Another story written for my favourite pairing. This took me quite a while to finish... hope you guys will enjoy it! I initially wanted it to be a multi-chaptered story but because I don't have the stamina (getting old), I've changed it into a one-shot. Though if anyone who wants to take up the challenge, I'll be more than happy to allow it. Just inform me about it :p
It was an era after war; a period of reconstruction in which different countries are trying to mend their economies and infrastructures. It was also a period where merchants are at an advantage as the demand for goods are high right after a war. As a consequence, merchants' businesses flourished and with that came an increase in robbery aimed at the merchants.
It was also the reason why Mr. White was feeling worried. He is a merchant. Although nothing bad has happened to his business yet but he knew in due time, the robbers will have their eyes on him when his business grew. He had hired many bodyguards to guard his cargos and for some time it eased his worried mind until recently. There was uproar in the merchants' circle when a merchant's son was kidnapped and killed when the merchant failed to pay the ransom. It has deterred a few merchants as they quit their jobs and did labor instead, especially those with families. Mr. White was an ambitious man. He could give his life anytime as long as he remained a merchant but the problem was his family. His wife died during the war and all that was left were his son and daughter, Touya and Touko. There was no way he is willing to let them die. When Touya hit the age of twelve, old enough to travel with him, he got him a bodyguard. Now, after two years, it was Touko's turn. Since he has no plans of bring Touko along for his business trip, he figured it would better to get someone who would look after her at home… like an attendant, which brings them to where they currently are.
There was a cage in the middle of the tent. In the cage sat many children of different ages, from as young as ten to as old as twenty. All of them were in rags that looked incapable of providing warmth. Chains bounded their hands and legs as they sat in silence, staring at the ground like a bird that has lost its freedom.
"Go in and choose one, Touko! Make sure you pick a strong one since he's gonna be looking after you!" The merchant nudged his daughter forward into the tent. Touko took a step forward and glanced around nervously. The tent was eerily silent except with the occasional clinking of the chains. Like a wild animal that has sensed a foreign presence, the children's heads jerked up almost instantaneously to stare at her, some with scared eyes and some with hostile eyes. They did not move a single muscle as Touko walked towards the cage looking for someone… anyone who will please her father.
Since my dad wants someone strong, maybe I should pick a boy… maybe a fat boy.
Touko stood still and started scanning around for her fat boy.
Why do I have to do this? Papa didn't asked Touya to choose his bodyguard so why do I have to choose mine?
Her eyes stopped when it landed on a boy with white hair who was sitting in a corner of the cage. The boy's presence did not come to her attention at first due to the angle at where she stood previously and now, her attention is solely on him. He is not as fat as what Touko wanted but something in her mind told her that he would grow to be someone stronger than what a fat boy would grow to be. As if as responding to Touko's stare, the boy matched her gaze with his charcoal eyes, unyielding and brimming with seriousness. Touko felt that he was a bit too jaded for his age.
"I want him." Touko pointed to the white haired boy and turned back to look at her father. Both her father and the dealer stepped into the tent to look at who she was pointing to.
"A fine choice, young miss! His father was a swordsman who got killed during the war, I bet he's as strong and abled as his father! In fact, he has a twin brother in another tent… I can throw in his brother along for a discounted price!" The dealer rubbed his hands gleefully.
"Hmmm… I only need one though…" Mr. White gave a disapproving look. Touko started panicking. She would feel bad if she tore them apart for her sake. There was no way she would be able to live it down with that amount of guilt.
"Let me have the two of them, papa!" she shouted pleadingly to her father.
Mr. White was shocked.
"Touko my dear, you've never wanted toys, clothes or money, in fact you have never asked me for anything and now you want a slave's brother?"
"It will be lonely if he's apart from his brother. I would feel sad too if I'm apart from Touya…" Touko looked down at her shoes, not daring to meet her father's eyes.
Her father's shock face melted upon hearing his daughter's words. Ever since Touya turned twelve, he has been bring him along for his business trips, hoping he will learn the ropes and one day take over his business. He knows how lonely Touko gets during these business trips without her brother. It was also the reason why he decided to choose an attendant closer to Touya's age. Someone who can be a brother for Touko while Touya is away. He knelt down and hugged his daughter.
