A Lady Of Winter

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of skip beat and is based off an old romance novel i once read when i was 15 (I am 24 now i am amazed i can still remember most of it xD) i can't remember what it is called but i loved it so much i wanted to turn it into a fanfic since it fits so well with the story of kyoko and ren :3 this fanfic is based in England in the 1700's and not in japan. Oh and in this story Saena is good :3, though she won't appear in this story other than in memories, and some of the characters are a little OoC. Enjoy!.

Chapter 1

"MARRIAGE!" Kyoko Mogami drew back from the hearth and slammed the poker into the stand, venting a growing anger with the still young day. Outside the rain fell in heavy droplets and stinging shards of hail against the window panes to mock her with its carefree abandon against the bondage she felt in her heart. The clouds black as Ebony that churned about the house of the mayor matched the mood of the trim and dark-haired beauty whose Amber eyes flashed with a violent fire of their own as she glared down into the flames of the fire she had just stoked.

"Marriage!" The word flared in her brain. Once a symbol of a girl hood dream, of late it had become the dream of a fool. Not that she was opposed to the idea of marriage oh, no! Under the guidance of her mother, she had prepared herself to be the fitting spouse of any man. It was only that her father, that self-same mayor of Mawbry, was bent on matching her to any man with a wealthy purse regardless of what foppish, obese, or bone-thin boorish man that came to the door. All other desirable traits like manners for one, became unimportant to him. If the man was rich and willing to marry, then he was a likely candidate for her future husband. A sorry lot they had turned out to be, and yet - Kyoko's finely arched eyebrows drew together in sudden doubt – perhaps they were the best her father could do without the enticement of a reasonable dowry.

"Marriage! What is father thinking!" Kyoko spat the words out in disgust. She was quickly losing the girlhood fantasies of marriage and beginning to look upon the state of wedlock as something less than pleasant. Of course, it was not altogether rare that a young lady should detest an arranged suitor, but after the sampling she had been subjected to, she held little hope that her father's usual greedy nature would greatly improve his selections in the future. Restlessly Kyoko strode to the window and stared out through the diamond-shaped pane toward the cobbled road that meandered through the village. The trees that bordered the town were little more than dark skeletal shapes in the pounding rain. Her gaze drifted down the lane and a dull ache started to form at the thought that merely an hour separated her from having to meet yet again another unwanted suitor for her hand. She had not the smallest desire to put on a gracious smile for another simpering buffoon and she dearly hoped, even prayed that the rain weakened bridge would collapse and prevent any future suitors from reaching her for the foreseeable future. The man was a stranger to her the only thing that she even knew about the man was his name and even that had only recently been given to her. Hiro Takahashi! What sort of man would he turn out to be.

Kyoko glanced around the modest parlor and wondered how he would view her home and if his disdain would be apparent. Though the cottage was as fine as any in the town. The sparse furnishings readily conveyed the lack of wealth. Had it not been that the dwelling was offered with the position of mayor, her father would have been hard pressed to afford the house.

Self-consciously she smoothed out the worn velvet of her plum hued gown, hoping its outdated style would not be noticed. Her pride had been stung too often beneath the haughty arrogance of the other wealthier more well-bred ladies of the town and they felt no reason to keep that fact a secret. Her lack of dowry weighed poorly against their heavy purses. She longed to prove to those opinionated she-devil's that she was as well schooled and certainly better mannered than they, but such an attempt would have brought harsh disapproval and judgement from her father.

Her father Hideki Mogami thought it was unnecessary and imprudent for any member of the of the fairer sex to be tutored beyond the basics of womanly duties and certainly not in math and writing. If not for her mother's inheritance and stubborn insistence, such a luxury of schooling would not have been given to her being a daughter. Saena Mogami carefully held back a part of her own wealth to see that Kyoko got the education she needed and Hideki could not say a word on the matter considering he over the course of his marriage to her mother had put the major portion of it to his many questionable past times.

Kyoko's mind prowled to the time of her mother's death and many months of mourning that she did while her father and brother were out drinking the nights and most of the days away. Without her mother's careful rationing of their money, the family's meager wealth dwindled rapidly away and with its loss came the ever-constant tightening of the purse strings, which in turn brought on ever-increasing pressure from her father too wed. The final straw to this was when the wounding of her brother Shoji occurred, in a viciously one-sided duel, that left his right arm hanging at his side with the elbow fused at an odd angle and the hand beneath it weak and all but useless. From then on, her father had gone around like a man possessed to find her a rich husband.

