Tyranny of Steel

The war for Japan was rapidly coming to a close. After landing over one hundred thousand troops on the Japanese Mainland within a period of forty eight hours, those few warlords who had not yet been eliminated fled to the hills with what little men and munitions they could bring with them. 

As for those Japanese soldiers left behind, they began surrendering to the Germans the moment they spotted a panther tank rolling through town. By now, the German Empire, and its allies, had too many prisoners of war to properly handle, and had thus begun the construction of temporary internment camps within the southern half of Japan. 

With the city of Heian-kyō under German occupation, and the warlords on the run, Berengar decided now was the perfect time to announce an end to the war, and thus at this moment, he was in flight towards Japan with Itami sitting across from him. 

An awkward silence remained between the two monarchs as they struggled to find something to speak about. Previously, their relationship had been progressing rather well, however, after unforeseen circumstances, the couple drifted apart. 

Now that they were truly alone together, for an extended period of time, there were many things that both Itami and Berengar wanted to vent. Yet neither of them spoke a word for the first few hours of the flight. 

It was only after the stewardesses brought out a few plates with a hot meal, and a cup of coffee for each monarch, did Berengar finally break the silence. 

"I want you to know that I will be living in Heian-kyo throughout the duration of the German occupation. Though you have done a fine job establishing a proper, legitimate government in exile, you will still require my assistance and approval if you wish to rebuild your country in the most efficient means possible."

Itami's glum face lit up in a bit of excitement, though she tried to hide such an expression. She had wanted to be alone with Berengar for some time, to try and convince the man to take her back. However, she had a difficult time expressing this sentiment or finding the proper moment to ask. It would appear that now was the perfect opportunity to tell the man how she really felt. Thus, she smiled silently as she sipped from her coffee. After several moments of further silence, Itami finally spoke up. Albeit shifting the conversation to something more personal.

"I don't believe I ever had the chance to apologize to you... I'm sorry..."

Berengar raised his brow as he gazed above the paper he was reading and looked upon the rather uncomfortable expression on Itami's beautiful face. He placed down his newspaper, and took a sip from his coffee, before asking the woman to continue her apology.

"For?"

It was obvious by the uncomfortable look on Itami's face that she was having a hard time quelling her combative nature, and thus after squirming around for a few moments while internally debating whether or not she should retort, the albino beauty sighed in an attempt to calm herself before whispering a voice so low Berengar almost didn't hear it. 

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you... I know I may never be able to make up for my mistakes, or redeem myself in the eyes of gods and men. But I am truly remorseful for my complete and utter incompetence as a leader that has led to the deaths of so many people.

I know it may not sound convincing coming from someone like me. But I promise, from here on out, I will follow your every lead, and I swear with all of my heart that I am very appreciative of the help you are giving me... Especially since I don't deserve it..." 

Berengar looked at Itami with a cautious glint in his eyes. He did not know what had so suddenly come over the woman, to force such a positive change in her character, and thus he was inclined to study her for any possible crack in what he perceived to be a facade. The inquisitive glare of the man's mismatched eyes only caused Itami to squirm even further while she occasionally took a glance in his direction before averting her gaze once more. 

Naturally, Berengar was activating his eye of Horus, and using it to its fullest extent to scan the woman's emotions and inclinations towards him. In this moment, he could detect that there was not a hint of malice or mistruth in her words, and instead that she was sincere in her attempts to make up for her past actions. In fact, the pride and arrogance that had always been a defining trait in Itami's character appeared to be at its lowest point since Berengar first laid eyes upon her. 

After several moments of awkward silence, Berengar sighed heavily before grabbing hold of his paper and shifting his attention back to the latest news. Itami began to pout as the man did not respond until the next moment when he finally broke the silence.

"I accept your apology, but I do not forgive you. If you choose to continue on this path of redemption that you are following, then maybe one day I can look past your misdeeds and accept you for who you will become. As of right now, you still have a long way to go before you have earned my forgiveness. Patience is a virtue, and it is also the mark of a great leader. Without it, you will only cause problems for yourself and others. A lesson you should be all too aware of..." 

Itami sighed heavily upon hearing this and sulked in silence for several minutes. It was not entirely clear what she was thinking about. But Berengar detected a slight hint of determination in the woman's aura. As a result, he continued to read his paper and watch Itami closely, until his food began to get cold, which he immediately dug into with the grace and refinement of his position. 

As the hours passed, Berengar had shifted from reading the daily paper to fulfilling his work as Kaiser until finally the sun began to set. Causing him to get up from his seat and enter the shower, before climbing into bed. Not a word was spoken between him and Itami, since the two had shared their breakfast with one another. 

Before long, Berengar's eyes began to shut as the man drifted into a deep sleep, however before he could do so, he felt something unusual press against his chest. A soft, yet substantial mound was pressing against him, causing the man to open his eyes, where he was immediately kissed by the Japanese Empress. 

For Itami, this was the first time she had initiated such intimacy with a man, and she was flushed with embarrassment as she did so. Throughout the day, as she sat in silence, Itami had concocted a plan that would force Berengar to become closer to her, and thus she had silently entered his bed, and kissed him in a fit of passion, hoping such a thing would rekindle what they had prior to their unfortunate breakup. 

Despite Berengar's reservations towards Itami, he did not remove himself from the situation, and continued to kiss the woman after she had climbed into his bed, in nothing but a silk nightgown. Her jade like skin was glistening with water from the shower she had just taken, and her snow white hair was soaking wet while smelling of shampoo. 

Mustering all the courage she could manage, Itami pulled away from Berengar's lips, and whispered something into her ears in a seductive voice that she did not even know she was capable of making. 

"Do you forgive me now?"

Berengar, however, simply scoffed and rolled over onto his other side as he faced the plane's window, leaving a simple response before drifting off into sleep.

"Not even close..."

Itami instantly began to pout after hearing such a cold response, but she did not allow herself to flee the man's bed in disgrace. Instead, she wrapped around his backside and spooned with Berengar. Whether he wanted her or not, the albino beauty was not going to let go of the man she was now determined to be with.

For too long, she had waited for Berengar to make a move after they had broken up, but no longer. If Berengar wasn't going to actively pursue her, then she would chase after him, until he recognized that she was the only woman in this world worthy of being his fifth and final wife. 

As for Berengar, he did not turn around and face Itami for the rest of the night, but he did fall asleep with a confident smirk on his face, knowing that the woman who had been nothing but a hassle to deal with was beginning to shift her personality to something far more appealing, and all he had to do for this change to occur was neglect Itami for a few months. 

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