Saiunkoku Monogatari: Fushi no Uta

By the-key-of-the-twilight

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari

A/N: It seems a lot of my readers were shocked by Seiran's actions in the last chapter. Well, just to clarify, he actually didn't kiss her on her lips, but on her neck. I think I was too ambiguous on that fact so I apologize. To me, Seiran is someone who does act like an older brother to Shuurei, but also someone who, although he may not know it, desires her as much as Ryuuki probably does. I think his heart desires her, not his mind, if that makes any sense at all.

So, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter although this one is definitely not one of the more exciting ones. Also, as a side note, I've been studying vocabulary lately so halfway through this chapter, you may realize that I'm using more complex words than usual.

Chapter 11: Forgiveness is the First Step of Acceptance

Noise filled the room as the doors slammed open to make way for the criminal who seemed to cause commotion wherever she went. Like a plague, the chattering grew so fast and loud that even the girl's footsteps could not be heard. Rumors and lies spread from one ear to the next, accumulating more and more fabrications as the chain continued on and on.

"I heard she ruthlessly forced the tea down his throat."

"How disgraceful!"

"I heard she just laughed and watched as he coughed up his innards."

"Peasants are never to be trusted!"

"Unbelievable!"

"I also heard that she stabbed him in his sleep."

"How horrible!"

"Devils like her deserve death!"

Whispers and insults engulfed the room in a suffocating fog, in which, ironically, didn't affect the victim: Saya. The girl, with two guards beside her, walked with her head high towards the center of the room and focused her attention on the grand emperor sitting before her. He looked much more serious than she had ever seen him before or maybe it was because she was in a rather more serious situation than ever before. She had never been so close to him, but she had seen him many times on different occasions.

The guards beside her suddenly bowed and Saya, a little surprised, looked around confused for a while, before suddenly understanding that she was in the presence of superiority and bowed her head in respect. One guard spoke.

"Your Majesty, I present to you Mu Saya, the accused of the poisoning of Vice-Secretary Ri Kouyuu of the Department of Civil Affairs," he stated in a loud and solid tone while keeping his head down. There was a sudden silence in which was a relief to Saya, whose ears had almost grown accustomed to the buzzing noise of the people around her.

The silence finally allowed the girl to observe the people around without being distracted. For some reason, the room looked awkward. It seemed unbalanced somehow. All the seats were filled with nobles dressed in dazzling robes who had angry eyes so piercing that Saya was surprised that they hadn't burned holes in her clothes yet. The emperor, garnished in a stunning combination of rich and vivid fabric, sat solemnly on his throne and beside him stood his aide, Tei Yuushun, and General Ran. On the other side of the throne stood...

That was it.

Ri Kouyuu was missing. The emperor had only two people by his left side. The unbalance of the room suddenly explained itself.

"Mu Saya," Ryuuki stated in a solid tone, "Is it true that you were present during the day Vice-Secretary Ri Kouyuu was poisoned?" A few mutters and whispers went around the room.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Saya answered, unfaltering. More noise suddenly broke out.

"Silence!" Yuushun called out with a flick of his fan. "His Majesty is speaking." The room abruptly quieted.

"Very well," the emperor replied. "Now is it true that you watched him as he fell to the ground and suffered an attack?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What did you do when you saw Ri Kouyuu collapse?"

"I... I do not really remember, Your Majesty; it was quite a shocking sight."

"Do you remember calling for aid?" Ryuuki asked and Saya paused before answering.

"... No." Gasps sounded everywhere and one of the officers stood.

"Clearly, Your Majesty, this girl is the culprit! Anyone with a right mind would have cried for help!" the officer spat and pointed an accusing finger towards the girl. "Only the culprit would have stood idly by and watched while Ri Kouyuu suffered in agony."

"Ouki-dono," Yuushun began, "Thank you for sharing your contemplations, but His Majesty's decision is final. Please keep your judgment to yourself." The officer muttered something under his breath before reluctantly taking his seat. "Please continue, Your Majesty."

"Did you or did you not poison Ri Kouyuu?" the emperor interrogated.

"...I did not, Your Majesty," answered Saya.

