[YUZUKI]
The ceremony was buzzing with life even as Ayami carried Yuzuki away like this woman was the one thing she cared about other than the fact that someone had managed to cross over to the abandoned Fukada pack.
There were so many pending questions, and Yuzuki could tell by the discomfort on Kujo's face even as the warrior followed them to Ayami's shelter.
It was crazy, truly, how things had changed, but Yuzuki knew it was time for her to condor other options that didn't put her or the people she cared about in jeopardy.
"Do you think this is normal?" Rinko scolded as they walked past the huge crowd. It was uncomfortable to even think of the tears they were getting. Thankfully, the moon was still not high up, so there wasn't that much visibility for them.
However, there was no denying that what everyone was seeing was a bit unhinged. This wasn't the plan. Then again, Rinko had learned to go with the flow whenever it came to Yuzuki.
She just hoped that the mad sun could somehow find it in her heart to stop putting herself in harm's way one too many times. This wasn't what she had wanted to wake up to, but then life with Yuzuki was an extreme sport in itself anyway.
"You tell me. You and your friend show up at the river, and suddenly, my best friend is swooning over a woman she doesn't even know. Then she sees you at the mating ball and goes insane over you.
"Next thing we know is we're saving her ass from an abandoned pack that she trespassed while having Ayami's scent all over her. What part of that is supposed to be normal, woman?" Kujo asked suspiciously.
Rinko knew that this was the end of this madness. They had so much to work through, so much to deal with, and if the Kurayami warriors saw them being hauled like that, it would probably cause trouble for them.
Then again, Yuzuki didn't seem to mind being carried around by Ayami. If anything, she had leaned in and was breathing the woman with a peach scent. It was somehow crazy because Ayami also said her scent was peaches.
Maybe this was just a coincidence, or this was just an elaborate plan by the moon goddess to get Yuzuki dead for good, seeing as she was so damn stubborn, no?
"You think I would want to be following you like a rabbit that doesn't know where it's headed? Girl, please," Rinko snorted like this was the most unbelievable thing they had to deal with. It was pointless at this point anyway, and Rinko was ready for anything.
Kujo stared at the woman who was supposed to be a servant.
Her tone had changed, almost like she was waiting for Kujo to do or say anything to her right now. It was a dangerous position for both of them, but Rinko had just had about enough of the madness in one night.
She wasn't sure what the hell happened.
But one thing she was sure of was that he was never leaving Yuzuki's side, no matter what she had to deal with, and if that included the glares from Kujo, who seemed to believe that Ayami was some sort of royalty, then she didn't mind.
This was, after all, a job for her.
A mission she couldn't say no to.
And a reality that she was going to have to live with.
Because she had watched helplessly as her queen swore, and there was shit she could have done, now all she had back was this unhinged version of Queen Kuramitsu who didn't seem to care about the endless exit loopholes around her.
"So, who is she?" Kujo asked when they got to a house at the farthest end of the northern border. It was almost impossible for most people to reach, and yet at the same time, it was crawling with servants.
It was as if this was just another fortress for the most lethal enforcer who could do what the fuck she wanted. The servants at the house looked at Ayami and Kujo, and they bowed instantly, while Rinko just stared in disbelief.
She knew that this was not part of the plan, but it was more than obvious that they were in Ayami Araki's den.
The way the warriors who had been assigned to her acted made it seem like they were worshiping a goddess, and for a moment, the thought of Ayami becoming the hidden princess of Yamashita started to make more sense.
No one in their right mind had tried to stop them, and everyone just either stared, bowed, and let them walk away.
It was suspicious as hell, given she was the king's enforcer and she wasn't supposed to leave the king's side, yet somehow the woman who could educate herself was lying her head in the night in a fortress of sorts.
What the hell was this?
"One thing you and I both know is that she is not a warrior of Kurayami. Everything else is not your business. And before you think of using her for blackmail, the most you can get out of her is not even enough to buy you coffee at the nearest stall.
"So don't bother," Rinko said nonchalantly.
Kujo sighed again.
She wasn't getting any answers, and as she looked at Ayami, Kujo felt her frustrations grow.
One glance at her best friend, and he could tell that Ayami was about to bother questioning the woman she had carried in; that itself was a security risk. It was not right on so many scales.
Yet for some reason, Ayami Araki, the most careful enforcer in the dilemma, seemed relaxed. Nothing was making any sense right now, and Kujo needed answers. Answers that she had to figure out a way around because Ayami was way too distracted.
And that was a first for the woman.
"Aya… you don't know her. The woman she came with is a Kurayami warrior who embedded herself with this woman," Kujo tried as Ayami settled Yuzuki on her bed, not even the guest room.
That in itself was sad because for as long as Kujo had known Ayami Araki, the woman never felt any of her one-night stands step into her bed. She always used the guest rooms all the time.
Yet it seemed like Yuzuki had somehow managed to capture the woman's common sense, too. This was frustrating.
Kujo was sure she would lose her mind before the clock struck midnight and the wolves started hunting for their mates. It was hell for her and for her best friend. This wasn't even a chance at consideration.
Ayami was a goner.
Suspiciously so.
"Everyone who comes from Kurayami to these mating balls is always a warrior, Kujo. You know that too. Besides, they never pose any threats. My best bet is that the warrior came to show her friend the mating ball.
"This kind of shit happens all the time. You don't need to be so stressed about it. Also, if they were a security risk, I would have killed them the first time I saw them," Ayami reassured her best friend.
Kujo sighed defeatedly for the hundredth time.
There was no way he could get to her best friend.
"I really hope you know what you're doing, especially seeing as the king is looking for you," Kujo said before she left.