Empire Prologue and Chapter 1 revision.

A warm breeze blew lightly through the room, bringing the sweet scent of spring with it. The two sleeping figures, smiled sweetly as they dreamed of the happy times they would have with a loving and caring son. They dreamed of running through the gardens and playing games with him as well as sitting down to afternoon picnics. A soft glow illuminating the room came from the robes of Tsukuyomi as he materialized in the room. Moving over to the two people asleep on the futon, he sat and watched them a few moments while holding a challis that would be the greatest gift to these two loving people. His sister Amaterasu had asked him to come here and prepare the way for her gift. As he thought about the trials these two would face he began to sing a sweet melody to the woman bringing her awake peacefully. the melody of the song still reverberating in the air keeping the man a sleep for a while longer, while he spoke with his wife, as he needed to work this just right.
“Greetings my child, I have come here to grant you a great gift from the goddess Amaterasu.” he said, as he held out the challis to her. “I need but a drop of your blood my child and then you will sleep for a while before I return.” The woman quietly brought her hand forward and allowed Tsukuyomi to gather a drop of blood from her finger. He then began singing again and she slowly fell back to sleep as he lowered her to the futon.
The man hearing the singing began to stir and slowly woke up. As he looked around the room he saw that his wife was safe and smiled before he noticed Tsukuyomi sitting next to the futon.
“Who are you and why have you come here?” The man asked with a look of confusion on his face.
“Relax my child, there is nothing to fear here. I have come at the bidding of my sister Amaterasu, the leader of the gods. She has bid me collect a drop of your blood for a gift she will be giving to you and your wife.” Tsukuyomi explained. The man nodded his head after he listened before raising his hand towards the challis. Once his hand was above the challis he felt a slight prick of his finger and watched as a drop of his blood fell within the cup. Smiling Tsukuyomi began once again to sing softly to the man and pushed him lightly back down on the futon softly.
“Sleep now for when you wake we will have much to discuss with each other. I will also have the gift I promised you from Amaterasu.”
After watching the man fall back to sleep Tsukuyomi placed his hands on the foreheads of both of them and gave them more dreams of the son they would soon have. When he saw them smile brightly, he vanished from the room to reappear in his sister’s palace in the heavens. Moving before the large dais in the main chamber Tsukuyomi bowed his head to Amaterasu.
“My sister I have done as you bade and gathered the drops of blood. Here is the challis containing the blood, they are both dreaming of the gift you have for them as we speak.” He said as he held out the challis to her. Taking the challis Amaterasu smiled down upon her brother and slowly pulled out a needle and pricked her finger allowing a drop of her blood to fall into the challis as well.
“Guardians bring forth your blessings upon this challis and mark it with your symbol binding your chosen one to this gift.” She said as she swirled the contents together.
As each of the twelve guardians came forth, she passed the challis to them so that they could bless the challis and place their symbol upon it. Once this was completed, she once again swirled the contents within the challis and smiled.
“Hachiman, I call you forth to bless this challis and mark it with your symbol. I would ask that you chose wisely the protectors of my gift to the world. They must be the finest warriors of all and remember they must be women that are bound only to my gift. No man is to touch them other then my gift.” She said as she passed the challis to Hachiman. Hachiman took the challis reverently and kissed it placing the symbol of a dove upon it, then gave his blessing to it.
“My Lady, I have blessed the challis and have chosen the twelve with care. They are all alive now and shall forever be bound to this gift. There is one that I may also choose later but her spirit is still too wild for now. I must wait and see what she does in the future before I grant her my mark. I understand that you only wanted twelve, but this one is of the same greatness as the others.’ he said, as he handed the challis back to her before turning and leaving the room as Amaterasu just shook her head. Once everyone had blessed the challis she poured a sweet liquid into it and then held it out to Tsukuyomi.
“Here my brother, take this challis back to my children, our descendants. Bid them drink of the challis with the woman drinking last she must drink everything that is left.”
Taking the challis Tsukuyomi disappeared from the palace and reappeared in the room with the two sleeping figures. Singing softly, he woke the two sleepers and waited for them to sit up and face him.
“Greetings once again my children, I need you to pay close attention to what I am about to ask you. This is of great importance to all in this world. First, Haru Tomogawa, do you swear to love and protect this gift that you are about to receive from Amaterasu?”
“I do.” Haru said.
“Then take this challis and drink from it. Partake of the gift granted you by the gods.” Tsukuyomi said as he held the challis out to Haru. Taking the challis Haru bowed his head and then with both his hands turned the challis as he would a teacup during a tea ceremony and drank from it. Then wiping the lip of the cup he passed it back to Tsukuyomi. After taking the challis back from Haru, Tsukuyomi then turned to Hikari,
“Hikari Tomogawa, do you swear to love and protect this gift that Amaterasu has granted you?”
“I do.” Hikari said with a smile on her face.
“Then take this challis and drink the rest of the contents.” He said as he passed it to her.
Taking the challis from Tsukuyomi, she bowed her head, following her husband’s example and drank from the challis. She drank the remainder of the contents with in the challis then wiped the lip of the cup before passing it back to Tsukuyomi. Placing the challis upon the floor next to him, Tsukuyomi then turned back to the two of them with a serious look on his face.
“Now my children, I have several things I need to talk with you about. First, the gift you two will be granted is a son. He will be a great man; however, he will be bound to twelve wives and twelve female guards. He will not be guarded by any males during his life. The female guards will all be marked by the symbol of a dove on their chest. You will need to look for these twelve female within the borders of Japan. Then you will need to make sure they are properly trained. One will come to you with in the next several months that will be their guide and teacher. He is a bit strange, but I have found that he is very capable of the job you need him to do.” Stopping he grabbed a drink from his robe and took a swallow of the liquid within it.
“My lord, I have lost two children already before they were born. I am afraid of losing another, as I am not sure I could handle it. Moreover, to say that he will have twelve wives, I mean it is not something done these days. How can we allow something like this, he will be laughed at by the world for having that many wives.” Hikari said a look of shock on her face.
“Do not worry Hikari, Amaterasu has granted you this gift and will ensure that you carry the child to full term and give birth to a healthy baby boy, and yes your son will have twelve wives. Do not worry yourselves about this, as it will not be of any great concern to the world in the coming future. The reason for this is that the world is about to face a great disaster, in which a great many lives will be lost. This will give your father a chance to take back control of the country. Then he can make the appropriate changes needed to protect the citizens of this country, that my parents built from drops of water. He will then take steps to close the borders of Japan to the rest of the world. A technology to keep out unwanted intrusions into your activities will be found within the next several weeks and developed. The Emperor will approach you about this and ask for your help. This must be in place by time the disaster comes, I cannot stress this enough.” Tsukuyomi said as he sat there and allowed them to contemplate what he was saying.
“Now let’s talk about what we really need you to do once Japan’s borders are closed. You will be able to direct technologies towards space exploration. These technologies will help to bring forth many changes that will benefit the people of Japan. You will be able to build spaceships that are superior to anyone else’s of the world, as well as build space stations. This will all be done without the rest of the world be able to find anything. Japan will be shrouded by Amaterasu; she will also hide the space station you will build.”
