(Not mad at all. Real life is more important after all)

(Hi sweetie! I will not be able to post for the nexy two weeks I have two huge papers due for finals. If I get any extra time I will post. I hope you are not mad @_@)

(take your time. and get well soon.)

I have been sick all week. I will post soon.

Enzo was amused by the fact that Lei was having a hard time getting up the hill. He would have helped her go up, but she never asked for the help so he figured that she was fine going up on her own. Once at the top Enzo looked back to see Lei, "I don't know hun, but I think that you may need to cut back on all the sweets you've been eating." He said to her then he kissed her cheek, "And maybe get more excersise than what we do in bed." He said to her then he looked at the shrine.

Enzo walked with her, "I'd love to look around the shrine with you Lei. It's better for you than staying in bed all day eating sweets." He said to her with a chuckle then he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, "This place looks beautiful Lei. No wonder you liked this place so much." He said looking at the scenery enjoying the more wild parts of the country, "I could really see myself living out here one day."

The place they were heading too was an old buddhist that had been abandoned for decades. It was rumored to be haunted and a place of bad omen. That was only a rumor though. The rumor had been created to keep people out. People back in those days believed in that kind of mumbo jumbo. Lei did not allow superstition rule her life. She believed people created their own destiny. If a person believed in bad things then bad stuff would always happen to them. If a person lived their life freely then good things would come their way. Lei like to believe that her free hearted lifestyle led her to Enzo and because of that they were now married.

“This is the fun part….” Lei said as she jumped off of his back. “It is all uphill from here. Do you think you can handle that?” She asked him with a smile. It was really not too far but the incline was killer. Lei would have to take her time and be extra careful. “It is worth the hike I promise!” Very gently her lips pressed against his then parted. “Are you ready?” Lei then began to lead the way through the dense trees to look for the dirt road that use to lead straight to the temple. “Where did it go? Where did it gooooo?” Lei asked herself out loud as she looked around on the ground for the trail. “Oh! Here it is!!” She said happily.

The dirt road twisted and turned. The higher it got the harder it became. “I do not remember it taking this long before!” Lei stopped to take a breath. “No more sweet cakes for me!” She looked over at Enzo. He did not seem to be effected by the hike at all. It was tempting to jump on to his back again and hitch a ride all the way up to the top. That would make Lei look bad though. “If my sensei could see me now he would probably whip me for not being in shape.” Lei was in semi decent shape, but not at her peak. She had been eating to many sweets over the past week. After catching her breath she began to walk again. “Finally!” Lei sped up a little. There was a pathway in front of them decorated with multiple red gateways leading up to the shrine. “This place has not changed a bit! It still looks great!”

They finally made it to the Shinto shrine. “?????” Last Lei remembered the place was abandoned. “It looks like they decided to inhabit this place again.” There were monks dressed in red and orange robes wandering between the different buildings. Lei sighed and lowered her head. “There goes that plan!” She thought to herself. Lei was going to “take advantage” of Enzo. Now she couldn’t because there were other people there. “Well…..let me show you around…” Lei sounded disappointed. It was actually kind of funny. She was dragging her feet and pouting like a little kid. As they explored the grounds Lei pointed out different spots she remembered playing around when she was younger, the different ceremonial bells, and the large stone statues.


(Pathway leading up to shrine)

(The shrine)

Enzo smiled at Lei when she told him about the candy shop, "That does sound tasty. I wonder if I would be allowed to have a little taste." He said to her with a smile then he went with her selecting the chocolates that she wanted. Though when she started walking off he was about to say something, but the shopkeep beat him to it. He paid for the small fee then he gave her a little extra for the next time they would be here which would possibly be soon.

Enzo smiled when she got back on top of his back and then he smiled to her, "Glad to be your ride Lei." he said to her with a smile before she popped the truffle in his mouth. She was right, the bitter and sweet flavors worked perfectly with each other and it was so good that he wanted to let it melt in his mouth.

Enzo heard her request to go to the sound then he nodded his mouth still full with the truffle she gave him.

