Chapter 1

The sun shined bright filtering in through my window causing me to wake up. Even with my windows closed the smell of freshly bloomed cherry blossoms engulfed the house in it's pleasant aroma making me smile. I stared up at the clock mounted to the wall across from my bed and sighed. I probably should get up. Lightly brushing against my canopy I continued on to the bathroom. It didn't take long to get ready and soon I was dressed in navy blue loose fitting pants that appeared to be a maxi skirt when I stood still along with a lose fitting white sleeveless shirt where the back was made up of lace stitched in an intricate floral pattern. Grabbing a small remote from my vanity I turned on music and hummed along with the speakers that were built into my walls around the room. I wasn't much in the mood for makeup but as I glanced at my face I knew that it would probably be best. I brushed my fingers across my cheek and winced slightly. There goes my slight enthusiasm about today. Being careful around the tender area of my face caused me to take longer to apply my makeup than I anticipated but once I finished I stared in amazement. It was amazing what makeup could do. The soft knock on my door grabbed my attention. I could tell by the knock that it was one of two people either my mother or Roku.

"Come in" I called cleaning up the small mess I made on the vanity.

Throwing the paper towels away in my nearby trashcan I turned to face my guest. A wide smile pulled at both corners of my lips as I rushed over to Roku. I did not hesitate to throw my arms around his neck being careful not to get my makeup all over him. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me for a tight hug.

"Good morning to you too" He smiled.

He lowered me back to the ground creating some distance between us however I kept my arms around his neck and my smile firmly in place.

"Good morning. I didn't think you were suppose to be back until next week" I said. Excitement still running high from seeing him standing in front me.

"Negotiations went better than even I planned so I came back early. I missed you" Roku smiled although he lowered his voice so only I could hear on the whole missing me part.

"I missed you too" I smiled raising on my toes to lock my lips with his.

His fingers brushed against my cheek earning a small whimper from me. Silently I scolded myself as I felt him retreat from the kiss. My eyes opened and locked onto his dark brown eyes that always seemed to appear black. His dark orbs were now a flame with rage.

"He hit you again didn't he?" Roku growled.

"Shhhhhh" I hushed softly. "We don't want anyone to hear now do we?"

"I hate this stuff" He said harshly although his anger seemed to have calmed slightly.

I smirked knowing he was talking about my makeup.

"I know but I have to. If I don't it'll just make him angrier"

"You should have come with me" He said pulling me protectively against him.

"A romantic rendezvous with my brother? How scandalous" I teased.

"I'm serious Kiko" He said as his eyes bore into mine.

"You know I can't" I sighed.

"Why not?" He urged in aggravation.

"You know why. If he finds out about us it will only make things more dangerous. He will think he has something to hold over you. Plus what about mother? I can't leave her alone"

"What about her? It is her choice to stay with that bastard" Roku spat.

"You know things aren't that simple. Divorce is frowned upon. If she were to divorce him she would lose a lot of her business connections. Do you think those powerful men would honestly entrust their business to a woman? The family business would be in ruins"

"It was in ruins because of his senseless drinking and whores. The only reason there is even still a business is because of mother and myself. Although I can not forgive her for everything that has happened I know she is more than capable of running the business" Roku said.

"You know that doesn't matter. They would turn their back on her because she is a woman and automatically inferior of handling business matters in their eyes. The only reason she has so much say now is because of you and father, mainly because of you but still"

"Fools" He growled.

"Everything will be fine" I tried to reassure him.

"Not until my promise to you is fulfilled"

My eyes fell from his. Gently he lifted my chin so that our eyes would meet once again.

"You have lost faith in me?" He questioned as hurt reflected in his eyes.

"Of course not Roku. I will never lose faith in you. I'm just tired that's all" I said with a slightly forced smile.

"It will not be much longer Kiko I promise you. Soon I will take you away from all of this. We will be happy and safe. I promise" Roku whispered pulling me into a gentle kiss.

"I know Roku. I know" I said running my fingers in his silky onyx colored hair that could pass as a dark blue at times.

"You should go before the maids start to talk" I chuckled as I watched his face twist up with annoyance.

I kissed him one last time before watching him walk out of my door.

I sank onto my bed with a heavy sigh. I glanced out of the over sized window in my room into the garden and felt a small smile return to my lips. The cherry blossoms were freshly in bloom along with the various flowers and trees that Roku imported from various parts of the world. Whenever he would find something of interest in his travels he would have it imported and placed in the garden. The garden was featured on the cover of a few magazines and appeared in a few television shows and a scene in a movie. Mother had talked about opening it to the public but Roku was not open to the idea. He thought it would risk our safety plus he didn't want people destroying the majestic garden. It truly was beautiful with it's one of a kind fountains and many times when Roku was away served as my sole source of happiness.