"Alright, alright. We'll get both of them then."
"Thanks papa!" Touko's small arms encircled her father's neck delightfully.
The dealer proceeded to free the boy from the cage and dragged him before the father-daughter pair.
"Thank you for the purchase! I grab the other one and we can talk about the price. Meanwhile you can check your goods for defects since we don't do refunds here." The dealer laughed crudely, earning an angry look from Touko as he walked out of the tent. The boy stared at Mr. White, as though as he's waiting for his commands.
"What's your name boy?" Mr. White stood up. He felt a need to remind the boy of the difference in their status and the way to do it is to be above him.
"Nobori, sir. My brother's name is Kudari." As if on cue, the dealer came back together with another boy who looked exactly like Nobori.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen, sir."
"That's a bit older than what I've expected."
Kudari joined his brother. Mr. White was amazed how they looked exactly alike. If the younger brother were not cowering from fear, they would be of the same height too. He was expecting slight differences between the twins but it seemed impossible to distinguish them now that he has seen the younger brother.
"Sir, if you would come this way for the payment…" the dealer motioned Mr. White to follow him out of the tent. He followed together with Touko and the twins trailing behind.
"What happened, big bro?" Kudari whimpered, walking timidly beside his brother.
"We got bought." Nobori replied nonchalantly and nodded towards Touko, "by her."
Nobori could still remember the war. His father was a swordsman that has been recruited by the army. His mother died from the plague that has spread during the war. There was not enough food in the house and the loss of their mother has sent Kudari into shock. He had to scavenge for food during daytime and in the evening, he would return to his brother who often sat in the corner of his room, mumbling to himself. He had always been looking forward to their father's return, hoping that his presence will help Kudari. He had also been trying to cheer his brother up with the news of their father. It took weeks for his brother to recover from their mother's death. It was also around the time when they received news of their father's death and got captured shortly afterwards to be sold as slaves.
The slave master often bullied Kudari, who was still mentally weak at that time. He would cry and scream whenever the master beat him and Nobori had to stepped in to take his beatings. In fact it became so frequent that the master decided to direct all beatings to Nobori instead. He was tired of life… until Touko chose him. She saved him and his brother. More importantly, she saved his soul.
\
Upon arriving at Mr. White's abode, he immediately ordered the maids to give the brothers a scrub down and a change of clothes. The two brothers, now cleaned and dressed appropriately, stood before Mr. White.
"You must be wondering why I needed you two when I have so many maids in my veranda."
Both brothers nodded in unison.
"You see, Touko is very attached to her brother and I often bring her brother along for my business trips. That is why I need you two to accompany her. You are not her servants. You are her playmates, her friends and her bodyguards. You'll need to protect her from any harm that befalls her."
"But we do not have any form of training, sir." Nobori stated as Kudari nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, you two will be starting your education and training sessions immediately. I'll introduce you to your teachers later. From today, I will treat you two like my sons and in return, I need you two to be the best guards as well as brother to Touko, do you think you can do it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good answer." Mr. White smiled. He had a feeling that the both of them will do him proud.
\
"Say Touko, your attendant changed his clothes? He's wearing a black coat today instead of his usual white!" Mei exclaimed excitedly. Mei is one of Touko's classmates.
"Oh, that's the other attendant... They're twins." Touko replied. Slight disappointed surfaced when she realized that Kudari was not the one fetching her from school today.
It has been three years since her father bought Nobori and Kudari. Due to their excellent results and behavior in both their studies and training, her father has been treating them well and they have become an indispensible part of their family. The difference between Nobori and Kudari also become more distinct to Touko as they grew up together. To draw an analogy, Kudari is like the sun, warm and bright while Nobori is like the moon, cool and dark. On the other hand, due to the father's frequent absence, he still could not tell the two apart. It was also the reason why he had gotten Nobori to wear a black coat and Kudari a white coat. Touko thought it was an apt choice of colors. Along the three years, Touko had experienced many events together with the brothers, be it studying or playing. She has always find Kudari to be more thrilling and endearing with his sunny personality and spontaneity and it was inevitable for Touko to develop a crush on Kudari.
"Heh, twin brothers for attendants? I would want that too! I wonder if papa can get me a pair too..."