“My lord Tsukuyomi, we do not have the technology to do so. Our own space program is mired in debt and lack of technology. We have tried to launch our own space program but NASA has stopped us at every turn.” Haru said
“That is of no concern now. You do have the technology now for your own space program and without the rest of the world getting in the way of your development your country will be able to thrive. The money will come, with the end of the corrupt politicians in the Diet. This will be a great change to Japan and the future of the world. Have faith in yourselves and the people of Japan, you will be successful in your endeavors. For now, I have said enough, it is up to you and your father now. Amaterasu will be watching over you as will I. Remember protect your son, for he is the future of the world.” He said and then smiled at the two before disappearing from the room. Once he was gone Haru and Hikari turned to one another with smiles on their faces as the mixture of the challis worked its magic on their bodies.
Nine months later Hikari gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They named him Kenji and he was the pride of the royal family. The Japanese people rejoiced at the birth. The doctors were amazed when they saw the markings upon his chest. They saw each of the twelve guardian gods represented by the twelve zodiac symbols of Japan. They also saw the mark of Hachiman upon his chest and bowed their heads. Every attempt of a writer to say anything about Kenji ended in disaster as elements worked against the reports. Ultimately, people stopped trying to write about the young prince.
When Kenji was brought home, twelve little girls all between the age of five and seven, the tallest of which was Maki Takashi, greeted him. She was the first to touch Kenji and everyone marveled at what they saw when she did. Hachiman appeared as a shimmering and grabbed both their hands and placed them in each others. He then touched their brows and blessed them then turned to each of the other girls. Motioning to each of them he placed their hands in Kenji’s little baby hands and bound each one of them to him then vanished from the room. Everyone that witnessed the event was beside themselves in awe at the occurrence. The twelve little girls for their part had looks of pure bliss on their faces and vowed to the royal couple that they would give their very lives to protect their prince.
When Kenji turned two years old, the disaster that had been forecasted by Tsukuyomi happened. A giant asteroid brushed through the atmosphere of the earth killing billions of people and destroying much of civilization. The Japanese while not immune to this fared a little better. The world began joining together as the Emperor made his move and closed down the Diet and regained control of the country. This was the first time that the royal family truly controlled the power in Japan in its history. Japan had always had someone else ruling he real power of Japan while the Emperor was a ceremonial head. More like the chief priest of the Shinto religion and added legitimacy to the actual rulers. Over night, many things occurred within Japan but outside of Japan, a mist formed around the islands of Japan that no one could penetrate. No one knew where it came from and at the time, no one really cared as Emperor Takeru Tomogawa closed the borders of Japan and forced all the foreigners that were not married to a Japanese citizen out. The world was stunned by their actions, but where unable to do anything about it. While many of the foreign civilians begged to be allowed to stay, however, the emperor felt it to dangerous as he was not sure if any of them were spies. He assured them that when the boarders were opened again they would be allowed to return.
Amaterasu looked down upon her children almost every day and smiled when she saw what the Emperor was doing for all her children. She had finally found a champion for the people. Everyday she would look in on Kenji and give a blessing of warmth to him. He studied hard and worked even harder at his martial arts classes. When Kenji was five, he was stricken for the first time by the closeness of one of his chosen brides. He was out with his parents playing in the garden when he felt a sharp pain within his chest. As he grabbed his chest, he fell to the ground and passed out. His mother screamed and grabbed him up caring him to his room calling for the doctor. He laid there for days as the doctors try one test after another with no answers coming from them. Amaterasu wanted to intervene, but knew that they had to figure this one out on their own. What no one knew was that the cause of the entire incident was little five year old Keko. She was the first of his chosen wives and she had just happened to come and visit her sister on her birthday and also felt a pain in her chest, one of longing and pain. She followed her heart to find herself outside Kenji’s room; unfortunately, she was denied entrance into the room although she tried desperately to enter. She was constantly pulling at her shirt, as she could not get the pain in her chest to stop.
“Child, who are you and how did you get in here? Asked Hikari as she watched the child pulling at her shirt. Remembering what Tsukuyomi had said she pulled the child’s shirt off exposing the birthmark on her chest of a dragon. Hugging the child to her, she pushed people out of her way, not caring who it was. When she brought Keko in the room Keko immediately fought to get loose from the crown princess. Seeing the child struggle in her arms, Hikari set her down and watched as she ran straight to Kenji’s bedchamber. She threw herself at Kenji and wrapped her arms around him as he lay in the bed.
“I have found you, I have found you.” was all she said before Hikari witnessed her passing out as well. Then a golden light filled the room as it surrounded the two of them. Sitting on the floor, she felt the warmth of the light fill her, knowing that everything was going to be all right. It seemed like an eternity before both Keko and Kenji opened their eyes. They began running their mouths as if they had been together their entire lives and only looked to Hikari when they heard her crying.
“Mother, are you alright? Why are you crying mama? Are you ok my lady?” asked the two bewildered children not understanding why anyone would cry at a glorious time like now. Wrapping her arms around the two Hikari just let the tears flow down her face as she pulled them tight against her.
“Yes my children, I am fine. I am extremely happy that Kenji is healthy and also for him finding you child. You are his first wife and will be a member of our family from now on. Now the most important question is who are you child.”
“Mother this is Keko she is the chosen of the dragon. She is the same age as I am her birthday is today and she is Maki’s sister.” Kenji answered as he looked into his mother’s eyes.
“Is it now, well then I think we need to hold a party. The best birthday party we can for your wife’s birthday.” Hikari said as she stood up and carried both children out into the main sitting lounge where she found Kenji’s father and all the young royal guards. “Maki my child it seems that your sister is going to be joining us here in the palace she is Kenji’s first wife. Now run along and find me the cook. We are going to have a birthday party for your sister.”
“Yes mistress.” was all Maki said as she ran out of the room to go fetch the cook.
Over the next sixteen years, Japan developed a massive space program, as well as improving the lives of their citizens. With the Diet no longer in power and strict controls of government official by the Emperor, the people of Japan were finally able to have their grievances heard and responded to in a manner that showed them that the royal family truly cared for their safety and future. The first representative of the Inu people was placed as the prime minister of the Emperor’s cabinet. The Japanese people as a whole had long persecuted the Inu people. They were one of the first people on the islands and had deep ties to the land and gods.
Kenji, Keko and the twelve royal guards grew up and attended the Japanese space fleet, after Kenji and Keko had turned twelve years old. They were far ahead of their piers in their studies and moved swiftly through their education. Once the group entered the academy, they worked hard to graduate at the top of their class. Their lives were hard, but they prevailed as Kenji graduated at the top of his class. Upon graduation they all traveled back to the palace together thinking they would now go on to fleet service in the JSF (Japanese Space Fleet), unfortunately, that was not to happen. The crown Prince and Princess sat both Kenji and Keko down. “You two must leave the country now and go attend the World Fleet Naval Academy. It is important that you go there and maintain a low profile as much as possible. You can not be the top graduate this time Kenji so even though you have gone through our training here, please remember that this is important.”