Turning away from the beautiful scene I finally decided to leave my room. Honestly there was not much for me to do. Unlike mother and Roku I was not involved in the affairs of the family business. Math and business were never my strong suits but I do completely adore history. I also love reading and passed most of my time reading in our library or in the garden. My hobbies irritated my father. He thought it was a waste of time for a young woman and enrolled me in classes he thought were more fitting. At first I fought him on it when I was younger but eventually I became tired of being his punching bag and even worse watching my mother take the blows for me. After I watched him mercilessly beat my mother the fight slowly died in me with every passing day. I finally gave in and took the Etiquette classes. I learned how to talk and walk like a proper woman from money. I learned about makeup and how to capture a man's attention in a respectable way blah, blah, blah. I hated it from the depths of my soul but what I also learned was to smile when I wanted to cry. I became a master at false smiles much to Roku's disliking.

Every morning I stuck with a routine. I took solace in routines they were familiar and safe. When I woke up in the morning I would repeat everything I knew about myself. I told myself it was my way of reminding myself who I was and a way to hold onto it.

My name is Sakiko which means blossom child. However that was not the name I was given at birth. I never knew my birth parents but it was easy to guess they were foreigners based off of my toffee complexion and golden brown eyes, which were things I was often teased about in school here in Tokyo, Japan. Anyway back to my name. My birth name was Azula Burmount. I don't know where my name came from or the homeland of my parents. I was taken into the foster care system at birth and according to the records my mother died during child birth. I stayed in the system bouncing from one home to the next until I was taken to a group home. It's pretty much where you go when you get too old for any hope of adoption. The home was crowded and it would be twenty of us to a room which could barely hold two people comfortably. When I was ten years old I was adopted by my mother Misao Aiko. She is the daughter of an incredibly wealthy family here in Japan. In fact they were a large reason that the home I stayed in continued to keep it's doors open. Not a lot of people tended to care for orphans in a place where family was everything.

One day my mother came to the home to read to us and I spilled tea on her beautiful dress. I was so terrified of not only what she would do but also what Sensei Natsuko would do. My head turned in her direction and I could tell from her reddened face that I was going to have to endure whippings and possibly no food for a few days along with extra chores, and that was if I was lucky. My mother only smiled telling me it was alright she never liked that dress anyway now she had an excuse for not wearing it. She told me to follow her into the bathroom where she cleaned up a little. She asked me what my name was and a few other questions about myself but I was so terrified that I just stood in the corner and shook. The other kids were angry at me because they were really looking forward to story time. Some pushed me and called me names while others stole my food to get back at me but surprisingly Sensei Natsuko did not punish me although I could tell she liked me even less now. A few days later my soon to be mother came to visit I did not say much and things continued like that for a month before I got the news that I was going to be going home with her on one of her visits. I thought at first it was some cruel joke but once I realized it was real I cried nearly the entire ride away from the home.

My eyes nearly stretched out of my skull when we came to a mansion. I knew she was way richer than I was but this was beyond my wildest dreams. The staff seemed a little surprised by my appearance but most of them were really nice. I wasn't sure if it was because they had to be or not but I appreciated it none the less. As mother walked me through the home I heard the sound of footsteps hurdling towards us. The footsteps were softer than an adults but I was afraid none the less and grabbed onto my new mother for protection. She looked down with a smile before turning her eyes to a young boy that stopped a few feet away from us. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down.

"Who is she?" He asked in perfect Japanese.

"Manners Oroku Saki. This is Azula. She does not know Japanese very well. She will understand you better if you speak English"

Mother pried my hands off of her gently before giving me an encouraging shove in the boys direction.

"H...hello" I stuttered timidly.

I stared up at the boy who was taller than I was. His long onyx hair cascaded around him while some was tucked behind his right ear. His eyes narrowed with scrutiny making me want to shrink further upon myself. His Japanese features were not hard to miss and even at a young age his sharp features gave him a fierceness that left me awe struck. I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Azula is your sister now. I trust you will look after her" Mother said with a slight firmness.

Oroku Saki nodded watching as our mother left us alone to play. I turned my attention back to my new brother and watched him smile before reaching behind his back. I took a hesitant step back until I noticed the cherry blossom cradled in his palms. I looked at the flower in amazement.

"How did you do that?" I asked quietly.

"It's a secret" He smiled happy that he impressed me.

He reached out trying to give me the flower but I flinched away.

"It's a gift" He encouraged.

Hesitantly I reached out and took the flower smiling from the soft feeling in my hand.

"There's more if you want to see"

I nodded and followed him as he lead me out to the garden however before we could make it there a tall well built man blocked our path. His eyes fell on me and instantly I took a few steps back trembling under his gaze.

"Who is this foreigner Oroku Saki?" The man asked coldly.

"This is Azula my new sister" The boy said timidly.

"What?" The man called out in fury.

I could feel tears gathering in my eyes and I grabbed onto the back of Oroku's shirt. He glanced back at me although he did not move. I could not find the courage to look up at the man so I kept my head lowered in fear. Although from the short time I did observe him I noticed the same straight onyx colored hair and sharp features that I saw in Oroku Saki. This must be his father.

"At least she knows her place" The man sneered before stalking off.

Oroku turned and watched my trembling form with pity.

"We can still see the flowers if you want" He offered gently.

I nodded but I did not raise my eyes to look at him. Taking my hand he lead me into the garden, which became our favorite place.