The Road of Sword


Chapter 1



1832 A.D.(Tenpo 3 years)

"Sumire Ojousan, Sumire Ojousan?" A six-year-old girl in a servant suit running frantically down the passage yelled at hte top of her lungs.

"What's the matter, Yoko? If 'Basan sees you running like this, she'll have another fit." A fragile girl standing by blooming sakura trees stopped sweeping and said. This girl, too, still had a childlike appearance, being around her four. But her small face was far paler than the other's, and those eyebrows were slightly frowning out of habit.

"Yoko has told Ojousan to quit this flower-burying things for countless times and just let those servants do their jobs! Why can't you..." the servant girl snapped at what her Ojousan was doing and began another speech which was entirely ill-fitting for her age.

"Alright, alright," Sumire waved her hands impatiently. "You can stop those murmurings already, I can almost recite them. Remember you have some certain great thing to tell me?" She smiled mischievously. "Oh, right. Look what you did to me. Master wants to see you, Sumire Ojousan." said Yoko. "He wants to tell you important things at the main hall..." "Really? 'Tousan's home? Help me change clothes, Yoko. I want to wear that violet kimono 'Tousan gave me on girls' festival!" Sumire hurriedly walked towards her room, leaving Yoko rolling her eyes. "Hai, hai. Don't walk so fast, Sumire Ojousan! Madam won't be too pleased if she finds you tripped by your kimono!" cried Yoko.

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Sasaki Shinji was the eldest son in his royal family. The Sasaki family was well-known for its history as samurais guarding famous vassals. Therefore, he was a good example of tradition in many ways. He was ambitious, completely obeyed his ancestors' sayings and totally believed that it was his mission of birth to steady this country. Apart from his wife, Sasaki Mutsumi, whose family was just as noble as his, he had several concubines as his possession. However, none of these concubines raised sons. Thus making Mutsumi and her only daughter, Sumire's positions in this family unbreakable. Ever since then, Shinji decided to adopt the second son of the Kamiyas. The Kamiyas hoped to improve its livelihood by letting Koshijiro be adopted as Sumire's husband in the future.

"Okaerinasai, 'Tousan," dressed in violet silk, Sumire indeed carried out her name. She bowed to her father, not forgetting her posture, and then smiled tentatively at him. Although she was eager to see her father who was often busy with training his private army and some serious business, she didn't dare to be too close to him. Whenever Shinji was around, she and her mother just stood at a distance admiring him quietly.

Shinji nodded. "Come over here. I want you to meet your fiancé, Kamiya Koshijiro now as Sasaki Koshijiro."

Sumire looked with wide eyes at the boy who was seemingly as old as her sitting by her father.

Koshijiro smiled shyly at her, displaying his toothless upper.

"'Tousan, this is..." Sumire said to his father uncertainly, not tearing her eyes from the slender boy before her.

"Koshijiro will live here with us from now on. You can lead him around the property to let him get familiar with new environment." Shinji interrupted her.

"Hai, 'Tousan," clueless as she was she still bowed to her father before exiting from the hall with Koshijiro.

A/N: This is the most gloomy fic that I've ever wrote. It's about Kaoru's father and mother. How they knew each other and so on. However, it would be somewhat depart from the normal blessed image of Kaoru's parents. I've tried to present the common ways of Asian dealing emotions and their family. But don't mistake, I'm not a Japanese. Hence, it any of you find out the history background here ridiculous, I'd love to learn a thing from you.

Please review it, let me know what you think.

Yawarako (catty)