Title : Ryuki's Gift

Disclaimer : I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.

Rating : General

Genre : Humour

Warning : None

Notes : This is actually an epilogue to TAKEN COLD. On its own it is meaningless, if not gibberish! ^_^

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Ow!
Shuei groaned, missing the plush cushions of the Ran Manor. This was his first day back at work. The morning meeting with His Highness was alright, as the emperor's office mercifully had thin cushions on the bench next to the window, where Koyu and Shuei always sat.

This chair, however, is killing me!
Shuei carefully shifted himself, putting his weight on just one buttock. The left one, this time. In order to maintain this position, Shuei had to lean heavily on the left arm of his mahogany chair.

Shuei's military aide walked into the camp office to find Shuei in this awkward position. Shuei saw the amusement in the man's eyes, and flushed. Shuei was considering coming up with some sarcastic remark, but changed his mind. Even the sharpest of remarks cannot have the desired effect when slurred by a still partially-swollen tongue.

Shuei fumed silently as he waited for his aide to speak. From the moment he stepped (staggered) into camp, all the way while he was walking (hobbling) to his office, Shuei had met many such openly amused looks from his officers.

"General Ran, please step outside to receive a message from the emperor."

Shuei is of course aware that it is normal practice for all court officials to formally step out and kneel down to publicly receive the emperor's message. But Ryuki KNEW what state Shuei was in!
Curse you, Your Highness, why are you making me do this?

Outside in the open courtyard, the emperor's messenger waited, scroll in hand. Behind him, a younger eunuch held a large roundish object in his hands. Shuei's eyes scanned the courtyard lined with curious soldiers.
There are at least a hundred of them!

Shuei gritted his teeth and focused all of his iron discipline on executing a decent kneel.

The messenger read from the scroll.
"General Ran Shuei, We hope that Our gift will support you in your time of need."

The messenger folded the scroll and handed it to Shuei. He turned to take the emperor's gift from the younger eunuch, and formally presented it to Shuei.

Shuei stared at what was in the messenger's hands.
An exquisitely embroidered cushion in the shape of a donut.

The snicker started tentatively. It gathered momentum, and swelled around the courtyard.

Just you wait, Your Highness! I'm going to KILL you!

The End

Notes : The inspiration for the cushion came from the similarly-shaped one given to my sis after she underwent surgery for haemorroids.