A sudden anger burst through her mind at the memory of her brothers wounding, even though she wasn't there at the time of the incident, she saw the damage that her brother took and her thoughts quickened with its challenge.

"Now there is one that I would like to meet," She hissed softly into the silent room. " Ren Tsuruga! Yankee! Gambler! Liar!" Whatever name she called him they all seemed to fit. A few titles on his lineage flitted through her mind as well and she savored the taste of them.

"Yes, to meet him face to face!" She imagined close set eyes and a thin, crooked nose, Stiff straight hair sticking out from beneath a wide brimmed hat, narrow, pinched lips twisted into a cruel leer that revealed small, yellowed teeth. A wart at the point of a receding chin completed her creation. The vision was sweet as she finished and set it atop a thin and bony frame.

If only she could meet him in person, she might not be able to win in a brawl against him but she could definitely flay his composure to her satisfaction. He would hurt for a fortnight from the tongue-lashing he would receive, then perhaps he would think twice before ever laying his vengeful gun or fists to a young and unwary man like her brother, or causing havoc against an elder.

A drunken bellow from outside broke through her thoughts. "Kyoko!"

Recognizing her brothers voice, Kyoko walked quickly into the hallway and closer to the door with a heated reprimand ready one her lips, and threw open the door to find Shoji Mogami hit tall slender frame leaning heavily against the door. His clothes were badly mussed and stained in places, though she couldn't tell from what. His chestnut hair was wet and sticking up at odd angles underneath the wide brimmed hat that he wore and his beautiful blue eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious at first glance that he had been drinking the whole night long and, since the hour was nearing 11 in the morning obviously most of the morning as well.

"Kyoko! My fair sister!" He loudly greeted. Stumbling back a pace, he managed to reverse the direction and lurched into the hall, flinging a wide spray of icy water from his soaked cloak as he passed her.

Kyoko glanced anxiously up and down the road to see who might have witnessed this spectacle and was relieved to find no one else out and about in the rain on this miserable morning. Other than a rider still some ways off.

Kyoko closed the door and leaned against it as she frowned at Shoji. He had managed to hook his good arm around one of the stairwell pillars and was trying to steady himself while he tugged rather aggressively at the rather atrocious knot that he managed to tie in his cloak strings.

"Kyoko, give me a hand with this will ye... this rebesh … uh... Rubesh garment won't let go of me, if only I could find a lady that would do the same then my life would be grand!" He grinned slyly at her while almost sliding down the Bannister.

"Fine time for you to be coming home," Kyoko rolled her eyes as she scolded him, helping him out of the cloak and hanging it up on one of the entryway hooks to dry. "Have you no shame."

"I HAVE NONE!" He declared while attempting a gallant bow. His efforts caused him to lose his precarious balance, and he began to totter backwards.

Kyoko quickly ran forwards and grabbed him by the lapels of his undercoat and wedged a shoulder under his arm to steady him, then wrinkled her nose in distaste as the stench of stale whisky and tobacco smoke filled her nostrils.

"The least you could have done was come home while it was still dark last night," she sharply suggested. "Out all-night drinking and playing your games, then you sleep the day through. Have you no better hobbies?"

"Tis a nothing but pure folly that I've been hindered from finding work and from holding my own in this family. You can blame Tsuruga for this. He did this to me." He said while leaning heavily on his sister rolling his bad arm to make it dangle limply in front of her.

"I know what he did!" She rejoined crisply struggling under his weight and height. "But that is no excuse for the way you're behaving."

" Stop talkin wensh" His words were more than slightly slurred. "Ye're getting to sound more like an old maid every day. A good thing father has it in his mind to marry ye off before too long."

Kyoko ground her teeth together in mute rage. Catching a firmer grip on his good arm, she tried to direct him into the parlor. But staggered under his weight.

"One as bad as the other! Marry me off to any rich man who comes along so you can take the money and live your lives away in alcohol and gambling. A FINE pair you and father are!"

Shoji ignored her as he spotted the glass decanter on a side table by the fire, he managed seven quick swaying steps after he let go of Kyoko over to where the amber liquid was contained. He would have fallen flat on his face on the last step had he not grabbed the mantle of the fire place and tried to uncork the decanter. Kyoko watched him with a perfect brow raised as he tried quite unsuccessfully to pour himself a glass.

"Shoji, have you not had enough alcohol?"

