Ryoko moaned as she felt a stinging pain in her head; her eyelids fluttered open, but what met her sights was only darkness. Where am I? She wondered. As she reached her hand out to rub her eyes, a clinging sound resonated in her ears, followed by a tug on her wrist. Her head whipped around, only to see her wrists chained to the wall.

Alarm seized her, but she soon calmed her racing heartbeat.

Oh, yes... she then thought sarcastically, I was captured.

Creak—

The door stood ajar; a beam of light lit up the small empty room. Ryoko squinted instinctively against the sudden brightness as a figure appeared in the doorway. A woman...? Ryoko mused; the figure had beautiful flowing hair, clear azure orbs and a seemingly serene smile on her face. Who is she?

"Have you woken up, Lady Echizen Ryoko?" the woman asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Who are you?" Ryoko asked coldly, pulling at the chains around her wrists, "And what do you want?"

"Who am I?" the figure approached the desperate girl, running a hand through her own hair, "Why, have you forgotten me already?" she let out a quiet chuckle, "I am the second child of the Imperial official, Fujiwara-dono."

"Second child... of the Imperial official...?" Ryoko stared at the figure, stupefied, "...Fujiwara Syuusuke? Who has been sent to exile?"

He's Fujiwara's second son? Ryoko's eyes widened in utter bafflement, he... he's a man? She had been captivated by his feminine features, thinking that he was a woman indeed, but what a beautiful man... a tint of pink crawled across Ryoko's cheeks. Fuji's mellifluous voice soon interrupted her chain of thoughts and pulled her back to reality, where up until now, Ryoko had failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation.

"Pfft, you're a wonderful masterpiece," Fuji bent down and ran his finger along her chin, "Such beauty... tsk, what a waste."

Ryoko jerked her head back, "Your father was corrupt, he has betrayed the Emperor and brought disgrace to the Fujiwara Family, therefore as his son, you are tainted with the sins committed by your kin," she didn't bother to restrain her glare; the movements of her arms were restricted by the chains; but her trembling lips betrayed her fear, "What would a traitor like you want?"

The smile that adorned Fuji's delicate lips, seemingly innocent and silent, now appeared to be nasty and wicked. Ryoko couldn't help but recoil, withdrawing from the glint in the blue eyes that hid behind those dark eyelashes. She felt his fingers curl under her chin, tilting her head up, "Being the precious daughter of the domineering Echizen Clan as well as the treasured fiancée of imperious Atobe Clan... you're the perfect tool to enable me to regain power, don't you agree?"

Tool? Ryoko clenched her jaws in irritation.

"Oh, and," an amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "If you are not able to get to the marriage on time," Fuji leaned close, their noses only an inch away, "Then there might just be a tiny bit of conflict between your Clans, wouldn't there?"

"You—!" Ryoko wisely chose to bite her tongue before she said something deeply insulting; she realized her place, and she definitely wasn't ready to face the consequences.

"Nfufu," Fuji chuckled quietly, "I'm actually looking forward to this little clash, and it shall certainly entertain me. I'm sure it'll be interesting, very interesting indeed."

Ryoko refused to let Fuji's provoking words annoy her; surely her father shall soon realize that she was in danger and probably set up a search party with the Atobe Clan. The corner of her trembling lips curved up slightly, "You're too naive, Fujiwara." She might have sounded more convincing had she not stammered so.

"Hnn? Me? Naive?" Fuji stroked her cheek, laughing, "Oh no, my princess, the naive one is you," his words a muffled whisper as he covered the girl's lips with his own.

"Nn—!" Ryoko tried to raise her arms instinctively, but her hands were stopped in midair by the jangling strand of metal, "No—" she managed to get out before her lips were caressed yet again by those of the devilish being in front of her.

Horror gripped her body and panic seized her mind; Ryoko could only moan and yank at those chains desperately, but to no avail. Fuji smirked, putting a small distance between their faces, "It's no use," he licked her lips, "This frail body of yours would never be able to damage the chains."

Ryoko turned her head sideways, only to be tilted back to face the effeminate features of the man before her, who continued to devour the sweetness of her lips, "It would be a shame to let a work of fine beauty such as yourself to go to waste."

Ryoko squeezed her eyes shut and refused to display her fear; his breath felt hot against her skin, and she felt her own temperature beginning to rise as his tongue never ceased to provoke her senses. Her attempts failed as she slowly lost consciousness.

.x.o.x.o.x.

"How utterly unnerving," Fuji observed; he stood up and looked down upon the unconscious girl lying on the floor, he ran a hand through his silky hair as the visage of a certain bespectacled man flashed before him for a split second.

Fuji stepped out of the room, glancing back one last time before grinning in wicked amusement and closing the door behind him.

"Interests you?"

Fuji looked up, his everlasting smile adorning his lips again, "Been eavesdropping, Shiraishi?"

Shiraishi was leaning against the wall lazily, his bandaged arms folded across his chest. Eyes flashed with amusement, he ignored Fuji's inquiry, "Isn't it a bit cruel to lock her up in here?"

"Oh, not at all," Fuji replied, shifting to face the man before him, his revealed orbs reflecting the glint in Shiraishi's eyes, "Women like her should be treated with a bit cruelty to make them obedient."