"Lies!" came a harsh whisper from the girl's left side. She craned her neck a little and saw Kou Reishin's sharp eyes fixed upon her. There was a long awkward silence as Ryuuki closed his eyes and searched his mind for an answer. After much consideration, he opened his eyes at last.

"We, the Emperor, have come to a conclusion," he declared as hundreds of eager eyes smiled upon him. "We have decided that if no definite evidence of this crime is presented to us, Mu Saya will be declared innocent." Commotion swallowed up the room like a fire.

"Impossible!"

"What proof does Your Majesty require?"

"Guilty! Guilty!"

"This girl is anything but innocent!"

"We cannot allow such a dangerous delinquent amongst us!"

"She is absolutely guilty!"

"SILENCE!" boomed Tei Yuushun as he advanced and stared down at the officials with cold orbs of gold. "Unless there is irrefutable proof that Mu Saya is indeed the culprit, she cannot be declared guilty." The room became engulfed in a conflagration of furious voices. Saya shut them all out and watched Ran Shuuei with his calm demeanor for comfort. At the moment, the emperor and he seemed so sophisticated and composed compared to the officials who seemed to be fighting over whose voices were the loudest or whose insults were the most harmful. Staring at their tranquil faces was all she could do to retain a clear mind as the wildfire spread out from the center of the room and licked its way to the very corners.

"I suggest we bring Ri-dono here to testify!"

"Yes, agreed! Ri-dono would be proof!"

"Definitely!"

"Let us bring him here and have him identify his killer!"

"Indeed!"

A moment later, cries for the vice-secretary broke out. Reishin was shocked since he was one of the few who knew how weak Kouyuu still was. He wasn't even sure if his son could stand up, much less walk to the courtroom and testify without collapsing. He contemplated about what would be the best course of action. Summoning Kouyuu may be the key to having Saya executed, but Reishin didn't know if he was well enough accuse her. But, he thought, a single accusation could suffice. Everyone believes that she is the culprit so just his acknowledgement of her criminal activity should be enough. The head of the Kou clan looked up in time to see the emperor's hand lift from the arm of his throne in which smothered the fire instantly.

"We understand that it is desired for Ri Kouyuu to be summoned," Ryuuki spoke, "However, I'm afraid his condition does not permit this. As you can all see, he is not by our side today." Saya heard quiet chatter from both sides. Then, to her dismay, Kou Reishin stood up.

"Your Majesty," he began. "Although Kouyuu is still frail, he is healthy of mind. He is no longer in a fragile condition and I believe he is well enough to testify." Behind his stoic veneer, Saya knew he was grinning. This was it. She cringed as she knew that the summoning of Kouyuu would lead to her doom. Not only would he point her out as the criminal, he could also fabricate whatever he wanted and the rest of the court would believe him. The emperor looked a bit troubled, although Saya didn't know what could possibly be troubling him... or was that a look of perplexity?

"Very well," Ryuuki accorded and motioned to the two guards that had brought Saya in earlier. "Bring Ri Kouyuu to us and inform him that he is to testify about this case." The two bowed and immediately exited the room. The head of the Kou clan sat down in which began an awkward silence.

Saya gulped as she felt hundreds of devious eyes staring knives at her. For once, she was afraid. But afraid of what, she was not so sure. Was it death? No, she wasn't afraid of death. Was it the fate of her family? Perhaps, since after her death, no one would be left to take care of her mother and her brother. Saya felt a sudden chill and shivered. Why am I so cold?, she wondered as she hadn't noticed any gaps in the room that air could seep through.

"You may all converse amongst yourselves, if you please, while we are waiting," Ryuuki said, obviously uncomfortable with complete silence. However, with silence or no silence, Saya was still trapped deep within her thoughts. If I were to die... what would the best way be to die? She thought about being hanged or beheaded, but either one didn't seem very pleasant. Then, she laughed to herself. I should have taken some of that poison from Ri-sama when he still had some... too late now... It was long before the doors slammed open and three figures entered the room. Grins crept onto the faces of many.

The two guards supported the young man by holding him under his arms. With weak muscles, he shook violently with every step and his knees buckled beneath his weight every now and then. Reishin frowned a bit at the feebleness of his son. Saya turned and gazed upon the young man 

she felt she had not seen for a long time... or the young man she had never seen before. He appeared so different with his pallid, thin face and he was usually so obstinate and irascible, it was frightening to see him being so heavily supported by two guards.

