A curse for my General   von Nalahime
                           (Ran Shuuei x Shi Ryuuki)
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                       Kapitel 1: A curse for my General
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There had to be a way! There just had to! But how?!
Shi Ryuuki - the emperor of Saiunkoku - ruffled his long, blond hair and hit his
head a few times on the table. Why him of all people?! Did his heart not belong
to Shuurei only?! But that feeling was definitely the same. Warm, fluffy and
secure. His heartbeat would race and his temperature rise in split seconds. He
was to hundred percent in love with him. But why was it him?
“I don´t know anymore! Or... Maybe it´s the name?! Do I have a fetish for
similar names?! Argh!”
He hit his head again against the table. 
“What are you doing, your majesty?”
Startled Ryuuki looked up and was relieved to see his older brother Seien, now
known as Seiran.
“Aniue! Is something the matter?”
“I´d rather asked you that. Your forehead is completely red. Doesn´t it
hurt?”
“Ahahah! Not really!”
He rubbed on his forehead and smiled.
“What is it, that bothers you so, Ryuuki?”
“Aniue...”
Touched looked Ryuuki into his brothers deep, green eyes and then shook his
head.
“It´s nothing. Just my usual stupid thinking over love.”
“Then you´re thinking about Shuurei again?”
“Well... Not exactly, no.”
The emperor averted his honey colored eyes. Seirans eyebrows went up a little in
surprise.
“You found someone else you love?”
Ryuuki jolted.
“Well... maybe. I´m not so sure yet...”
“If that would be the case you wouldn´t torture yourself over it like
this.”
Ryuuki became fidgety.
“So then... Who is it? A woman?”
He remained silent and looked at his hands. Seiran looked at him a little
surprised.
“It´s a man?!”
Ryuuki jolted again and looked apologizing up.
“Ryuuki... I know that you don´t dislike the same gender, but you fell for a
man after your persistent chase for my lady?!”
“I know, I know! It doesn´t make sense! I can´t even understand it myself! I
was already thinking that it was the fault of his name! Even so the letters are
different!”
“The name? Then who is it? Do I know him?!”
“Ehm, well... probably...”
“Ryuuki...! That means I definitely know him! Who...? No, wait! There is just
one person like that, that I know of! That can´t be! No way! Ryuuki, you can´t
be serious! Him?!”
“I know, Aniue... It´s horrible isn´t it? Of all the people in the world...
It´s him: General Ran Shuuei.”

He sneezed and looked around. Someone must have talked about him just now. He
shrugged is shoulders and went on. As so often did he walk down the street in
Kougarou -  the red light district of Kiyou. The only difference from usual was
that he wasn´t here for fun but for work. A thief who had stolen an important
key from the palace was seen around here and he, General Ran Shuuei, had to take
care of him. How annoying! He´d rather spent his time with one of those
beautiful ladies than to take care of a thief. But it was important and it was
on behalf of the emperor no less. The emperor... 
Shuuei sighed. Lately the emperor was purposefully avoiding him as good as he
could and he himself didn´t even know what the reason for that was. Had he
angered him somehow? No... If that would be the case he´d be doing something
else than his normal work right now. But what was it then? After that little
ride he had with his majesty to relax, he changed. But nothing had happened that
would initiate such a change in attitude. At least not that he knew of it...

“Ryuuki! Tell me what reason you have for thinking that you love that skirt
chaser!”
“Aniue... You don´t have to get so mad... Anyways, I kind of realized it when
Shuuei and I went to have a little ride on horseback to relax.”
“Alright, and what exactly happened?!”
“Well...”

That day the emperor had a very tiring day, so he went on a ride with the
general, as protection, to have a change of mood. They rode to the little
mountain that overviews the capital Kiyou and sat under a tree to rest. 
“Do you want to eat something, your majesty?”
“Yes, please. Thank you, Shuuei.”
They ate something, chatted a little with each other and laughed at their
inappropriate jokes until the emperor stood up to look at his city.
“The view from here is pretty nice, isn´t it your majesty?”
“Indeed, Shuuei. It would be nice if I could look at it every day.”
They were both silent for awhile until Ryuuki turned around and saw his general
lying under the tree with closed eyes. Now that he thought about it... Did he
ever see his general asleep? Ryuuki walked a little closer to get a better look
at him. 
Ran Shuuei had long eyelashes and smooth skin. His hair was a little bit loose
and fell into his face. It had a dark brown color and reminded one of trees or
autumn leafs.
“Shuuei...?”
Ryuuki slightly touched his cheek and turned startled away, when he noticed that
his general was merely resting his eyes.
“What is it, your majesty?”
Shuuei could not see his emperors face, which was flushed in embarrassment and
surprise.
“It´s nothing. I thought you were asleep, so I wanted to scold you.”