The two of them had to enjoy the sex while they could. After a certain point Lei would have to cut him off. It would be harder on her then it would be on him. When he answered her question concerning her weight she was focusing on the candy shop. “Hmm?” She blinked and looked at him. At least he was being honest with her. “Thank you.” Lei kissed the back of his neck and hugged him tightly. When they got closer Lei jumped off of Enzo and walked in with him. Very shyly she reached out and held his hand. She knew it was really cheesy for married couples to hold hands but it made her happy. It also made her feel safe. The shop keeper was an elderly woman who actually made all of the candy herself…including the chocolate. “Hayne told me this place has been here for over a hundred years. The family uses a secret ingredient to make their candy taste different from all of the others.” The taste was one of a kind. It did not taste as bitter but it was not super sweet either. It was a nice balance between the two flavors.

The woman who currently owned the shop was carrying a tray full of candy from the back. “Hello! You must be new around here. Let me know when you are ready to make a purchase.” Lei quickly pointed to the truffles behind the counter, “I will take a dozen of those.” Her mouth was already salivating. The woman nodded and put together a little bag of chocolate for Lei. Lei had gotten use to people free things she began to walk out. “Hey! You owe me five yen!!” The lady said. Lei froze where she stood and blushed. She was so embarrassed. It looked like her and Enzo were trying to steal from the candy shop! Thank goodness Enzo had a little bit of money with him. Bowing her head to the woman she quietly said, “I am sorry!” The lady shook her head and smiled, “Do not worry. Enjoy the chocolate.”

As they exited the building Lei jumped back on to Enzo’s back and popped a truffle in to her mouth. “Mmmmmmm!” She said happily. “Here! These are a lot better than the other ones we had!” Lei fed Enzo a truffle and giggled. It was funny to see him eat candy. She was so use to see him eatin healthy food. “God no wonder I gained a couple pounds!” Lei mumbled. She had been snacking on unhealthy things for the past week. Since she could not sleep she would sneak into the kitchen and snack on sweet cakes when no one was looking.

“I want to show you something before we go back.” Lei refused to go back until she showed him the abandoned shrine. It was really a cool place. “It’s south a quarter of a mile. Are you up for a side trip?”

Enzo decided to forget about the strange woman and listened to Lei's explanation on the toes of the dragon on the robes on certain people, "That explain a lot actually. I can actually see how the less amount of toes means fewer restrictions on what you can and can't do." He said to Lei.

Enzo chuckled when Lei jumped on his back, "I can't help myself. I just adore you and can't help giving you what you want." He said to her then he carried her over to the chocolate shop, "If you want a dozen or even if you want a few dozen you can have it." He said to her with his smile.

When Enzo heard her ask about her weight he laughed nervously, "Well, if you want me to be perfectly honor. You kind of look like you gained a pound or two, but that could be because you're carrying. The geisha had complained about that tiny detail if one of them had been late." He said to her. After he felt her nibble on his ear he chuckled, "After we get your chocolate, we can go back home."

“Hmm? Oh….yeah….” The woman seemed familiar now that Lei took a second to think about it. “She was royalty.” Lei said as the two of them walked along the path near the koi pond. “Only royalty can wear a three toed dragon on their clothing.” Lei had no idea why she knew this useless fact. There was a lot of interesting but useless things Lei knew. “Four means a lord or lady….five means a high ranked member of the emperor’s army….I forget what six means….” Six was meant for common people. Her father had an article of clothing with a dragon on it with five claws. Lei had only seen a three clawed dragon once before and that was when she was a child. Her memory was really fuzzy. When the emperor would visit her he would always wear something with a three toed dragon. That was a long time ago. Lei was only three or four when the emperor would visit her. Lei was given to Kai when she was five. Everything before the age of five she really did not remember. In fact she could hardly remember what her mother looked like. It was for the best.