"Vice-Secretary Ri Kouyuu," the emperor stated, "we have summoned you to the court in order to identify the criminal. Is Mu Saya the one who poisoned you?" Kouyuu looked at the girl and his face formed a pained expression. Saya saw the light of his eyes and knew what he was going to say. She hadn't expected this to happen, but now she was trying to accept it.

"No, Your Majesty."

Or rather, she had thought she knew what he was going to say.

The onlookers expressed their shock in an almost synchronized gasp. No of them, including Saya, could believe what Kouyuu had just said.

"Are you certain?" Ryuuki asked, a little surprised himself.

"Yes," the Vice-Secretary answered. "S-she only carried the tea to me when I was parched. She did n-nothing else with it."

"I disagree with Ri Kouyuu-dono's assumption," Ouki suddenly cried as he rose from his seat. "He may not have seen her place the poison in his tea, but she could have done the malicious deed in the kitchen or even prior to that. She had many chances!" A few people mumbled to one another around him. "And also, another point to bring up, why didn't she taste to tea before Kouyuu ever laid his lips on that teacup?" Several voices arose now and apparently, his point sparked a lot of people's interests.

"Yes, yes, why didn't she?"

"It's the most fundamental job for a servant!"

"A servant must protect its master!"

"What a despicable child! Poisoning him when his guard was down!"

"Taking advantage of Ri-dono's trust. Savage!"

Saya was still too baffled to pay attention to the others with why Kouyuu, out of all people, had stood up for her. Why? I'm as good as guilty for not tasting his tea! She suddenly remembered Shuurei's warning to her long ago.

"Remember, a servant of the palace must do his or her best to protect the people of the palace. You must act as their shield and you are a failure if the person you are protecting is harmed. Your responsibility is great."

She had merely waved away at those words and now, she felt remorse for not having listened closely. She watched as Kouyuu panted and shook. It was almost as if those few sentences he had spoken had sucked the life out of him. He looked as if he was about to faint. But to her surprise, he raised his head and spoke.

"She did taste my tea. I saw her do it, Your Majesty," he testified and the whole room became enveloped in silence again. Reishin's countenance could not unfrown itself. "She is just... quite immune to this type of poison. S- she might have come in contact with similar poisons before." He glanced back at her. "Do you?"

"I- I do," Saya stammered, but more from surprise than from fear. Hisses of hostility snaked their way amongst the people. She began to play with her hands and tried to think of something persuasive. This was her chance. She wasn't going to let Kouyuu's efforts, although seemingly strange, go to waste. Idealess, she tried staring at her hands and began to think of-

Her hands.

"I- I have proof," she said as she raised the palm of her hand. "I am immune to this poison in that it has no fatal effects on me, but when I touched the tea, rashes grew on my hands. However, I do not know much about medicine so I was afraid to bring up this topic. I did not know why my body did not react violently to the poison." The case had evidently taken a turn and the emperor closed his eyes. He leaned back in his throne and inhaled.

"We, the Emperor, have come to a decision." he said as he opened his eyes. "And we declare Mu Saya... innocent." The court was speechless. There was nothing else to say. "However, as punishment for her carelessness and for all the trouble she has caused, inside and outside of this case, she will be demoted from a personal servant for the Civil Affairs Department to the maintenance staff of the palace." He scanned the room to see in anyone had any objections. "Without further ado, this court is dismissed."

"Saya was declared innocent? That's wonderful!" Shuurei exclaimed and nearly dropped the vegetables she was washing.

"Yes, I heard it was quite a tedious case," Seiran replied, "People wouldn't stop interrupting one another and almost all of them wanted her guilty."

"Well, I would see why, though," she said, "She's really not the most well-liked person in the palace... no, that's an understatement. She's almost not well-liked at all."

"Ran-shogun seems to like her for some strange reason though."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know myself," Seiran admitted as he shrugged. "I asked him and he said, 'She's got something' and that was it."

"Is it true that she got demoted?"

"Yes, she's going to be cleaning up the lavatories much like you did a long while back." He laughed a little. "But I'm still clueless on why Ri-dono helped her."