"Sadistic as usual, aren't we?"

Fuji cast him a nonchalant look, "I'm sure that you're not here just for a pleasant chat?"

Shiraishi unfolded his arms and straightened himself, pulling out a scroll from the sleeve of his kimono, "Latest news from the Imperial capital."

Fuji accepted the scroll with a rigid expression, "Bad news?"

Shiraishi's eyes lost its playful glint as he glanced at the scroll, "Look for yourself."

Unfurling the scroll, Fuji quickly scanned over the paper, "The Imperiate is being overpowered?" his eyebrows crumpled together, "Things are getting troublesome now."

"It seems that the Fujiwara case has been revised," another figure stepped out from behind Shiraishi, his silver hair tied into a little tail behind his head.

Shiraishi let out a small sigh as he regarded Fuji with an observant eye, "And your plan to regain power?"

Fuji fell silent, he threw the scroll to the ground and a smirk tugged at his lips, "Saa..." he cast a glance back at the closed door behind him, "Don't forget, we do still have the ultimate weapon."

.x.o.x.o.x.

"What the devil...?!" never in her imperious life, had Echizen Ryoko ever grunted, but now she did; considering that she had never fainted either, nor had she ever been kidnapped, for that matter. Rubbing her temples slowly, Ryoko wondered with irritation just how long was she going to be trapped in this place.

A tempting aroma of food floated into her nostrils and she looked around for the source of the scent. The outline of an elegant figure was perceived in the darkness. Ryoko groaned inwardly.

"Ah... Lady Ryoko, you have awakened," came the rather mocking voice of Fujiwara Syuusuke. When he received only silence as a reply, Fuji continued, "I assume that you are hungry, having been unconscious for such a long time."

Ryoko bit back a retort as her stomach growled pathetically; her cheeks instantly turned into a lovely shade of red. However, despite her weakening body, Ryoko still refused to accept anything from the person before her, whether they were food, words or whatnot. She just turned her head around, attempting to deny the fact that she was in great need of the appetizing assortment before her.

"Even if I am famished, I wouldn't accept any sympathies from you," Ryoko mumbled, trying to keep a straight face in spite of her growing headache and her unfocused vision, and then she said in a louder voice, "I don't have any appetite."

"Now, now, don't be so stubborn," Fuji leaned in close to the girl, "I'm certain that if you don't consume something, your fragile body won't hold much longer."

"Well, I—" Ryoko began, but was interrupted by the caress of Fuji's slender finger on her lips.

"Nfu, then shall I take the pleasure in feeding you, my princess?"

His mouth felt hot on hers and Ryoko wondered sarcastically whether he was feeding her or himself. This time, she really didn't have the energy to fight back. Ryoko closed her eyes, irritated at the perplexed turmoil in her mind. Fuji took advantage of her parted lips and let his tongue roam into the hot cavern of her mouth. Ryoko bit back a whimper as he teased her tongue to the fullest.

Somewhere in the depths of her subconscious was telling her to push him away. But her chained hands that rested on his chest wouldn't listen; it wasn't like she could extend her arms any further anyway. She was slowly losing consciousness again, although her senses were still alert. She felt her muscles relax as the tight sash around her waist was loosened. It was when she felt a small chill on her shoulders that she fully realized what was happening.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" her eyes shot open, putting a little distance between them, but even this small movement sent her feeble muscles shrieking in protest. She quickly gathered her kimono and wrapped it back around her body.

"Tsk, tsk, what a shame," Fuji shook his head in mock exasperation, his lips still in a downward curve, "I was really enjoying it; you are the most succulent dessert I've had yet."

"Well, I wasn't enjoying it at all," Ryoko snapped, her cheeks still burning. Well, maybe she lied a bit on that matter. She rolled her eyes, so he was feeding himself after all.

Fuji's eyes glowed with mischief, edging closer to the frail girl, "You think I'm going to let my dessert escape, just like that?"

Ryoko gulped and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for what was coming. But nothing happened. Slowly, she raised her eyelids; her vision was greeted with two cerulean pools of amusement and a playful curve of rosy lips. Ryoko held her breath.

"Were you expecting something?" Fuji teased.

"N-No! Of course not," Ryoko protested, avoiding eye contact. Her clothing slipped off her body before Ryoko could make any movement. "You—" Flustered, Ryoko could only sit rigidly on her spot.

"Such beauty..." Fuji whispered again, his fingers trailing fire across her skin.

"No, don't...!" Ryoko grasped his slender fingers, but he merely ignored her and brushed her hand off. The wild clattering of chains echoed through the empty room, accompanied by the desperately stubborn commands of the bound girl.

Tempting complaints
Those scarlet lips

"Don't complain, Lady Ryoko," Fuji whispered into her ear, his breath caressing her bare skin, "Or I shall have to shut you up in my way."

Ryoko stiffened for a moment, forcing back the tears that threatened to spill out. The base of her neck was met with the touch of his tongue, the stroke of his lips. What was this feeling? This weird feeling... through the entangled emotions of fear, distress, and horror... deep within...

What is this tender feeling?
It changes colour every second
Forever and ever hold me in those hands with love