"THIS DAMNED ARM!" He suddenly burst out angrily startling Kyoko, throwing his glass into the fire with his good arm and stumbling back when the fire flared with what little whisky he had managed to pour for himself. Once he regained his footing he stared into the flames and all but ignored his sister as he remembered the day that the use of his arm was taken from him. Memory of it haunted him. Over and Over he heard the deafening roar of his own pistol firing and saw the astonishment and horror on the judges face as the man stood with the kerchief still in his raised hand. The sight was permanently impressed on his mind, yet at the time he had felt a strange mixture of horror and blossoming glee when his opponent stumbled back clutching his shoulder. The blood had quickly seeped through Tsuruga's fingers, and shoji had waited in frozen expectancy for him to crumple to the ground. Instead the man had steadied himself, and the surge of relief Shoji had had briefly known was abruptly washed away in a tide of cold sweat. The full understanding of firing before the signal of the duel was given struck him when Tsuruga's weapon was slowly raised and pointed directly at his chest.

"You challenged a man well beyond your experience, all for defending father's honor because he was accused of cheating in a game of cards!" Kyoko chided.

The buzzing in Shoji's head did not even register his sister's comment. So paralyzed was he by the scene playing out in his mind, he saw only the gaping barrel of the gun that threatened him that early morning, heard only the thunderous and frenzied beating of his own heart, felt only the gut-wrenching terror that now tormented his waking hours. On that chilly morn the sting of sweat had been in his eyes, but he had been too frightened to even blink, afraid that the slightest movement would set off the man in front of him to send the bullet that would kill him in that very second. The splintering panic had torn at his mind and nerves until with a bellow of helpless rage and frustration he threw the empty gun at his opponent, never realizing that Tsuruga's weapon was already lifting to a point above Shoji's head.

Another Explosion of sound had shattered the silence of that early dawn, and turned Shoji's bellow of rage into a cry of agony. The tearing shock that had seared through his arm had left a white-hot pain throbbing in his brain. Before the smoke had cleared he had fallen to the dew soaked ground and had writhed and moaned in utter torment and defeat. A tall silhouetted shape had approached to stand just behind the kneeling form of the surgeon attending to his arm. Through the haze of pain, he had recognized his tormentor framed in the misty light of the rising sun. Ren Tsuruga's composure had done much to shame Shoji, for the man calmly attempted to stem the flow of his own blood with a cloth tucked inside the shoulder of his coat.

Shoji had realized that in the midst of his pain he had lost far more than the duel. It was a devastating blow to have one's own reputation ruined so completely. No one accepted a coward's challenge, and he found no safe haven from the condemnation of his own mind.

"It was his own foolishness that caused the wound." Tsuruga's words came back to plague and taunt him, drawing a whimper of despair from his lips. The man had stated it out so boldly. "If he hadn't thrown his pistol, I would not have fired mine."

The judge had replied similarly in a distant and hollow tone. "He fired before I gave the signal. You could have killed him, Mr. Tsuruga, and no one would have questioned it."

Tsuruga had growled his answer. "I am not a slayer of mere children!" Even though Shoji was only six years younger than he.

"I assure you sir, you are blameless in this matter I can only suggest you high tail it out of here before his father arrives and causes more trouble.

To Shoji's way of thinking the judge had been too forgiving. The desire to make it understood that he was not in the same gracious mood had gone through him like a hot knife through butter, and he had screamed a string of curses, venting his rage on the man rather than facing the truth of his own cowardice. Much to his annoyance all that succeeded in giving him was a bland smile of contempt from his opponent, who had walked away without giving him any more thought, as if he were a child to be ignored.

"You mourn your terrible loss," Kyoko's words finally claimed his attention. "And you're ready to count your life done merely two years after. You'd be far better off if you left the Yankee alone instead of playing the outraged child."

"The man is a liar, and I called him out for it!" Shoji whipped his head around casting a string of water from his still wet hair as he looked for a chair. "It was father's good name and honor I sought to defend."

"Defend! You're crippled now for your efforts and Mr. Tsuruga has not retracted one word of his accusation."

"He will!" Shoji stated "He will, or I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" Kyoko stated angrily as she shook he head at her idiot of a brother. "Lose the use of your other arm? You'll get yourself killed by believing you can go against a man with Ren Tsuruga's experience." She threw up her hand in frustration. "The man is nearly twenty and five and sometimes I think twice your intelligence! You were foolish to go after him Shoji, you are only ten and nine."

"The devil take you, wench! You must think that the sun rises and sets for your Lordly Mr. Tsuruga."

"What did you say?!" Kyoko cried at his accusation. " I've never even met the man! The most I know about him is some gossip I've heard, and I can't very well rely on that now can I."

