with you, I felt truly at home, and now...now I have to- (A tear stain blotted out the ink) I want to scream. But that would make the servants suspicious and I can't...I have to ensure there is enough time to leave. I love you both so much, En, Mei. If there were ever a chance for me to rewrite my life so that I could ensure we met and I'd never make this stupid mistake, I take it. But...I'm never that lucky, I'm glad we got to know one another.

If there is a chance in the future for us to meet again, I...I hope you two can give me another chance. If not at being with you, I'd love it if we could be friends. After all, you both will always be considered my treasures.

With everlasting love,

Iris.

His fingers grew tighter with every word, the heaviness in Kouen's chest grew as he felt the raw emotion in Iris's words. Every single bit of pain was transferred through her writing, the soul-deep love she felt only half-heartedly eased the ache it spawned. Sitting on his chair heavily, he let the letter fall from his numb fingers at the last word, he whispered, "She's...gone."

His gaze found Koumei's eyes and he saw the raw emotions there, the shattered wall that had been holding back Koumei's true feelings was gone and his little brother was slumping into the seat across from him. There was a heavy note of regret in those pink-red eyes, the betrayal was no longer so prevalent nor did Kouen feel it either. The pain had replaced it, the knowledge that Iris had truly left sank in and it hurt worse than any physical weapon. Voice wavering with emotion, Koumei's hand went into the pocket of his kimono, "She-this was because of a prophecy?"

"According to the letter," Kouen could hear the disbelief in Koumei's tone and felt it deep within his chest.

There was little use in prophecy and he had even heard Iris denounce it thanks to what had happened to her parents, the fact she had even listened to it at all boggled his mind. As a dungeon capturer, he had little use in prophecy when fate could be little more than a toy to his whims. Running a hand through his hair, he saw Koumei pull that little dragon figurine from his pocket. Voice soft as he raised the figurine, Koumei's eyes were locked on it, "What do we do now, En? I...What she wrote...I can't...I don't want to let her just run off like that."

His chest was heavy, Kouen realized that Iris had just done the bulk of repairing what trust had been broken between her and Koumei. His mind began to whirl as he tried to figure out what to do, he spoke softly while looking back at the letter, "We find her," Koumei's eyes met his, "Things can't be left as they are, we pushed her into a corner between that..." He wrinkled his nose, "Prophecy and the pressure already forming from Gyokuen. So...We need to find her and bring her back."

There was a soft nod from Koumei, the younger man clenching his fingers around the dragon with a determined gaze. Though his expression faltered after a moment, a look of concern crossed his face, "What if she doesn't wish to come back to us? What if...what if we pushed her too far?"

"Based on this letter, I doubt it," Kouen tapped the letter with his finger, "But if she insists on staying away..." He smirked at Koumei, "We remind her that no prophecy can ever take hold of our lives. She seems to have forgotten just what Dungeon capturers are capable of,"

As the moon hung in a slim crescent over the world, the paths of three individuals diverged.

On silent wings, Iris flew across a sea of trees as she searched for a safe place to land for the night. Her nose was beginning to pick up the faintest traces of a different scent to the landscape, the trees already changing from the ones she'd become used to during her flights with Kouha and the others. Her chest felt heavier with each mile new mile flown, the knowledge that it would be that much longer before she'd see Kouen and Koumei sent an ache through her chest like no other. Had she been in human form, the burning sensation behind her eyes would have had her crying, she found herself letting out low rumbles unable to help it as the urge to grieve grew to be too much.

Within Kouen's palace, Kouen and Koumei had dragged out a map of the surrounding area not long before Kouha had joined them. And with their younger brother being recruited to help look for Iris, they began to formulate plans on where to look first. Determination set in, the need to find Iris both because they loved her and wished to prove her wrong about the prophecy crafted an intense fire within them. Kouen's fingers closed around the letter she'd written them and it would soon find a place of honor within his room. His fingers closed around the dragon figurine, it much like the other figurines would stay within Koumei's rooms until they finally found Iris again.

Curled within his mistress's paws, Sirius had found himself settled comfortably against her chest. There was a deep sorrow radiating through him with each rumble she released, he wished that she would not be so sad. But leaving her mates, especially during a time like this was likely the cause, he found himself feeling the usual bolt of confusion over his mistress's actions. After all, she should have stayed within the den and not ventured beyond it while in her condition. But there was little he could do, he was not able to speak the tongue of humans nor was his mistress able to speak the tongue of the wolf. So with a sigh, he pressed his head tighter against her chest and tried to make that soothing sound his dame used to make before she died. If anything else, it would offer comfort for the one beneath his mistress's scales.