One Year

Tease

One week has passed since Siri's fateful meeting with Master Teacher Tsuyoi. Everyday Master Teacher and Siri would play chess from lunch until dinner. He wouldn't accept the fact that Siri would win 80% of their games. The first time he won, he couldn't feel happiness from it because he thought she let him win to give him some face. So he immediately challenged her again and again and again.

Their time spent together Tsuyoi noticed how smart Queen Siri truly is. Her knowledge about the littlest thing like the life cycle and mating habits of a Six Wing Honey Bee, to the different irrigation systems farmers could do to have a sustainable lifestyle. She could describe in detail every step of the process and he could understand her words perfectly. Any questions he had, she answered patiently until he understood her.

"You would have been a great Master Teacher yourself." Tsuyoi complemented her.

Siri smiled then made her move on the chess game they were playing and blocked his way of retreat.

"Yes, well. I don't think my King Husband would like that very much." She told him.

Tsuyoi's eyebrows wrinkled at Siri's move and knew he had already lost the game, but didn't want to admit it until he had no other options left.

"Yes, I imagine you traveling with disciples would not make your husband very happy either." Tsuyoi agreed before he looked at all of his options before sighing heavily. He lost to her again. "This Elder does not see a way out. This Elder forfeits."

"This young one thanks Elder for letting this young one win." Siri told him as she smiled at him.

"Tell me, Queen Siri, if you were me, where would you have put the stones."

Siri smiled and took his black stone from the bowl and place it on the board, effectively cutting off her attack and capturing a large section of her white stones, thus giving him a total and complete win.

Tsuyoi sat there quietly and frozen as a statue disbelieving that he could miss out at such a great opportunity to win against her. His heartbeat wildly at such a great move and yet condemned himself at not be able to see it! Ah, what injustice is this! How is he, the great Master Teacher Tsuyoi, compared to this young beautiful woman in this game of chess. His heart dropped and yet, he said those words that would make him regret it even more.

"Again."

"As Elder pleases." Siri said as they cleared the board and began playing again.

The afternoon became evening and for the past week, Siri did not bring up the subject of curing him. So he didn't bring it up either, even though he wanted to. He was an elder and Master Teacher to Ryu, how could he bow down his heads towards her and ask her forgive him and cure him. His ego was already thoroughly beaten up by her chess playing, how could his pride let him ask her to cure him?

He was in quite a predicament, not only will she destroy his ego, but her not mentioning it and keeping quiet about it as if they never had a talk about his illness was going to break his pride. He was in a constant state of back and forth about just asking her and not so instead he said that one word that would put his ego back in check.

"Again."

When they cleared the board game again, Ryu had been at the door watching them play and talk. He smiled at them because this was exactly how he pictured a perfect life should be, his wife and the man he considered a father like figure, playing leisurely games, drinking tea, and talking about everything and nothing.

"Enough." Ryu said as he came up from behind them.

Tsuyoi had already sensed Ryu's presence the moment he step foot inside the courtyard, but kept the information to himself.

Siri rose and was about to bow to him when he captured her within his arms and kissed her on the lips in front of Master Teacher Tsuyoi. Her surprise reaction didn't let her open up her mouth on time to receive his tongue, so he punished her by kissing her deeply and overwhelming her completely. Any thoughts about public displays of affection went out of her mind and was lost in his touch, in his kiss, on his breath on her skin, and his scent that engulfed her senses.

When Ryu broke away, there was a pink tint to her cheeks, her lips were slightly swollen due to the kiss and her eyelids fluttered like a butterfly before opening them to look at him. Her liquid silver eyes held a flame within it and turned him on completely.

If not for their guest, he would have carried her off to their bedroom and fulfilled her desires.

"Dinner is ready, we should eat." Ryu said as he brushed a stray hair back from Siri's face. "Master Teacher Tsuyoi should join us so we can start talking about his illness."

Tsuyoi's face became relieved at hearing Ryu's comment. His student saved him some face by asking about it first so he didn't have to ask him.

Ryu pinched Siri's nose and lectured her. "And you, stop teasing my Master Teacher! He's old and ill and you still have the audacity to keep on teasing him?"

Tsuyoi's eyebrow twitched in stress and frustration. She knew about his predicament of his inner struggle with his pride. If he should forget his pride and ask her to cure him or wait until she brought it up, and yet she kept quiet because she was teasing him about it! That sly woman!

Siri smiled sweetly at Ryu before turning around and bowed to Tsuyoi.

"Please forgive this young one for teasing Elder." Siri said as she smiled at him. "I cannot help myself sometimes. I need a way to entertain myself and it was at your expense."

Tsuyoi was so close to spitting out a mouth full of blood at her comment. If she was not Ryu's wife, Queen of Yukah, or his future life's savior, he would have killed her on the spot for her teasing.

Seeing Tsuyoi's face change from red to black then back to red then back to his normal color brought great joy to Siri.

"Elder should forgive this young one, for this young one spent the week preparing for your treatment. Should Elder calm down enough, we can talk about starting your treatment tomorrow." Siri said to calm him down from his murderous thoughts that she brought on. Serves him right to misjudge her and distrust her. "But we shall talk about those matter after dinner. Let us go into the dining area to eat. I'm starving."

Siri immediately turned around and left leaving Ryu and Tsuyoi standing there. Ryu had a smile on his face as he watched his Master Teacher go through so many emotions within minutes.

"Your Queen Wife likes to tease this elder too much." Tsuyoi said as he held his anger inside. "To mention her preparing my cure the whole week without me knowing, then tell me about it but then saying she'll talk about it after dinner, when she knows how much this elder wants to know about it! But instead we talk about Six Wing Honey Bees, irrigation systems, the life and death of Wuzing, where the Gods come from, the spirit of Golden Dragons living under the rivers, the poetry of Poet Hazu. "

Tsuyoi looked at Ryu with an utterly defeated face. "Your Queen Wife can be so cruel."

Ryu smiled at his Master Teacher with a resigned face. "How do you think she won my heart?"

The two of them looked at each other dumbfoundedly in the quiet room for sometime before the two of them began to laugh.

Yes, only Siri, Ryu's wife, could have so much courage to trick a Master Teacher, crush his ego and make his pride tremble in worry, all the while holding all the cards inside her hands, quietly preparing everything behind his back, then prolonging it even more.

"Your Queen Wife has great courage." Tsuyoi said as he let Ryu lead the way to dinner.

"Em. That she does have..and much of it.!"