"Oh, I've heard it, too," Shoji sneered, "Every little gathering of twittering females abuzz about the Yankee and his money. You can see the gleam of it in their eyes, but without it, he's no better than anybody else. And experience? Hah! I've probably had as much if not more!"

"Don't you dare brag about those two girls you slept with!" Kyoko marched over to her brother in anger and grabbed him by his undercoat in anger. "No doubt they were more scared than anything and in the long run just as foolish as you are."

"Foolish, am I?" Shoji tried to straighten himself to display his outrage at such an insult, but a loud belch seemed to deflate his purpose, he slumped towards a chair mumbling in self-pity. "Leave me be, woman. You've attacked me in an hour of weakness and exhaustion."

"An hour of drunkenness, you mean," She corrected.

Shoji stumbled towards and fell into the chair, he closed his eyes and rolled his head back against the padded back. "You take that rogue's side against your own brother," He moaned "If father could only hear you now."

Kyoko's eyes flared with bright sparks of indignation. In two steps she stood before her drunken and pathetic brother and braving the stench of alcohol on his breath, she bent towards him.

"You dare accuse me?" She shook him until his eyes rolled in confusion. "I'll tell you simply, brother!" Her words were spat out in a half-hissed, half-snarled torrent of verbiage. "A stranger sailed into this northern region, setting everyone's eyes to an almost permanent state of amazement with the size of his merchant ship, and the third day after his arrival in port," She jerked him towards her, "He accused our father of cheating at cards. Whether true or false, he had no need to shout about it aloud for all to hear, causing such a panic among the merchants of Wirkington and Mawbry that even now father fears they'll throw him into the debtor's prison for the notes he cannot pay. And it's for this very reason he seeks to marry me off. The wealthy Mr. Tsuruga can hardly care about the havoc he has brought upon this family. I will indeed hold the man responsible for all that he has done, but you my dear brother, are an equal fool. Such men are better dealt with in calm deliberation, and not youthful bravado."

Shoji stared at his sister in stunned amazement for this attack on his person, and Kyoko realized he had heard nothing of what she had said.

"Oh what's the use!" She pushed him away in disgust and turned away. There seemed to be no effective argument that would point out the stupidity of his ways.

"You may be a few years older than me being twenty and one, Kyoko." He was extremely weary. His mouth felt thick and it took a lot of effort just to speak. "But that is no reason to rant at me as if I were a child." Tucking in his chin he mumbled glumly to himself, "That's what he called me... a child."

Kyoko paced before the fireplace, seeking the elusive rationale with which she could put some sense into her brother's reason, until a soft sound halted her, and she turned to find Shoji's head resting limply on his chest. The first slow snore quickly deepened and make her realize the crushing blunder of not moving him to his room. Hiro Takahashi could arrive at any moment, and her pride would be heavily wounded beneath his scornful smirk. Her only hope would be her father's speedy return, but that too might prove to be a double-edged sword.

In the next halting moment, it dawned on her that the leisurely clip clop of hooves that had sounded outside for the past moment or two has ceased in front of the cottage. Kyoko waited tensely for some indication of the rider coming onto the porch, and doom descended when a heel grated on the step, closely followed by a loud knock on the door.

"Hiro Takahashi!" Her mind leaped into action along with her nerves. Glancing wildly about, she wrung her hands in distress. How could his arrival be so ill-timed?

In frantic haste she ran to Shoji and tried to wake him, but her best efforts failed to even interrupt his snores. She caught him under the arms and attempted to haul him up, but alas, it was like trying to lift a loose bag of heavy stones. He slumped forward and slid to the floor, sprawling in a limp and undignified heap as the room echoed again with the caller's insistent knock.

Kyoko had no choice but to accept the obvious. Perhaps Hiro Takahashi was not worth her time or concern, and she'd even be grateful for the flawed presence of her brother. Still, there was a reluctance to submit herself and her family to the ridicule that would surely follow his visit. Hoping at least to hide her brother from the casual eye, she pulled a chair around in front of him and spread a shawl over his face to soften the snores. Then with calm deliberation she smoothed her midnight hair and gown, trying to crush the anxieties that remained. Somehow it would all work out for the best. It just had to!