“I understand father, but why is this so important I mean we have not bothered with the outside world my entire life and now you are sending me and Keko out into it to study with them. I mean how are we going to get there and what do we say?” Kenji asked.
“You do not need to say anything and you are not to tell anyone who you really are. I can not stress this point enough.” Said Hikari closing the distance between her and Kenji.
“Alright mother we will do as you say and go. I must say that I will miss you all very much.” Kenji said as he stood up and bowed to his parents.
It took several months for them to get everything taken care of before they were on their way to the World Fleet Naval Academy.

Chapter 1

Amaterasu looked down upon the parade grounds, where her chosen gift to mankind was seated, listening to the various graduation speeches. As he sat there he could feel the warmth of Amaterasu’s gaze upon his skin and smiled softy to himself as he let his mind wonder over the past four years of his life. The World Fleet Naval Academy had shown him a different way of life as well as introduce him to different ways of thinking. Here he had met many different people from various countries; this led him to open his mind and heart to the concerns of other people outside of those in Japan. He learned that while some people prospered in the free world, many still suffered from poverty. This concept was foreign to him since Japan had closed off their borders to the world then had immediately set up programs to help the impoverished people of Japan. Over the past twenty years people’s lives in Japan had improved greatly. The politicians of the Diet were truly the only people in Japan to truly suffer from the many changes implemented by the Emperor. Emperor Takeru Tomogawa had put an end to their interference in the daily lives of the citizens. Technological discoveries had increased and improved the lives of the Japanese in ways that no one could have foreseen. Japan’s space program had benefited the most from these discoveries and was probably the best in the world with many new discoveries helping to improve their ships and lives. Kenji, and the love of his life, Keko Takashi had been tasked with coming to the academy to lead the way for the Japanese to enter back into the world.
They had faced many difficulties here and had to turn to each other for support. To be honest Kenji had almost told the people here to ‘go to hell’, fortunately; he was reminded by Keko that they must complete the training and work to prepare the way for the opening of Japan’s borders once again. The World Government had tried to force them to open their borders several times before Japan had come up with a type of shield that kept their borders secure from intrusion. Finally Kenji’s determination had paid off and now he was graduating with his fellow classmates. Most important of those was Keko, she had been his one true friend and companion throughout it all. He looked in the direction she was now and was unable to spot her from all the people in the way. She had been his rock to hold onto in times of great need as he had been for her. Together they had kept a low profile throughout their time here, avoiding attention whenever possible as they felt it was necessary to their survival.
Kenji’s parents were in fact the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan, Haru and Hikari Tomogawa. Now here they were graduating from the academy in the top 10 percent of their class having accomplished their mission to remain in the background of the powers to be. The only real aggravation to Kenji throughout his entire time at the academy was the pompous ass running his mouth on the podium, the so-called valedictorian. Kenji had to hold himself back numerous times to keep from outscoring this idiot and often turned to Keko for moral support, as he so wanted to put this person in his place. He hoped they would not be assigned to the same ship together as he just could not stand the idea of having to be around the person much.
As his mind wondered over the past four years, a smile spread across his face as he knew that he would be going to see his family soon and then report to his ship, although he had no clue which ship he would be going to as both Keko and he had yet to receive their orders for some reason. Catching the closing words of the speech Kenji once again focused on his surroundings and knew the speaker coming to the podium.
“This is it; we are going to be dismissed soon.” He whispered under his breath.
“Pip down Kenji, we are still cadets.” Muttered one of his best friends in the academy. Looking to his right with his eyes, he could just make out the rugged features of Tom Mason, his playful hazel eyes staring straight forward as his usual crooked smile was spread across his face.
“Tom, you are one sick individual. What have you done this time?” Kenji asked, knowing he really did not want to know the truth, but hell they were always interesting and for some reason could never be traced back to them.
“Wait and see my friend, wait and see.” Was all the response he got back.
“ACADEMY ATTENTION!!!!!” barked the commandant of the academy. “Ladies and gentleman, I give you the graduating class of 2045. These are some of the finest officers I have ever had the privilege of overseeing throughout my entire career. I cannot wait to see what bright futures stand before them. CLASS 2045 DISMISSED.” With that being said, the entire graduating class tossed their hats into the air for the most part. Kenji ignored the usual graduation celebration and moved through the crowed with grace and ease. He bobbed and weaved here and there to avoid getting an elbowed. He finally stopped when he saw Keko hugging one of their friends. As she turned towards him he could see her sparkling blue eyes, set amongst high cheek bones on a delicate face, her pert little smile growing even more when she spied him. Kenji was captivated by her as she walked slowly towards him, her swaying hips pulling at his loins as he took in every nuance of her being. Her firm breasts rising and falling with each breath she took. The crisp white officers uniform not hiding any part of her from his eyes. As she came close he wrapped his arms around her lifted her off her feet planting a passionate kiss on her lips not caring who saw them anymore as they were now graduates. Lowering her back down he hugged her tight to himself.
“We made it my love. We finally graduated this place and can now move on with our lives,” he said, as Keko looked deep into his eyes, the one man that had stolen her heart at such a young age and also the one man that she would give her life to protect.
“You have been and always will be my only love. I give thanks to, the sun goddess, Amaterasu everyday for bringing you into my life. I am only concerned that we have not received our orders yet. I hope they come soon enough.” She said, as they both noticed a group approaching them, something about their demeanor seemed out of place.
They recognized Commander Reilly their self-defense instructor leading the group of campus security. The both came to attention immediate and saluted the Commander as he came to a halt in front of the two.
“Well if it isn’t my two favorite students. I need you both to follow me and remain quiet until your are given permission to speak.”
“Aye Sir,” they said, after dropping the salute. Not bothering to say anything else at the time they followed the Commander as the security guards surrounded them and proceeded to the main administration building. The crowd of graduates all parted to make way for the group, as they heard silent whispers of what was going on and questions of who the two were in the middle of the group. Kenji looked unconcerned, he knew that if they had to both he and Keko could take all of these people down without breaking a sweat. They had after all been training in martial arts since they were five years old and the two of them were in fact the two top students of Master Kentaro, a man of few words, he could cause you so much pain without even touching you.
Entering the administration building, they were immediately herded towards the commandant’s office. Kenji noted the extra security around the commandant’s office and looked at Keko, his eyes telling her to remain calm, but to wait for his orders before doing anything as the entered the secretary’s office before being led into the commandant’s office. As they entered, they were immediately greeted with five figures behind the Commandants desk, one of which was Fleet Admiral Jennings sitting behind the desk. Both immediately stopped and saluted the fleet Admiral. Looking up from the documents he was reading Admiral Jennings saluted and then returned his attention to the documents in front of him. “Ensign Tomogawa, Ensign Takashi, it seems that the both of you have made it your mission to remain unnoticed during your time here at the academy. May I ask why you would do something like this? And please try not too fain ignorance I do so hate to play those types of games.” Said Admiral Jennings, without looking up from his reading.
Taking a quick glance at Keko, Kenji cleared his voice.
