Beginning Beyond The Horizon

Leaning against the stone dragon statue next to the gate of the small city of Dreake, roasted pumpkin seed peels were on the ground around Jiāo's feet. Jiāo looked at the path, and there was no sign of Hajime and the others since the morning. So, when she bit into the pumpkin seed skin and spit it out, she was wondering if Baishui wanted to punish her for attending the elders' dinner without permission a few days ago.

Jiāo sighed and said to herself, "If the Ninth Prince hadn't specifically asked me not to come back without taking you home, I would have been gone since this morning." When a loud growl vibrated in her abdomen, she covered her stomach. She reached into the bag to grab more pumpkin seeds, but there was nothing left in the bag. "Hump, no wonder I dreamed of shaving my head that night."

Just as Jiāo was about to close her eyes and rest her head on the stone dragon, Abrafo's loud voice came from far away. She looked up and saw ten people walking towards her. She remembered everyone coming towards her except a man, a woman and the baby in Yul's arm.

"Hey!" Jiāo waved to the ten people walking towards her.

Michio said, "That's Jiāo. Jiāo!" 

Jiāo looked past the ten people and looked at Hajime, asking, "Oh, I thought there were more people?"

Hajime said, "I can't take everyone with me at once, so the others will arrive in two days."

Jiāo said, "Come back with me, the house is ready." She looked at Bong and Nayao. She approached Hajime. "Who are the two new faces?"

Hajime said, "Bong and Nayao."

Jiāo asked, "What about the child? Is the child Yul and Nayao's?"

Hajime looked at Yul and whispered next to Jiāo's ear, "The child belongs to me and Yul."

Jiāo suddenly choked on the chewed pumpkin seeds. "Hajime..." Jiāo cleared her throat twice. "Explain."

U-ri said, "Lady Jiāo, how far is this house from here?"

Jiāo pointed to a stone bridge and said, "Across the bridge."

After walking and turning several street corners, Jiāo led the five Tanzanies and others into the house. She opened the door and led everyone into a small open space. She said, "That's the kitchen over there. Behind the kitchen is the bathhouse. On the left is the guesthouse, and behind the small fishpond are the rooms. There are seven rooms in total. The largest room is on the far left and on the far right is the smallest room."

Abrafo teased, "So, you didn't choose a designated room for me and you?"

Jiāo turned around and pinched Abrafo's chin. "You're still as flirtatious as I remember. The nights here are long and cold, and my bed is big, so come up to my room if you want. I wouldn't mind sharing a blanket with you." She smiled coquettishly at Abrafo.

Bong, standing next to Lixin, said, "He is thick-skinned. I think sleeping outside of the room on the concrete floor at the doorstep is more suitable for him."

Abrafo ignored Bong and continued teasing Jiāo, he said, "I think I will accept your offer. So, tell me, missy, when will dinner be served."

Jiāo said, "Did I just show you where the kitchen is? You are capable of cooking for yourself, right?" She turned and looked at Abrafo. "My lord chose this place because it is very close to the market and everything you need is on this street. Anyway, I have to report to my lord that you have arrived. If there is anything my lord need of you, he will send someone over." She walked quickly to the front door and disappeared down the street.

"I thought Baishui would be a better host," Abrafo said disappointedly. 

"We can't blame him. Now, he has a lot to do. I even asked him to convince his father to allow us to enter Kinigan Island," Hajime said. "We can handle this little matter ourselves."

Lixin said, "In that case, let's settle down first and then go out to eat. I think everyone is tired and no one wants to cook. Let's buy some food to cook when we come home, because I'd would rather have Shi cook for us than ruin our chance of getting into Kinigan Island."

Hajime said, "I will choose the smallest room on the far right, so that I can have a place to put the goat."

U-ri said, "Let's leave the bigger room for Sir Jin and the others."

Lixin said, "Shi, after dinner, you can see if the room can accommodate our brothers."

Shi nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Lixin." 

U-ri looked at Nayao and said, "Abrafo is very noisy, so you and Fufu can stay in the room next to Yul."

Nayao smiled at U-ri.

Lixin said, "If you want to go to dinner with me and Shi, meet us here in an hour." He and Shi walked towards the far left together.

Abrafo turned to looked at Bong and asked, "So, which room do you want?"

Bong rolled his eyes at Abrafo and said, "The room that don't have you." He walked towards the house behind the fishpond.​

Michio said, "He is mad."

Abrafo bit his lower lip in concern. "Yeah, tell me," he said nervously. "Well, the worst thing is another black eye." He grabbed Bong's bag and followed Bong slowly, keeping his distance.​

U-ri said, "If we want Lord Lixin to pay for our meal, we have to quickly put our things away and meet Lord Lixin and Shi back here in an hour."

The three Tanzanies and Nayao chuckled, and they follow the others towards the house behind the fishpond.

As soon as Hajime and Yul arrived in their room, Yul opened the door. There is a small table, and a small bed placed against the window. Hajime walked into the room, took off the backpack from his back, and put the backpack on the table. He turned to Yul and said, "I'm going to milk the goat. You look after Meiji."