The persistent summons came again as she reached the door. She laid her hand on the latch, a cool vision of poised womanhood, and swung open the door. For a brief moment in time the space seemed entirely filled by a tall expanse of darkly wet cloth. Slowly her gaze travelled up from expensive black leather boots, over a long length of dark coat, to the face beneath the dripping brim of his hat, and then her breath halted. It was a man's face, and by far the most handsome face she had ever seen. When a slight frown marked the brow, as when she first glimpsed it, the features appeared awesomely stern and foreboding. There was a tense almost angry look to the crisp, chiseled line of his jaw, the taught cheeks and the slightly rough profile would have been well at home at sea. Yet humor came quickly, flitting about his features and compressing the tiny wrinkles of mirth at the corners of his eyes. His bright forest green eyes were totally alive, as if searching out every last note of joy in life. They openly and unabashedly displayed his approval as his gaze ranged over the full length of her. The slow grin that followed and the sparkle in his translucent eyes combined to a most disarming degree to sap the strength from her knees.

This was no trembling old man or swaggering youth, Kyoko realized, but a man alive and pure seduction in every fiber of his being. That he had greatly exceeded her expectations was undeniably an understatement. Indeed, she wondered why such a man had to resort to seeking a bride by the way of barter.

the stranger swept off his hat in gallant haste, revealing dark gold hair, made that color by the rain that had soaked through his hat, she could only imagine the color once it dried. His rich masculine voice was as pleasing as his good looks. "Miss Mogami I assume?"

"Um, yes. Oh, Kyoko. Kyoko Mogami." Her tongue seemed to twist in on itself as she tried to put words together, and she began to fear that it would stumble and betray her. Her mind had begun to race, forming thoughts totally countered to what they had been earlier. The man was nearly perfect! Without visible flaw! Yet the question persisted. If the man was willing to wed, how could he reach a mature age without being entrapped by at least a dozen women?

There must be a flaw! Her common sense raged. Knowing her father, there had to be a flaw!

Racing as it did, her mind was fairly outdistanced by her suddenly active tongue. "Do come in, my father said you would be coming."

"Did he now?" He seemed to digest her statement with a certain amount of amazement. The quirk on his lips deepened into an amused, one sided grin as he peered at her inquiringly. "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course!" She laughed brightly. " We've been expecting you. Please come in."

As he stepped across the threshold, a faint frown of confusion furrowed his brow, and he seemed almost reluctant to give her his hat, riding crop, and gloves. Tucking the latter into the crown of his hat, Kyoko laid the articles aside.

"You surprise me greatly, Miss Mogami," he commented. "I expected to be greeted with resentment, not kindness."

Kyoko mentally cringed at the implication of his words. She had not considered that her father would be so tactless as to reveal her unwillingness to wed. How could her father have even thought that she would resent such a handsome suitor when he was so far above the rest who had come seeking her hand?

Responding with a feigned laugh of naiveté, she carefully expressed her concern. "I suppose father told you of my reluctance to meet you."

The man smiled "No doubt you thought me a horrid beast."

"I am much relieved to see that you are not," Kyoko replied, but then worried that she had replied with too much enthusiasm. She gritted her teeth and hoped that he didn't think of her as a forward filly, but what she had said was almost an understatement.

Hiding her pinkening cheeks, she reached past him to close the door. A gentle cologne mixed with the pleasant scent of horse and his own unique smell made her feel almost giddy. Certainly, no imperfection there!

His long fingers worked with ease to undo the buttons of his coat. He swept the coat off and try as she might she could find no flaw with those wide shoulders, lean waist and long limbs. And blushed a little as his trousers left little to the imagination, and remembering the reason for his visit set her heart aflutter, as if she was already a newly married bride.

"Let me take your coat," she offered, trying to steady her trembling voice. The impeccably tailored clothes were to be nearly as much as the man who wore them. Yet on a more less impeccable person they would have lost much of their flair. The waistcoat, worn beneath a dark green coat, was fashionably short and a light brown hue matched the pants. The leather boots were made to mold themselves to the lean, muscular shape of his calves and were turned down at the top to reveal cuffs of tan. Though the clothes were stylish and costly, he wore them with a manly ease that held no hint of a narcissistic demeanor.

Kyoko turned to the side to hang the outer soaked coat on a peg beside the door next to her brothers equally soaked cloak. She paused to give the coat a light brush over to get rid of the droplets still clinging to the rich fabric and turned to face him. "It must have been a miserable ride to come here on a day like this."

The green eyes lightly swept her and catching her own, held them with a smiling warmth. "Miserable perhaps, but with such a beauty to greet me, it is easily forgettable."

Perhaps she should have warned him about standing so close. It was almost difficult to subdue the deepening blush while appearing nonchalant. She berated her mind its inadequacy, but her thoughts had become muddled in the fact that she was actually entertaining a man that for once seemed to fill every letter of her desires. Surely there was a flaw there had to be!

…...

I Hope you like the first chapter 😀 from this point on it will get good so look forward to it when I post chapter 2 in the next day or two! xD