“Sir, the two of us decided that while we had a great opportunity to learn here we did not want to be at the top and draw any attention to ourselves. We have worked towards one goal and that was to graduate from the academy and move on to Fleet naval service.”
“Well, I will give you this much you had ninety-nine percent of the faculty and staff here fooled, that is all but Commander Reilly here. He figured out something was amiss your first year here as it was remarkably difficult for any of the upperclassman to haze either one of you. I can’t tell you how many times I was tripped as a plebe here and I know for a fact that neither one of you never met pavement once during your first year here. Then the two of you were able to remain under the radar of senior cadets for your second and third years here. That led us to look into a few more things and discovered that the both of you always scored a few points lower then the highest grade in the classes you took.” Admiral Jennings said, as he looked up at the two.
“Commander Reilly, what chances do you give my security guards here in taking these two down?” he asked as he kept his eye firmly on the two brand new ensigns before him. Commander Reilly just chuckled a moment before answering.
“Sorry sir, I would not advise it if I were you. These two are probably two of the most deadly people in the world today.”
“I see, is that true ensigns?” Asked the Admiral.
“No Sir.” Replied the two in unison.
“What, you do not think you could take them or that you are two of the most deadly people in the world today?”
Kenji smiled, “The later sir, I would never claim to be something I am not and I know for a fact that there are several individuals that I would not want to tangle with at anytime.” A deep laugh erupted from around the room as Admiral Jennings let loose with a roaring laugh.
“Perhaps you are afraid of your lovely wife then ensign.” Kenji stood there a second then looked Admiral Jennings straight in the eyes.
“I am not sure what you are talking about sir, I am not at this time married to anyone.”
“Well you might as well be married to ensign Takashi here, the two of you have followed every single rule of the academy regarding cadet conduct and although you shared a room with two other females, not once did you ever do anything that would violate your oath of honor here. However, it is clear that the two of you are deeply in love. It is also very apparent that separating the two of you would be very detrimental to you as well. The reason neither one of you has received your orders yet is due to the fact that we have been trying to figure out how to handle this situation.”
“I’m sorry sir I do not follow your meaning…” Kenji started to say but was cut off by Admiral Jennings upraised hand.
“Stand at ease ensigns, I am going to make everything clear to you in a moment or two. It seems that while you have both been working to graduate from the academy, Ensign Takashi has conducted herself more as a bodyguard in many situations then as a student and we are curious as to why she would do something like this. We know that the two of you were born in Japan and that you have signed non-disclosure agreements, which have been filed with the World Government, keeping us from asking you anything about your country. The problem we face now is that you are about to head off to space and we must ensure that you are working to protect the world. I cannot stress this enough as this is not a business to play games in. We must be able to depend on our officers to conduct themselves with honor and loyalty. Commander Reilly has personally vouched for the two of you and stated that he is willing to be assigned to any ship we send you to. So we have been searching around for a ship that will give you the best type of training as well as experience for promotion.” Standing Admiral Jennings walked around the desk to stand in front of the two and looked back and forth between them. Both Kenji and Keko knew when to keep quiet and wait. This was one of those times to do just that.
“Well I think I have just the ship for you two, you are hereby ordered to report to the Lincoln in two weeks for deployment on your first training mission as an officer in the World Fleet Space Navy.” Admiral Jennings informed the tow of them. Coming to attention both Kenji and Keko saluted the Admiral as smiles spread across their faces. “Aye sir!” stated the two then dropped the salute after Admiral Jennings.
“Just one more thing, who the hell are you two? I know the last name of Tomogawa very well and to be honest the likeness between you and the Emperor is just uncanny,” stated Admiral Jennings looking straight into Kenji’s eyes. Kenji did not even bat an eye as he stared back at the Admiral and held his tongue.
“Admiral we are just two brand new officers in the Fleet Space Navy sir.” Stated Keko, in a firm tone. Nodding his head Admiral Jennings sighed.
“Very well, carry on, I am sure that half of your friends are wondering why you were brought in by the guards. You may tell them that you were brought before the Fleet Admiral and assigned to fleet flag ship.”
“Aye Sir,” They said, as they both saluted then spun on their left heal and exited the office. Not even stopping until they were outside.
“Admiral you do realize that those two are both going to have a serious impact on the future of the fleet.” Stated Admiral Thomas from intelligence.
“John you really have no idea just how insufficient that statement really is. That young man is non-other then the son of the crown prince of Japan and the young woman is probably his future wife if my guess is not wrong. I am personal friends with his grandfather and father. Hell, I bounced his father on my knee when he was a kid and I can tell you that he is the spitting image of his mother. There are going to be a great many changes coming very soon, whether they are good or bad we will just have to wait and see. But one thing is for sure while they serve this fleet you will not find any better officers anywhere.” Stated Jennings as he sat down once again.
As Kenji and Keko walked across the quad to get their things from their room they looked at all the families gathered around their fellows graduates.
“Kenji just who is that man?” Asked Keko.
“He is a family friend and knows both my parents and grandparents. He knows exactly who I am. I am sure that part of the reason we are going to the flagship is greatly due to that fact more then anything else. But that does not matter right now, let’s get home.” he said as he looked at Keko once again a smile growing on his face that showed in his eyes. “He is right about one thing I think it is time that we get married. We should…………” Kenji was saying before grabbing his chest as he felt a searing pain as if his heart was on fire within him, causing him to stumble. Grabbing Kenji around the shoulders Keko could feel the sweat began to pour off his body soaking his cloths as she looked around to see if anyone had noticed the stumble and continued to move towards their dorm room. “How bad is it love? Can you make it to the room?”
“Not to bad, but I need to get out of sight before everyone takes note of us, and yes I can make it. It feels kind of like when I met you, but this time my heart feels like it is on fire. Can you see her yet?”
“No not yet but I am sure we will see her soon enough. She will be drawn to you so don’t worry, I can handle this, you just concentrate on getting to the room right now.”
Looking around Kenji could tell that he would not last too long before losing consciousness. His only thoughts at that time were on each step he took. He could hear the call of the birds as they floated on the afternoon breeze. The scent of the freshly cut grass invading his senses along with the smell of the flowers basking in the suns glow. The quad was a large area in the very center of the academy and today it was completely crowed with the graduates and their families. Everyone remained completely ignorant of the struggles that Kenji was going through as if the two of them were not even here. Keko’s eyes constantly scanned the crowd, looking for the one person that would bring peace to Kenji’s torture. Reaching the southwest corner of the quad, Keko could see the senior dorms and knew that they were almost to a safe place. She was not sure how much longer Kenji could hold out, but she was determined to get him there before he completely collapsed in front of everyone. The beauty of the senior dorm garden was lost to her at this time, her mind completely immersed on finding the woman that was to become Kenji’s second partner in life. This brought a mix of emotions to her heart as she thought about her life to this point. Her life had been full of great joy with Kenji and now she was about to have to share him with another woman. She had always known that she would been one of many woman that would be with Kenji, but she had hoped that she would have more time alone with him. Still she knew that she would be first and foremost amongst his wives. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye she looked to see a tall woman looking around the crowd as if lost, her uniform pressed crisply, the bars of a full Commander clear on her shoulder boards. Looking the woman over Keko could see the swell of the woman’s ample breast straining to escape her uniform, the design of the uniform hiding many of the woman’s assets except for her long legs. Her fiery red hair aglow in the sunlight cut short to curve around her full face. When the woman looked at them, it felt like a spark jumped between the two women, as if they were communicating with one another and then the woman was moving towards the two of them as if she was filled with purpose.