"They're not commodities, Mei. They're humans like us." Touko scolded. She never did like slavery. She was glad when her father forgot about Nobori's and Kudari's status and started treating them as family.
"Yes yes, touko. I was only joking. The brother looks kind of strict though… and gloomy. I think I prefer the white attendant." Mei commented.
"With a younger brother like Kudari, I can imagine why he grew up to be so strict." Touko waved goodbye to Mei as they part ways to their respective attendants.
"Welcome back, miss Touko." Nobori bowed, "how was school?"
"It was fine. Had some problems with my homework…" Both of them started walking back.
"I can teach you later if you want."
"It's okay, I'll attempt it again… by the way, where's Kudari? Shouldn't he be the one picking me today?" Touko felt a bit guilty for asking. It was as if she did not want Nobori to be there.
"Your father came home with his friend and his daughter, miss Kamitsure. Kudari was asked to escort miss Kamitsure around town so he would not be coming for the next few days." Nobori explained. He could see the disappointment in Touko's eyes.
Gifted with an acute sense, he knew that Touko has a crush on his brother and to be honest, he felt a bit jealous. He knew he is not a man of many words. He knew he could not charm people with words like his brother does. Which is why he was jealous when her brother could speak his mind so freely with Touko. He wanted to be the one dragging Touko around the garden playing tag. He wanted to be the one comforting her when she gets injured. She only came to him when she needed help with work or anything associated with seriousness. The journey home was one in silence. Touko did not get to see Kudari and Kamitsure that day since she turned in early that night.
\
The next day, Touko was surprised when Kudari was the one waiting for her after school.
"Shouldn't you be escorting Kamitsure?" Touko asked in surprise.
"Well, big bro wanted to swap with me all of a sudden last night. Saying that he fears I will mess up my job of escorting miss Kamitsure." Kudari scratched his head. "It was going well though... miss Kamitsure seems to like my presence. I hope big bro won't be the one messing things up."
Touko knew the true reason. For the first time, she wished for Nobori to be the one beside her instead of Kudari. That night she waited patiently for Nobori to return. When the clock struck midnight, there was the sound of the front door opening followed by some shuffling. Touko ran down from her room as quickly as possible hoping to catch Nobori and Kamitsure. When she reached the front door, her father was there with them too.
"Oh Touko! You haven't sleep yet? Here, let me introduce Kamitsure to you. She's my friend's daughter and four years older than you. I hope you can treat her as an older sister." Her father pulled her in front of Kamitsure as she looked at said girl. She was pretty. As pretty as a model would be with long blonde hair cascading down her fashionable clothes.
"Nice to meet you, Touko." Kamitsure chuckled when she saw the awestruck expression on Touko's face.
She has a nice voice. Touko thought.
"Nice to meet you too." She greeted and turned to Nobori. "Nobori, I need some help with my work."
"Nobori needs to accompany Kamitsure, Touko dear. Why don't you ask…" Her father said but was shortly interjected by Kamitsure.
"It's okay, Mr. White, I'm feeling a bit tired right now and would like to return to my room."
"Ah, if that's the case, then have a good night, miss Kamitsure. I'll show you and your father around more tomorrow."
With that, everybody retreated back to his or her own rooms. Nobori followed Touko back to her room.
"What do you need help with, miss Touko?"
"Why did you switch?"
"I'm afraid I do not know…"
"Do not take me for a child, Nobori." Touko's stern voice rendered Nobori silent.
"Do you not like me?" her voice softened as she looked into Nobori's eyes.
"It's not that, miss Touko! I just thought that you would be happier to have Kudari fetching you from school." Nobori bowed apologetically. If he were as expressive as Kudari, his face would be that of a kicked puppy but his face remained stoic as usual.
"Switch back. Never do such things ever again."
"I'm sorry for stepping over the line, miss Touko." Nobori was taken aback when he felt Touko's hand on his cheek. He did not dare to look up for fear that Touko would see the blush on his face.
"It's not your fault, Nobori. I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I'm sorry for hurting you." He could not stand it anymore. In a flash, he was dashing out of the room back to his own, ignoring the surprised cry from Touko. He was certain that his face must be as red as a ripe tomato now.