Seiran hit his hand against his head and sighed resigned. 
“That was it?”
“That was it. Aniue... I´m weird aren´t I?! I must go crazy!”
“It´s not that bad, Ryuuki.”
“But...”
“It´s alright. Maybe it´s just a little crush. If so, just confess and you
can get over Shuuei-dono.”
“Confess?! Are you trying to embarrass me for the rest of my life?! I´d
rather die than do so!”
“Don´t exaggerate like that. It´s not that bad.”
“But he has to be around me almost every day, Aniue! I´d be unable to stand
it! And he would definitely snicker behind my back! What should I do?!”
“Well, I can´t help you then, sorry. That is my only solution for you.”

After two weeks Ryuuki was still at point zero unable to find a solution for his
little love problem. And general Shuuei had a sore mood because of his emperors
attitude. Then one evening one of the elders Shao-Taishi came into the emperors
office and saw him deeply sighing.
“What is wrong, your majesty?”
Ryuuki looked up, desperate.
“Shao-Taishi... You are the only one left who could help me!”
Taishi chuckled and smiled.
“Now, now. Don´t exaggerate, Ryuuki-sama. Well then... Please explain your
problem to me.”
After he told him what tormented him so Taishi began to laugh.
“That is not funny at all!”
“My apologies, your majesty. But I must admit that Seiran-dono is quite right
about this. But I also see your point of view, Ryuuki-sama.”
“Yes, so? What should I do?”
“Well, how about you try out that vodoodoll I was mentioning before with
Shuurei-dono? But this time put a hair of the general inside and your feelings,
your majesty.”
“And then?”
“Just wait and see what happens.”
“That´s it?”
“That´s it.”
Ryuuki nodded.
“Fine! I´ll try it!”

The next day Ryuukis new vodoodoll arrived and he had just put one of Ran
Shuueis hair into it, when the person he was thinking of, knocked at the door
and entered.
Hurrying Ryuuki put the doll under himself to hide it. In that exact moment
Shuuei fell on the ground like pressed down by a heavy weight. Ryuukis eyes
became wide open.
“Are you alright, Shuuei?!”
“I- I´m not sure... I feel like someones sitting on me...”
“Sitting on you?”
Ryuuki stood up to help him, but the general stood already up on his own.
“Strange... It´s gone now!”
“Oh... What a relieve!”
He sat down again and Shuuei, too went down on the floor again. But this time
you could hear his back make a sound.
“Ouch!”
Ryuuki jumped up after realizing what the cause was. The vodoodoll! He sat on
it, so it must effect the general as well! The emperor ran to Shuuei who was
still on the ground because of the pain.
“Shuuei! I´m so sorry! I didn´t mean to hurt you!”
Ryuuki helped him up, the vodoodoll in hand.
“What?”
Shuuei looked at the doll, disbelieving. He pointed at it and stared.
“You don´t mean... You put a hair from me in that doll, your majesty?!”
He nodded apologizing.
“Do you hate me that much?”
“Of course not, Shuuei! It´s the opposite!”
“Well then, why would you curse me?”
“Curse you? I don´t understand!”
Shuuei sighed.
“Your majesty... those kinds of dolls are meant for curses, to harm the people
you hate. Normally you put a hair inside and then stick needles in it, so that
the wished person gets hurt.”
“What?! That old stinking racoon! He tricked me again!”
“Well then, your majesty. Why did you do that in the first place?”
“Ehm, well... I wanted to get my feelings across, without you ridiculing
me...”
Ryuuki looked embarrassed at the floor.
“Your feelings?”
Ryuuki nodded. 
“And what kind of feelings were those?”
Shuuei smiled at him teasingly.
“Well... That... I love... you...”
That came very quiet from the emperor.
Shuuei snickered, kissed him gently and then looked at him apologizing.
“I appreciate it, your majesty, but I think I have to decline. I´m sorry. But
if you ever come around those feelings I am more than open to keep you company
over night for fun.”
Ryuuki dropped his head.
“I thought so... You´re the type that only plays, after all...”
“I´m sorry!”
Gently he patted the emperors head and smiled warmly.
“But please don´t ever put a curse on me again, Ryuuki-sama! Or I quit my
service!”
Ryuuki nodded and both broke out in laughter.

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