Kenji was oblivious to the woman as the world closed in around him. He was surprised when he felt the arms of someone else grabbing his right side and helping to hold him up.
“Ok I am not sure what is going on here, but for some reason I had a great desire to find him, do you mind telling me what is going on here Ensign?” Asked the redhead woman.
“Not just yet, we need to get him to our room before he completely collapses. I am not sure how much longer it will take these people to notice what is going on here. Kenji is barely holding on as it is, so we need to hurry and get him inside.” Snapped Keko not caring what rank the woman was. Growling low in her throat Commander Lisa Allen looked at Keko wanting to bark orders at her, but immediately swallowed her words the moment their eyes met. Something about this woman intrigued Lisa more then anyone she had ever met. There was power here in this woman and more then anything there was strength of heart.
“Right where to?” She asked as they continued to walk.
“We are on the first floor, third room on the right side.” stated Keko as they approached the dorm. Just then, a loud boom shook the air as green smoke poured out of the far left hand side of the dorm. People started to run in the direction of the sound and smoke completely ignoring the three of them. This brought tears of joy to Keko as she started to laugh knowing where the smoke was coming from.
“I tell you Tom is always at it, I wonder how long it will take to get the smell out of that room this time. Allen should have learned the last time, but oh well this will work for us just the same.” Keko commented as the two women assisted Kenji into the dorm.
As the two women entered the dorm, Kenji passed out, causing them to stumble slightly. Catching him, they moved quickly towards Kenji and Keko’s room and entered to find one of their roommates and her family in the room.
“Keko? What was that noise just now?” asked Sarah Thomas, as they entered the room. “Oh it was just Allen’s room again. Sorry to say this but I need everyone out of here right now. We need space here and there are just too many people in here. I am sorry Sarah but please could you guys step out for a bit we should be done here in about 30 minutes or so.” Said Keko, as she and Lisa laid Kenji on the lower bunk in the room.
“Oh gawd Keko, is he alright? I mean should I get a doctor or something?” asked Sarah Thomas as tears came to her eyes thinking about her friend passed out in front of her. “Don’t worry Sarah, everything will be fine, he just got light headed and passed out from running around to much. Just give us some space for a bit. I am sure that if anything goes wrong the Commander here will know what to do.” Said Keko, as she hugged her best friend.
Nodding her head Sarah ushered her family out of the room as Keko got a damp cloth from the head. Coming back from the head Keko watched as the last of the people left the room, leaving her, Kenji, and the red headed woman in the room alone. Motioning to the door Keko moved over to the lower bunk Kenji was lying on and started to take his uniform off of him not bothering to pay attention to see if the Commander was locking the room or not. Her only confirmation that she had indeed locked the door was the soft click as the lock moved into place.
“Alright, I have a lot to tell you and not much time to do it in, so first off let me see your birthmark. In addition, it would probably be good for us to get to know one another more formally. I am Ensign Keko Takashi, Princess of Japan, and first of his royal Highness, Prince Kenji Tomogawa wives. This information is to remain top secret until you are given permission to say anything, but you must know this information.” she said as she continued to remove Kenji’s clothing then turned to face the female Commander.
Looking the woman over Keko knew that the gods had chosen wisely as the woman made no snide remarks, but also did not just hop to when told to. “Ensign I am not sure what you think you are getting at…. Wait did you just say the prince and princess of Japan. I mean the real Japan, the one that has closed off its borders from the world and has not let anyone in in the past 20 years?” Lisa asked, as she just stood there staring at Kenji as he was disrobed by Keko. His muscular chest covered with sweat that glistened in the sunlight beaming in through the window in the room. She could feel her heart jump at the very sight of him, even more so as she allowed her eyes to travel his body finally resting on his manhood. She licked her lips a moment and moaned to herself before she pulled her eyes from it and allowed them to travel up his firm stomach and then stopped when she came to his chest again. It was then she caught the sight of the birthmark, very similar to her own, of a phoenix. She had always wondered why she was the only person she knew of that had a birthmark that looked like a phoenix.
“We don’t have time for this I need you to do as I say so that it does not take to much time for him to recover now get undressed and do as you are told,” barked Keko with her hands on her hips. Feeling like she had been smacked by Keko’s words Lisa automatically just started taking off her cloths not knowing why, but the idea of being naked with this man was just overwhelming for some reason her heart beating a million miles a minute.
“What is going on and why does he have the same birthmark as mine? Oh and by the way my name is Commander Lisa Allen and you should remember that from now on Ensign.” she stammered unable to really put any heat in her words at the moment as she removed her shirt and bra, her firm ample breasts were clear to see revealing the phoenix birthmark clearly visible between her supple mounds. The phoenix radiated a soft glow, the eyes of the phoenix burning with an inner heat that spread warmth throughout Lisa’s body and brought both joy and contentment to her mind. Before she knew it she was standing next to the bed naked willing to do whatever she had to do to be next to this man.
Looking at Lisa, Keko smiled as she studied Lisa’s body, she had long, firm legs. Her abdomen toned and soft, her breasts, supple and large, rising and falling with each breath she took, sparked heat with in her dragon birthmark filling her with warm and joy. It was at that moment that she saw the birthmark of the phoenix.
“Damn the phoenix this is not the place or time for this damn it, why now Kagutschi, we were almost out of here. Listen to me Lisa, when we are out of the public eye you will listen to me, as I am first; there is no exception to this rule unless we are working together. Outside I am subordinate to you and will always be respectful and obedient and will never carry any grudge about orders or details I have to follow, inside of our home. This is my promise to you as your sister and partner in our lives that are about to be joined from this day forward,” Keko said, as she removed her own top and bra to reveal the Dragon birthmark between her firm medium sized breasts. “As you can see I am also marked from birth. These birthmarks unite us with our husband who lies before you. We cannot go through the proper ceremony at this time so we will have to just bring him back easily. Do not worry, no one have a desire to come here right now because the gods Suijin and Kagutschi guard this room from any and all intrusions.” Keko reached out and pulled Lisa to her hugging her tightly, then stepped away from the bed to allow Lisa complete access to her one true love.
“Keko, I don’t understand, I feel like I have known him all my life, my heart swells as I look upon him.” Lisa softly spoke as she leaned over his body running her hands across the birthmark of the phoenix on his chest noting the other birthmarks covering his chest as well the Dragon glowing in a soft blue light as the phoenix burned with a fiery red light. She slowly crawled onto the bed and stopped before lying across Kenji. “What do I do? I mean I want to just take him and thrust him inside of me until we are both sated, but at the same time I am being held back. Please tell me what to do.” she said as she stared down at Kenji.