"You looked like you ran a marathon, big bro." Kudari laughed. "What's with the red face?"
"Nothing." Nobori tried to calm his nerves, "we're swapping again tomorrow."
"You messed things up with Kamitsure?"
"Not miss Kamitsure."
"Then who?"
"Miss Touko. She didn't appreciate the gesture."
"Of course she wouldn't! It seemed like you didn't want to fetch her."
Nobori stared at Kudari. Sometimes his brother can be so dense. He shook his head and went to bed.
\
"I got something important to tell you, big bro!" Kudari chirped and bounced excitedly on his bed one night.
"What is it?"
"I think I like miss Kamitsure."
"What?!" Nobori half shouted. "But you barely knew her for a year!"
"I don't know… it's like ever since the day I saw her and talked to her, it felt like we were meant for each other." Kudari stared dreamily into empty space. "She's mature and elegant on the outside but deep down she's actually quite a child and wish to be pampered."
"What about Touko? What are you going to do about her?"
"Hn? It's not like I'll leave this place if I ever get together with miss Kamitsure. Touko is like a sister to me after all. I won't abandon the family that has brought me up." There was a forlorn look on Kudari's face before it reverted back to his playful one. "You really care about miss Touko, don't you big bro?"
"It's my job to look after her." Nobori quickly diverted his gaze away from his brother, fearing that his eyes would betray him. He could feel his face going red again. "Goodnight Kudari."
"Aww, you don't need to get all shy." Kudari switched off the lights and lied in his bed. "Goodnight big bro."
Only a sister eh?
\
Sometimes Kudari really wished his brother would be more expressive. He knew that his brother's cold personality was a result from bearing most of the burdens that have been thrown at them. Maybe if he were mentally stronger, he would have been able to help his brother shoulder some responsibilities at that time. Even now, his brother is constantly looking out for him, shielding him from danger. He wished he could help his brother out. He wished he could be the one protecting him instead and telling him to take a rest.
Months proceeded as usual with the occasional visits from Kamitsure. Touko has also grown closer to Kamitsure and treated her like a sister. Since Kamitsure's father is a cloth merchant, she has exposure to the different kind of cloths and fashion styles which she shares many with Touko. Touko has also volunteer to be Kamitsure's guinea pig whenever she needed someone to try out the clothes she has designed. At the same time, Kudari has also made some moves towards Kamitsure whom accepted and returned them readily, much to Kudari's delight. Meanwhile, Nobori started wondering if he should tell Kudari about Touko's feelings.
"You know, Touko…" Kamitsure said to Touko one day. Both of them were having lunch together in the garden with Nobori and Kudari some distance away… far enough to be out of earshot.
"Hmm?"
"I think I like Kudari." The words rolled out of her mouth like she was stating a fact.
Touko did not know how to react to it.
"Why would you tell me that?" She finally found the courage to reply her.
"Well, you're someone important to Kudari. I feel that I'll need to get your permission first if I ever were to get serious with him. But if you don't want me to, I'll stop going after him."
Touko contemplated if she should tell Kamitsure about her feelings towards Kudari. She turned and looked at Kamitsure, earning a puzzled look from her. There are many emotions currently running through Touko's heart.
Will she give up if I told her I like Kudari? Will she stop being my friend? Will I be able to stand them together? I don't really want to lose Kudari… but at the same time I do not want to lose Kamitsure either. She's like a sister to me.
"Do you really want to be with Kudari?"
The confusion in Kamitsure's eyes was replaced by affection and determination. That was the coup de grâce.
"Yes I do."
"If that's the case, please treat Kudari well." Touko mustered a smile.
"Thank you, Touko!" Kamitsure shouted as she hugged Touko. Nobori and Kudari came running to them upon hearing Kamitsure's shouting.
"What happened?" Kudari asked. He did have enough time to hear the response as the next thing he knew, Kamitsure's lips were on his. There was a moment of shock before Kudari realized what was happening. He gratefully returned the kiss, both totally oblivious to the other two.
Nobori immediately went to Touko's side and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew she has made a huge sacrifice and probably is feeling torn over it. Upon sensing the comforting touch, Touko looked up at Nobori, the painful smile on her face looked so eerie and heart wrenching. A shiver ran down his spine. Nobori knew that he would never be able to erase the image from his mind.
