This was originally intended to be a complete story. However, I was passing seven pages and thought I should break it up in order to keep from boring my audience. All pieces related to this will be titled the same.
As a word of note, the society is based loosely on feudal Japan. The first name is your family name, and the last your given. Formalities are a big part of the culture, and foregoing titles or referring to someone by their given name implies a personal relationship.
Isawa Ayame wasn’t having the best of mornings. Not only had her evening in the garden with Doji-san been cut short, but her betrothed, Yogo Miroku, had acted much like his usual self and showered another woman with attention and a little inappropriate touching. She had pretended to not notice since he had made it perfectly clear he cared little about their upcoming marriage. In all honesty, she cared little as well. She didn’t want to marry a Yogo, no one did. But she wished Yogo would be a little better about saving face. It was scandalous the way he acted in public, and though they shared no love for each other, he could at least keep from making her look a fool. Ayame had scowled and shook her head, two could play the game of least caring, all she needed was to spend a little more time with Doji. It would get people talking and maybe Yogo would hear about how her heart belongs to someone more refined, that would show him how little she wanted to do with him.
Speaking of more refined men, Doji was absent at breakfast that morning. Ayame’s attempts to steal away his time proved fruitless as Doji was accompanied by Shosuro nearly every moment until shortly after midday. Even after Doji had triumphed in his scheduled duel and Ayame had wanted to congratulate him, Shosuro interrupted and squeezed between the two. She was left with little choice but to follow them both to lunch where Shosuro insisted she hand feed Doji.Yes, her morning wasn’t shaping up to much besides a headache. That is, until she got the letter. It had been beautiful written and folded so delicately she was shocked to learn it was from her betrothed, Yogo. In it Yogo apologized for the way he had been treating her and asked her to attend a chaperoned event with him. She was shocked to imagine her rude and unmanageable husband-to-be could muster anything so polite which left her with no real choice but to respond in kind. Of course she agreed. She really hadn’t been too nice either. They were in a pretty jarring situation and neither of them had handled it well. Perhaps this could be turning over a new leaf, maybe her marriage wasn’t doomed after all.
It never struck her as odd that he didn’t mention anything more on the matter for the rest of the day. And when she overheard him telling Togashi that he had plans for the night, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of warmth that he was keeping his appointment with her. He was a Scorpion, and most of The Empire knew you couldn’t trust them much more than you could throw them. Either he was an exception to the rule, or this really was important to him. Whichever the reason, Ayame was so preoccupied with this change in Yogo that she barely took note of Shosuro doting on Doji during dinner. And when Yogo touched her food, albeit with a harshness in his words as to how she should be eating it, he still touched her food. This could only mean he was paying more attention to her than he let on.
After the meal Shosuro informed Ayame she was the chaperone for the night. Ayame liked Shosuro, even if she was a Scorpion as well. She seemed different than the rest and as different from Yogo as could be. Without a word Ayame followed Shosuro upstairs. She knew where she was going, Yogo’s room wasn’t far from hers, though she couldn’t recall having seen him actually use it yet. In the past days she had found Yogo sitting, laying, and meditating in the middle of the hall, always near someone else’s room. Another woman was her guess. He had already built a reputation for himself at Kyuden Kakita, despite her best efforts. She sighed at the thought. Even if she didn’t want this marriage, she still cared about her reputation. It would look poorly if they continued to bicker in public the way they had… and after that letter it seemed like Yogo felt the same.
Ayame’s breath caught when Shosuro slid open Yogo’s door. A dozen candles were placed around the room, rose petals decorated the floor, and a table was already set waiting for the three of them. The room smelled devine, and with it being the middle of winter the roses must have been difficult to procure. Shosuro busied herself with lighting the candles while Ayame had a seat facing the doorway. The china was simple, yet magnificently crafted, a result of being in the Crane lands she was sure. The Crane were known for their expert craftsmen, setting the standard for the rest of The Empire to follow. Her thoughts quickly went to Doji and the tea ceremonies they had done together. He was so talented when it came to etiquette, bringing nothing but honor to his Crane heritage. If only she was lucky enough to be married to a man that had class. Another sigh escaped her.
Shosuro took a seat next to her. “You’re a lucky woman.” She said patting Ayame’s hand.
Ayame blinked, “I suppose you could say that.”
“All this for you, it really means something when you get down to it. I would love to have someone put so much care into a meeting with me.”
Ayame looked around. Shosuro was right, there was a lot of thought put into this meeting. From the letter to now, this was really showing her a side she didn’t believe Yogo even possessed. Even going so far as to arrange for a chaperone of her same sex to keep rumors to a minimum. It was making her think twice about how she previously perceived him. A soft smile unexpectedly touched her lips.
“Will he be joining us soon?” She asked, surprised she was actually looking forward to seeing him.
“Only a few minutes, I’m sure.” Shosuro smiled back at her.
Right on cue the shoji wall slid open with a smiling Yogo stepping into the doorway. He was a handsome man, strangely attractive you could say, but then he would speak and Ayame just found him strange. Most did. That didn’t make him any harder on the eyes though. And his smile… Ayame hadn’t ever really looked at it. He had flashed it to many others, but at that moment she couldn’t recall if he had ever smiled at her. At that moment she couldn’t recall if he ever smiled at anyone the way he was just then. And then he spoke…
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