“For now just lay on is right side and place your left hand upon the mark of the phoenix on his chest.” Keko said as she finished getting undressed then crawled on the bed and laid down on his left side. Taking Kenji’s left hand, she placed it over the birthmark on Lisa’s chest. The warmth from Kenji’s body invading her senses as she could feel the pull of the joined bodies into the void with Kenji. Lisa also felt herself being pulled down into the void and felt at peace for the first time in her life.
No one else around except for her, Keko and Kenji the man she had always loved with every fiber of her being.
“Who are you? Have you come to take me home?” Ask the man lying with her on the water.
“Yes my love I have come to take you back to Keko and myself. I do have a few questions though.”
Kenji reached out and brushed his fingers through her hair as he stared into her beautiful emrald eyes that drew him in. The closer he looked at her he noticed the tiny details of her face, her sweet serene smile, the dimples on either side of her mouth, her high check bones adding a unique quality to her face and a rare beauty. He full lips begged to be kissed and he was all too willing to do so. As their lips touched, their minds were joined in an explosion of color and understanding. In a moment everything they wanted to know about each other was asked and answered without a word being said.
“What is this?” asked Lisa.
“This is the joining Lisa. You are the second woman to join me here and there will be others, but it will never change how I feel about you. I swear to be there for you and protect you from any harm. I will love you for all eternity.” Kenji whispered to her as their lips where but a breaths width away from one another. Then from out of nowhere, Kenji felt two more arms wrap around the pair as they floated in the void.
“Kenji my love I am filled with great joy at finding one of my sisters, but we can not complete the entire ceremony here we most move on and find a safe place to do a proper ceremony.” Lisa also felt Keko’s arms wrap around her “I welcome you as a sister, Lisa may you always find peace in your heart and know that we love you with all of our hearts.” Kenji laid on the bed watching the two women as they held onto each other while Lisa came down from her emotional high. The light playing across their bodies as the sweat glistened on Lisa’s body caused sparkles of light here and there.
“The both of you are so beautiful. I am truly blessed by the gods today.” He said as his breath calmed enough for him to speak again. “However, I think it would be wise for the three of us to get dressed and find some food. I for one am starving.” he said as he reached out and ran the fingers of his right hand along the curve of Lisa’s right breast causing her nipples to immediately go erect.
“Oh no fair, you are not allowed to do that while I am trying to calm down.” Lisa said as she playfully swatted his chest.
Keko just laughed “He has always been like that. The royal guards positively hate it when he gets in this mood. He is going to be a handful until we allow him to sate himself with us and believe me it will be quite a night”
Whipping her head around Lisa looked Keko straight in the eyes.
“Royal Guards?” Nodding her head Keko smiled.
“Yes they are probably the most dangerous females I know of and believe me they give me rum for my money every time I spar with them. And before you ask they are all female and only allowed to mate with Kenji. Although, they are probably going nuts right now as they have not seen him in four years, but let’s worry about that later. Sarah and her family will probably start to wonder why they do not have her things yet so we really need to get moving.” Lisa just nodded her head and slowly slid off of Kenji then moved to the head to clean up as Keko helped Kenji get up off the bed.
After cleaning themselves up and airing the room out the three gathered Kenji and Keko’s gear and left the room right as Sarah and her family came back to the room a look of confusion on their faces. Then they left the dorm when Lisa stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh shit my sister, I am sure she is freaking out about now wondering where I have gotten off to.”
Kenji held out his arm
“It is alright she is fine. Right now she is probably standing with a group of friends and is waiting for you to get back from the head.” Then the three headed off towards Lisa’s sisters last location. Lisa just shook her head and walked along a huge smile on her face. “This is really going to knock her for a loop, she has been bugging me to find a boyfriend for years now. I am just not sure she will understand everything about this. Oh yeah what ship are you two assigned to?” Lisa asked with a look of concern crossing Lisa’s face as she stared at the two of them.
“We are on the Lincoln after a two week leave.” Stated Kenji.
“Oh thank god, I was just assigned as chief engineer aboard the Lincoln. I am sure you will love her, she is the best ship in the fleet.” All talk ceased as they came upon a group of ensigns standing around talking with each other.
“Terry, do you have everything? I am ready to get something to eat; I also ran into these two and thought I would invite them along as they are going to be assigned to the Lincoln.” Turning Terry looked at the two individuals with her sister and smiled broadly.
“Good lord Lisa, You found two of my best friends here at the academy. Although I thought they were in deep trouble when all the guards and Commander Reilly showed up and escorted them off.” Terry said as she ran and hugged both Kenji and Keko.
“Oh yeah, we met with Fleet Admiral Jennings. He wanted to talk to us about our assignment to the Lincoln, seems that we stood out even though we tried not to.” Keko said as she hugged Terry back.
“Well everyone knows you two were the smartest cadets in the entire academy.” Terry said as she stood back and grabbed her duffel. Then waved goodbye to the rest of her friends. The four of them then headed off to find a nice place to eat, leaving the academy behind them as they faced forward towards the rest of their careers in the fleet. Laughing as they went, joking about this and that, not a care in the world to be seen amongst them.
After finding a nice place to eat, the four of them sat down and began reading the menu when a group of Asian women entered the restaurant. Looking around they spotted their intended target before moving towards the four officers sitting towards the back of the dining area. The maitre’d attempted to stop them but one of the women turned and looked straight into the man’s eyes.
“You really need to find something to do sir. We are just fine and know exactly where we are going. Do not concern yourself, we are not going to cause a disturbance, I hope” she said in broken English as her eyes lit up with mirth easily calming them man. Nodding his head he returned to his post as the women joined her companions as they approached Kenji. Kenji knew immediately that something was up when he saw Maki.
“Keko, something is up. I am not sure why, but your sister is here along with the rest of them.” He whispered as he watched Keko whip her head around and look straight into Maki’s eyes.
“It is good to see you Maki, but could you please explain yourself as to why you are here.” Keko said while she stood up and then bowed to her sister slightly. Maki came to a halt before her little sister and bowed formally.
“We have come to escort you and his highness back to Japan. The emperor wishes to see his son and has sent us to collect the two of you. Who are these foreigners with you?” Maki said in Japanese so as to not allow anyone to know what was being said. Kenji just listened in while quietly speaking with Lisa and Terry. Then turning his attention back to Maki he chuckled softly.
“Maki, you have always been one for formalities, but I am sure that my grandfather does not want this much attention being brought to me outside of Japan.” He also said in Japanese. As the rest of the woman surrounded the group at the table, it was at this time that Kenji finally noticed what the women were wearing and a look of wonder came to his eyes.
“What is going on Maki?” He asked as he starred into her eyes.
“There is no time to talk here in the open my Lord, we must get you back to Japan at once. Everything will be explained on the shuttle as we travel back. You need to come with us at once,” she said as she bowed even lower to him while he sat at the table.
Nodding his head he stood up and held his hand out to Lisa.