“Are you sure that is a good idea??” Lei jumped on to Enzo’s back and hung on. “You should not spoil me like that Enzo kun! “ It was already too late for that (lol). Lei was already spoiled rotten! It all stared when she was little. If she did not get something she wanted then she would cry until she got it. Over the years her father just gave in and gave her everything she asked for. As Lei grew older she stopped asking for so much because she already had everything she wanted. “How does a dozen sound? I will ration them out over the next two weeks.” Lei knew that if she gobbled them all down she would gain weight.
Speaking of gaining weight Lei asked, “Do I look like I have gained a couple pounds???” Before she even found out she was expecting she noticed her cheeks looked a little pudgy. “Be honest! I can tell when you lie!” She really couldn’t since Enzo had never lied to her. Her brow arched a little and a smirk crossed her lips. “So……”Her hand ran down the front of his body caressing every inch, “How are you feeling?” Lei was being a pervert again. She could not help it he was so hot! Leaning in a little she carefully nibbled on his ear as he continued to carry her.
Back at the inn Hayne was walking around the grounds inspecting everyone and everything. He noticed his high class guest and her entourage of bodyguards hiding amongst the other guests. “An empress? No…she can’t be. She is too old to be the emperor’s wife.” The woman did not look bad for her age but everyone knew the emperor’s new wife was only 17. The woman was either the emperor’s mother or one of his favored concubines. A woman her age was usually disposed of, she had to be important. The woman walked around freely without a care in the world. Just like Hayne she was inspecting the other guests secretly. It was like she was looking for someone in specific. Hayne did not like what was happening. Women like that always caused trouble.

Enzo heard her say that he had something to see then he nodded, "Well if you want me to see what you want me to, then i see no reason not to go." He said to her then he stroked Lei's back while she kissed down his collarbone, "And who said that I want to keep you locked up here." He said to her with a smile.

Enzo felt Lei flip him over next thing he knew he was on his back looking up at Lei, "I think you deserve more than just a little something extra." He said to her with a chuckle. With a grin he kissed her lips and then he said to her, "How much chocolate would my Lei want? I'll be happy to give you as much as you want." He said to her before he followed her out the door.

For some reason the woman seemed familiar to him, but after everything he just shook it off, "That was strange. For some reason things seemed a little nostalgic when I saw that woman." He said to Lei then he wrapped an arm around her, "But let's not worry about that now. Let's get you your chocolate."

(I hate Anatomy -dies- )

His kind words made her feel a million times better. "I love you too." Her arms wrapped around him and she gave him a gentle squeeze. “Are you going to allow me to go outside or do I have to sneak out while you are asleep to get some fresh air?” Lei asked in a joking tone. “I want to show you something….actually it is a place. Every time I think about it something always comes up.” Things did not really come up, they were just always in the bedroom (lol). “Come on lazy bones….you cannot keep me locked up forever.” Lei giggled and kissed the side of his neck. Her kisses trailed down his neck to his collarbone. For a moment she nibbled on that area then pulled away slowly. Lei knew nothing about pregnancy. She did not know the symptoms, the effect it would have on her, and the different trials she would eventually go through such as pain, emotions, and the other things. Enzo would have to explain it to her or he would have to ask a geisha to further explain things to her. Lei only knew the basics. The geishas she learned everything from sugar coated everything they told Lei.

As Lei got up she flipped around and pinned Enzo down, “Hmmmmm…..I think I deserve a little something extra when we return to town.” There was a tiny village not too far from where they were staying. It carried basic necessities, but somehow one of the shops managed to get a hold of chocolate. Lei only knew this because Hayne mentioned something the night before. “My gooooood chocolate sounds so good right now!” She thought to herself. Lei made a cute little face then got from on top of Enzo. Playfully she pinched him and ran out the doo ahead of him.

While running she accidently bumped in to another woman. “OUCH! Watch out you clutz!!!” The woman growled at Lei. Lei bowed to the woman and said, “I am very sorry! I was not looking!” The woman was dressed to kill. Her kimono was made of a very fine silk with intricate designs of different dragons. The dragons that wrapped around the woman’s kimono had three toes meaning that she was either the empress of Japan, or a concubine. Lei slowly backed away from the woman and remained bowed. The woman raised as she fluttered her fan furiously, “Stand up…there is no need to remain in that position. You will hurt your back if you do. Does not worry about it just watch where you are going next time.” Lei stood up straight and nodded. Lei did not recognize the woman but the woman recognized Lei only because of the color of her eyes. Not a lot of Japanese women had green eyes. Those who did have lighter colored eyes were coveted amongst high class men and geisha houses. The lighter the color the more they were worth. Lei bowed again and walked around the woman. “Bye! I will be more careful I promise!” The woman watched Lei’s every move until she disappeared around the corner. Lei hid around the corner and waited for Enzo.