Yul walked into the small room holding Meiji. He walked to the bed and found that the bed was neatly tidied, so he put Meiji on the bed and began to take off the backpack on his back.

Standing in front of the door, Nayao saw Yul taking off his backpack from his back. She looked towards the bed and found Meiji sleeping on the bed. Nayao asked, "Which room do you and your son stay in."

Yul said, "This room."

Nayao said, "But did Hajime say that he wanted to sleep in this room?"

Yul looked at Nayao, smiled shyly, and said, "I sleep in the same room as Hajime and my son." He turned to the bedside and found that Meiji was still asleep. "You should check your room. It seems everything has been tidied up by our host."

After dinner, everyone else entered the room, and Nayao was sitting at the table by the fishpond, lighting an oil lamp. She looked towards Yul's room and saw that Yul and Hajime had just returned from the bathhouse with Meiji. By this time, she knew the relationship between Yul and Hajime was more than just close friends. Although Yul has made it clear to her many times before, she still insists on calling Yul master, and even while watching the relationship between Yul and Hajime blossom, she has already made up her mind to become Yul's personal maid.

"By now, you're probably aware of the relationship between Yul and Hajime," U-ri said, approaching Nayao from the kitchen area. He walked to the table and sat down.

Nayao nodded. "Sir U-ri, it is not common for a man to marry another man," Nayao said. "I'm worried that others will look down on Yul because of this."

U-ri chuckled and said, "In our kingdom, it is normal for a man to marry another man. Marrying a man into a family is a tradition commonly practiced by Tanzanies."

Nayao was startled and looked up at U-ri said, "Really?"

U-ri said, "This is called Swore Companion. This law was made by the tenth king of Tanzang. The law says: a sixteen-year-old man can have a swore companion. When the two reach an agreement and the dowry is accept, a celebration will be held and the swore companions will bow to heaven, the ancestors, and the elder of the living to witness their union. However, sworn companions are not considered spouses, so the man who paid the dowry can take a wife if he wishes."

Nayao said, "Just like a wedding."

U-ri said, "You can say that."

Nayao asked, "So Hajime is Yul's swore companion?"

U-ri said, "Not exactly. Yul voluntarily married Hajime before we left our kingdom, so technically they are husband and wife."

Nayao said, "Is it common for men in your kingdom to have multiple wives?"

U-ri said, "Yes, but not for Yul."

Nayao asked, "What do you mean?"

U-ri explained, "The Bayarmaa family has a rule that they can only marry one wife. They will not take another wife unless their wife dies." U-ri sighed. "I'm much older than you, and I've lived long enough to see you liking Yul but take my advice and stop while you still can. Yul won't like another person." He looked at Nayao. "Hajime and Yul have been through a lot together. Even though Yul doesn't talk much, I know that once he decides to love someone, he will only love that person." U-ri stood up. "Go get some rest. We've had a long day." He walked toward his room.

Nayao watched U-ri close the door. She looked at Yul's room and found that the light had been blown out. She sighed, picked up the oil lamp, and walked towards her room.

Hajime lay on the bed and leaned the sleeping Meiji against the wall. Hajime turned to look at Yul. Hajime reached out and ran the back of his hand along Yul's jawline. The back of Hajime's hand touched the rough surface of Yul's chin.

"It seems like your beard is starting to grow again," Hajime said. He continued to gently stroke Yul's chin with the back of his hand. He stared at Yul's face for a moment. "Let me look at you, let me remember your face tenderness. Let me see you smile, let my eyes remember the taste of tenderness. Let me touch you, let my hands remember your skin tenderness. Let me love you, let my body remember your tenderness."

Yul chuckled and said, "What kind of poem is that? It's all over the place." He grabbed Hajime's hand and kissed it.

Hajime giggled and said, "A very special one."

Yul said, "I'm no expert on poetry, but I've heard enough, you're a newbie."

Hajime chuckled.

Yul pulled Hajime into his arms and kissed Hajime, while his hands began to untie Hajime's robe. His hand reached down past Hajime's lower abdomen, reaching for Hajime's member and gently stroke Hajime's member. Yul started kissing Hajime's lips, down his neck, and up to the nipple. He kissed Hajime's nipple twice before using his tongue to play with Hajime's nipple.

Yul, who had been abstinent for several months, could not restrain his desire, so he climbed on Hajime's body and continued to kiss Hajime. He hugged Hajime's legs with his arms.

"Yul... wait..." Hajime moaned. "Not on the bed. On the floor... on the floor."

Yul turned around and saw Meiji sleeping soundlessly against the wall. He picked up Hajime on his lap, put his legs on the edge of the bed, and placed Hajime on the floor. He lifted Hajime's legs to his shoulders, and then slowly inserted his member into Hajime's backdoor. After a few gentle pushes, he bent Hajime's legs forward and kissed Hajime's lips.

"I want to apologize in advance," Yul gasped as he kissed Hajime. He pulled his face an inch away from Hajime. "Don't scream..." He lowered his face, covered Hajime's mouth with his, and started thrusting.