“It seems that we are wanted in my home. Come along and bring your sister with you, I am sure that this will be an eye opening experience for you as you will be the first outsiders to see Japan in 20 years.” He whispered to Lisa so as not to draw any attention to what was being said. As it was, everyone in the restaurant was starring at the group. Grabbing his wallet, he laid the appropriate amount of credits on the table then headed out of the restaurant, the four of them surrounded by the females.
“What is going on Kenji? I mean who are these people and why are they surrounding us like this?” Lisa asked as she held her sister close to her while they all followed Maki. Upon hearing the women speak to Kenji so informally all the females surrounding them turn at once towards Lisa.
“Watch how you speak to him woman, you have no right to address him in this manner.” Barked the tallest of the women her exotic looks and full figure hiding her true lethal potential. Stepping between the two, Kenji raised his hand and slapped the woman across the face, the anger clear in his eyes.
“You will mind your tongue Mia or I will remind you just who is who here. Do I make myself clear?” He snarled in Japanese as he turned once again towards Lisa.
“Do not mind her Lisa, she is a very fine woman and extremely protective of me. Sometimes I think she would eat anyone that comes near me if she thought she could get away with it.” He said as he could here the slight catch in Mai’s throat. Then spinning back around he pulled her into a deep hug and kissed her lips with a passion that only he could give her. She melted into him immediately, before once again standing on her own two feet then fell to her knees and bowed her head to the street.
“I am truly sorry my Lord, I lost my head and can not apologize enough for my behavior.” Mai stated crisply as she stayed there on the ground the appropriate amount of time before once again rising to her feet before the group began to move on again. No one said anything else throughout the entire time it took them to get to the shuttle and load on board.
Once on board, Keko showed Lisa and Terry around the shuttle as Kenji was taken to the bridge, if you could really call it a shuttle. It was more a small luxury yacht if anything at all. One hundred and fifty meters long and about thirty meters wide, it was one of the biggest vessels that could land on the ground from space. As he entered the bridge, Kenji smiled at the Captain of his personal guard and of his private shuttle.
“Maki it has been a while since I have seen you all. I have missed you all greatly, but I am still at a loss as to why you would come here especially in this ship.” He said as he wrapped his arms around the first woman to ever lay with him. She had been very tentative with him as they both had only had verbal instructions in the art of love and it had been a very special night for both of them. Leaning against Kenji, Maki placed a chased kiss against his lips as her arms surrounded the only man she would ever love.
“I have missed you greatly my Lord, you have been foremost in my thoughts and I was only to happy to be told to gather you and Keko and return to Japan. The only question I have is who those two women are with you?” She asked as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“The redheaded woman is Commander Lisa Allen and she is the Kagutschi’s chosen the phoenix, the other woman is her sister and only family, so she is coming along with us. Have Karen take a letter of non-disclosure to her and have her swear an oath of silence about what she is going to see,” Kenji said, as he stood there holding Maki. “In the mean time, I am hungry and we need to get going. Are we cleared to take off?” Maki stepped away from Kenji and turned to her bridge crew.
“Tomako, do we have clearance to take off?”
The diminutive woman sitting at the communications stationed smile up at the two.
“Yes ma’am, we have clearance. Also be aware that Fleet Naval intelligence is currently trying to set up a tracking system to follow us to Japan.” Chuckling, Kenji just nodded his head as he turned to look at the screen showing the landing field.
“It is only natural. Well Maki don’t worry about it they can not follow this ship so lets get underway shall we. And once that is done come to my cabin and fill me in on why you showed up so suddenly”
“Aye my Lord.” Was all Maki said as she began giving out orders to get underway. Kenji in the mean time left the bridge and headed back towards his personal cabin to take a bath and change cloths. On is way to his cabin he stopped by the galley and ordered a light dinner to be made up and laid out in the dinning room. As he entered his cabin, he found both Lisa and Keko sitting on the settees in the room lounging in bathing robes chatting easily with each other as if they had been friends for their entire life. Upon seeing him, they both came to their feet and bowed deeply towards him.
“Greetings my lord, your bath is prepared and we are at your service.” They said, Lisa’s wording a little broken as she was unfamiliar with talking this way. Smiling he walked over to the two and placed a kiss on each of their cheeks before turning towards the bathing area.
“You know a man could get used to this type of thing.” He said as he disappeared into the bathroom followed by the two women.
“I have to say I have never given a man a bath before, this should be quite interesting to say the least.” Lisa said, as she helped Keko strip the cloths off of Kenji and then took her own robe off. Kenji just chuckled as he sat down on the wooden stool before the shower head, the bath off to his right side full of steaming water promising a soothing soak once the washing was done. This surprised Lisa as she was heading towards the bath and just stopped in place.
“What is going on?” she asked, as she looked between the two other people in the room. Keko smiled as she held out her hands to Lisa.
“Well it seems that you have never been to a Japanese style bath before. Let this be your first lesson about your new home. In Japan, we first wash our bodies outside of the bathtub so that we can get all the dirt and soap off of us before we enter the bath. The bath is actually used to soak in and relax. We do not wash our bodies in the bath as it is not very sanitary for us,” Keko said, as she grabbed the shower head and handed it to Lisa, then grabbed a sponge and some soap and started getting the sponge lathered up.
Lisa took the shower head and began to run the water until she felt is was the right temperature and then started to water Kenji’s body down while Keko washed his body with the sponge. Lisa in the mean time also grabbed the shampoo and washed Kenji’s hair. Grabbing the wooden pail in front of Kenji, Keko began to rinse the suds off of him and the poured water over Lisa.
“Your turn to get washed up Lisa,” she said, as she watched Kenji stand and walk to the bath. The two women washed each other up and then joined Kenji in the bath sitting on either side of him. Lisa fanning herself as she sat there, the water temperature being something she was not used to herself.
It was at this time that there was a light knock on the door as it opened.
“Excuse me my Lord, but the galley says that lunch is done and they are waiting for you.” Said the woman standing at the door, her muscular form showing clearly in the tight ship suit she was wearing. Kenji smiled at the woman.
“Thank you Suzuka.” he responded as Maki entered the bathroom.
“Tell them we will be along in a bit Suzuka, I must inform our lord of the circumstances behind our arrival.”
“As you wish Maki,” She said, as she winked at Kenji then left the room. Seeing this Lisa was confused.
“Ok I think there are a few things that I am missing here. I think a good discussion would be in order here. Don’t you?” Lisa asked, as she looked between the two. Kenji held his hands up for everyone to be quiet and then looked to Maki.
“Ok let’s have it Maki, what is going on?” he asked, Maki just bowed and finished washing her body off before stepping into the bath and sitting on Kenji’s lap before leaning forward and kissing him deeply on the lips. Then leaning back she looked deep into his eyes.
“Your grandfather is very ill and has abdicated the throne to your father, therefore I was dispatched to come and get you so that you could return and stand as a witness to your father’s ascension on the throne and also take your place as the official crown prince.” She informed him before she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips again. Nodding his head, Kenji’s emotions were all over the place after hearing his grandfather was seriously ill. When he had left Japan his grandfather had been very healthy and full of life. Kenji sat there a while longer thinking of everything he had been through with his grandfather remembering all the good times they had together. Wrapping his arms around Maki, Kenji stood up and stepped out of the bath, grabbed a towel, and began drying himself off as the three women followed suit. Then he led the way into the cabin and moved towards the wardrobe. Maki stopped him before he could get to it and pushed him into a chair before she went a retrieved a yukata for him. Maki then assisted Kenji in getting dressed. He looked at Lisa standing only in a towel and felt his desire for her wanting to take her right then and there but there were things that needed to be explained before they arrived in Japan and he also needed time to sort out how he felt.