"Helped her?"

"No, not only helped her. He was basically the whole reason why Saya won't be executed. He protected her by lying."

"How do you know he lied?"

"Everyone knows he lied. They just don't want to say it aloud since they respect Ri-dono," he explained. "But nobody knows the reason why. They believe she threatened him, but I doubt it."

"Why so?"

"It just... doesn't seem like her style. Plus, Ri-dono is as stubborn as a mule." The two of them chuckled.

"Yes, well, I do hope she doesn't cause any more trouble," Shuurei said. "Or I'll regret ever bringing her into the palace." She began to rinse the cabbage. "I'm happy Ryuuki is so tolerant. You would think he has had enough of her." The topic of the emperor made Seiran uncomfortable. He suddenly remembered what he said to her yesterday... and what he did.

"...Yeah," he replied with a flushed face. "I'm... going to get a little fresh air, okay? I'll come back and help you later."

"Okay," Shuurei said as she turned off the water.

"If he was so fatigued, why did you bring him to the court?" Reishin inquired indignantly outside the room of his resting son. "He could hardly stand!"

"We apologize, Danna-sama, but Ri-dono insisted," the guard said as he bowed in confession. "Well, actually, he would have been much healthier if we hadn't found him in the state he was in."

"'The state he was in'?" questioned Reishin. "What do you mean?"

"Ri-dono was not resting in his room as we had expected. We actually found him collapsed about thirty meters away from the prison."

"The prison? Why was he in such proximity of that terrible place?"

"We do not know, nor did we ask the prison guards. We actually considered taking him back to his room, but he told us he wanted to go to the court and testify."

"He said that?"

"Yes, he said he wanted to protect someone from getting hurt."

"Hmph," grunted Reishin as he turned his back towards the guard. "Very well. You are dismissed." The guard bowed again before taking his leave. The high official then entered the chamber of his son and watched his slightly labored breathing. "Foolish child," he hissed. "Foolish, foolish, foolish..."

"You will be released when the Emperor has given his permission," the prison guard told Saya as he escorted her into her cell. "Until then, you must remain here."

"I understand," she replied. She scanned her cell in which she had grown accustomed to; her cell felt like her own private room now. But something in the corner caught her eye.

"Oh, also, Ri-dono came to visit while you were at the court. He brought something for you." The guard continued talking, but Saya didn't hear the rest of it. She was already walking towards the corner and found that the vice-secretary had left an orange and a piece of paper. It had beautiful writing on it, definitely written by one with a skilled hand. She thought it looked more of a picture than words.

Suddenly, she heard the crash of her prison door and the clattering of the guard's boots.

"Wait!" she called and the guard turned. She ran to the bars of the cell and stuck the piece of paper through one of the gaps. "Can you read this for me?" He reluctantly took the paper and studied it.

"Forgiveness is the first step of acceptance," he read. "I will forgive you only if you will forgive me. Ri Kouyuu." He handed the paper back to her and she almost dropped it out of shock.

Saya couldn't believe it. Why... why would he be asking for my forgiveness?, she wondered as she stared at the letter and traced the gorgeous characters with her fingers. Shouldn't he be infuriated? She sat down and leaned against the cold, stone wall and "reread" the letter over and over again to herself. Saya was trapped in a little world that excluded the laughter and shouts of the prison guard, the chilling wind that blew through the small window up above, and the roughness of the straw beneath her. This was the first letter in a long time she had ever received. She imagined him writing it, carefully creating stroke after stroke even for a lowly creature such as her. She imagined his voice speaking to her through every phrase, every character, every dab of ink. Taking the orange in her hands, she began to peel as she continued to admire the piece of art.

He is kind. I hope he will forgive me.

A/N: I apologize that this chapter took so long! I am working on another story as well so sometimes it is hard for me to sit down, reread what I have written, and then write the rest. I have been falling behind in Saiunkoku Monogatari lately because I just don't seem to have the time to watch it. I hope this will change soon so I can write more. But thanks to all of you who have supported me all the way! Remember, I write for my readers so if there is anything you would like to point out, please notify me!

Also, I'd like to point out that the last sentence of the chapter forshadows something that is to come. So basically, it has more of a meaning than it seems to have.