“Ok where to begin? I guess the best place is to start at the beginning. You have to understand that I bear thirteen birthmarks as you saw when you looked at my chest Lisa, twelve for the twelve individual wives that I will have and the thirteenth is tied to twelve other women. These other women are my personal guards that protect me twenty-four hours a day; Maki here is the Captain of my personal guard. Well, the problem lies in the fact that they are only loyal to me and may never know the touch of another man. This has been decreed by the sun goddess Amaterasu. No one has ever been able to clearly explain why, but that is besides the point as I love each of the women in my life, with you and Keko being foremost amongst them. I apparently have a destiny that I am to fulfill and all of you are to play a role in that destiny. You have the birthmark of the phoenix on your chest as I have, it is the symbol of Kagutschi, the god of fire in Japan. We were fated from birth to meet and fall in love. You are one of my soul mates. We will live very long lives and face many trials in our lifetime, but I wish for you to know one thing. When I pledged my undying love to you I meant every word of it.” He said as he finished dressing and slipped on his slippers before sitting back down.
“Ok, so you are the only love interest for twenty-four women and you are going to marry twelve of us. I mean, I understand having multiple wives as the number of women in the world today out number men four to one, but why twelve wives and then twelve other females?” She asked as she stood there still unsure of what to do. Keko grabbed Lisa’s hands with hers and pulled her close.
“Lisa, we are not sure, but it seems that the goddess Amaterasu wanted this to happen and there is nothing we can do right now but to just try to live with it. I know what you are feeling right now, as I felt the same way when I first met Kenji only we were five years old when that happened. And believe me we were extremely confused at the time. No one knew what was going on while Kenji lay in bed for several days in a state of unconsciousness. Everyone tried to keep me from entering the room it was not until his mother noticed the way I kept grabbing my chest that she pulled my shirt off and noticed my birthmark. When I was finally able to touch his dragon mark my heart felt complete and he was able to wake up. At first it was just simply the two of us constantly playing with each other when we were not training or in school. Kenji fell unconscious once again after I had my first period and I was drawn to him even stronger. This is when we finally had the true ceremony of binding. You see for us wives we are not truly bound to Kenji until we share our bodies with him during the act of sex. It was after he had had sex with my sister, I was so confused and angry when my sister told me she was his first partner and also would be there during the ceremony as she was to guard us during that time. She had to basically explain everything to me. It was so embarrassing for me and then I found out about the twelve guards, man was that a shock.” She said, as she sat down on the bed.
Lisa just stood there not sure how to take what she had just heard but there was no doubt in her mind that she loved this man with every fiber of her being and would follow him to hell and back if he said so. She grabbed the outfit that Maki held out for her after she was dressed.
“I guess there is a great many things I need to learn, but for now let’s eat.” Lisa said as she turned towards the door. Maki stood up and stopped her before she left.
“I must explain one more thing to you before you go. While we of the guard are lovers of his highness, we will never interfere with family politics. We love him as much as you do and will defend you as much as him, but please understand that we will always defend him first and foremost. In addition, you may never interfere with our jobs. We take it very seriously and always will.” Nodding her head Lisa could see the love in Maki’s eyes for Kenji and understood.
“I am grateful for your explanation and I thank you for any protection you give me. Please just call me Lisa.” Nodding her head Maki looked to Kenji who also nodded his head.
“Very well Lisa, I am Maki, now I am sure our lord is hungry shall we?”
The four of them left the room and entered the dining area where everyone else was standing around the table with four seats still open. All the women where dressed in ship suits except for Terry who was wearing a yukata as well. Nodding to each of the women, Kenji took his place at the head of the table then sat down crossing his legs as the rest of the women began sitting down on their knees. Then the meal was brought in on separate trays for each person in the room. The room filled with light conversation as the women ate their meal. Kenji watched them all not saying a word until the last part of the meal was brought in. Then looking around at each woman in the room Kenji smiled and cleared his throat, which brought complete silence to the room. Reaching out Kenji flicked a switch on the table and opened a ship wide channel.
“Greetings to all, we have been separated for four long years and I am sure that you have missed Keko and myself as much as we have missed you. However, I do have an important message for all of you. I have met the phoenix and she has joined the family, she and her sister are with us here and we need not worry about them saying anything to anyone outside of Japan. The usual protocols will be in effect once we have landed in Japan so remember that while I love each and every one of you I will not hesitate to correct you as is expected of me. After all I am the Prince of Japan, the honor of the Empire resides within my body and I would rather die then dishonor the Tomogawa clan or the empire itself. To the Emperor and the empire, may we serve them with strength and honor,” Kenji said, as he raised his cup of sake and drank it down in one swallow. The woman around the table followed suit, raised their cups, and drank with him as they all stated
“To the Emperor and the empire.” Only Terry did not say anything as she was unsure of what was going on completely.
“Lisa what the hell is going on here? I am completely lost here. While I am pleased to be able to see Japan and all that. I am even more pleased to spend time with you and my friends. I have signed more documents and secrecy forms then I have ever seen in my life that includes all the documents I signed at the academy. In doing all of this no one has explained to me why I am doing it” Kenji smiled at Terry, and then held his hand up.
“Terry, I am sorry that we have not been able to tell you everything, but the truth is that we have had to keep quiet ourselves about a great many things. We never imagined that you would become part of my family or that you would be dragged into all of this. However, I can tell you one thing everything you need to know will be explained to you in detail. For now though please just bear with it all and enjoy yourself.” Nodding her head Terry looked to Lisa.
“Alright Kenji, as we have been friends for so long I will wait until everything is explained. Although I would like to know how it is I became part of your family.” Before Kenji could say anything Lisa spoke up.
“Terry, sweetheart, remember how you always asked about my birthmark and why you did not have one. Well Kenji has the mate of that birthmark and we are now bound together for life. I am happier then I have ever been in my life here with you and the love of my life. Everything will be alright.” listening to her sisters words Terry could tell that Lisa was truly happy and that brought a sense of relief to her as she sat there. Then understanding what her sister had just said dawned on her and she squealed with delight. Nodding her head Terry stood up and grabbed the glass of wine in front of her.
“Then I will toast you and your new love may you find the happiness that you so deserve.” everyone stood up and grabbed their glasses and toasted the happy union.
It was at this time that Chihaiya entered the room and walked to the head of the table.
“My Lord we are going to be landing with in the hour you should probably prepare. I will ensure that the Commander is properly attired as well as her sister. Tomako will see to Keko’s needs.” Nodding his head Kenji smiled.
“Very well I will be in my cabin. Come along Maki and Suzuka.” He said as he turned and left the room with the two women following behind him as they were ordered.