"Miss Touko…" he whispered.
"It's alright, Nobori. She likes him more than I do."
Nobori could not stand it. With a sweep, he carried Touko bridal style and ran to her room, making sure the couple was undisturbed.
"Why did you bring me here?" Nobori placed her down and closed the door.
"You can cry if you're in your own room, miss Touko."
"W-What makes you think I want to cry?" Touko retorted. The tears started flowing down from her blue eyes. "I am not going to cry! Stop making decisions for me, stop reading my feelings!"
Nobori stared. Unlike his brother, he did not really know how to comfort crying girls. All he could do was to place his hand on her shoulder.
"If you're going to comfort me, do it properly!" Touko scolded. Her sudden outburst caused Nobori to be taken aback. Seeing this moment of weakness, Touko took the liberty of grabbing his arms and putting it behind her back.
"This is how you hug a person." She hugged him tightly, digging her face into his chest. After Nobori regained his composure, he slowly tightened his arms around her in response. Part of him felt guilty for enjoying the moment. He knew he should not be feeling relieved that Kudari accepted Kamitsure's confession but he did. The two remained in the same position until dinnertime.
Touko was not sure if it was because of Nobori's comforting but she felt immensely better after crying her heart out. All she can feel now is happiness for her sister's newfound love. After all, it was only a crush. It was nothing compared to the amount of affection she saw in Kamitsure's eyes.
"Touko! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you and Nobori." Kamitsure embraced Touko.
"Just giving some space for the two of you." Touko teased.
\
Ever since the incident in her room, Touko could feel some changes in the relationship between Nobori and her. For the past two years, she has gradually opened up to him and him to her. She felt emotionally closer to him than she ever did with Kudari. As for Nobori, his feelings for Touko only grew stronger. This did not go unnoticed by Kamitsure and Kudari even though they were busy with each other. However, there was also another person who noticed everything.
"Say, lately you have been hanging around Nobori a lot, haven't you?"
Touko froze. Touya could almost see the guilt in her eyes.
"What makes you say that, brother?" She tried to force a smile, pretending not to know what he was implying. Unfortunately, Touya was not her brother for nothing.
"Don't pretend to not know what I'm saying, Touko." He frowned. "You have been requesting Nobori for almost everything. Going out to the market, fetching you after school, even during that party father bought us to last week, you were sticking to Nobori like a leech."
"Well, he's my bodyguard after all."
"You don't see me sticking to mine every single minute."
"That's because you're a guy."
"When have you become such weak girl? I thought you were always talking about how strong you have become. Saying things like beating up your kidnappers…"
"You don't know anything, brother."
"Oh yes I do. I'd say you're in love with Nobori."
Touko stared at her brother. She could feel the blood rushing to her face as the pace of her heartbeat picked up rapidly.
"N-No, I'm not…" The reply came out feebly. It was Touya's win.
"Touko… you know how father is when it comes to relationship with someone of lower status." Touya's voice softened.
"I know, brother. But I cannot control who I like." Touko sighed as she slumped in her seat, her fork poking randomly at the piece of lettuce on her plate.
Touya was worried for her sister.
\
"Nobori, are you free at the moment?"
"Yes, mister Touya. Is there anything I can help you with?" Nobori bowed.
Touya scanned his environment before beckoning Nobori to follow him. They ended up in the garden.
"Let's be honest here, Nobori. Do you have something for my sister?" Touya demanded. Nobori has half-expected the question. After all, he has not missed the stares that Touya gave him whenever Touko got a bit too friendly with him.
"I like miss Touko." He was kind of embarrassed that he was willing to admit that fact so readily. It seemed that two years with Touko was enough to confirm his feelings.
"Do you love her?"
Love. Nobori thought. He was certain of his feelings towards Touko but at the same time, he knew his place well enough.
"I do love miss Touko." Touya opened his mouth to interject but Nobori held up his hand to stop him. "But I know that I can never be with her. I'm nothing but a servant after all."
Touya was relieved that Nobori understood what he wanted. At the same time, he cannot help it but to pity the man. After all, who would want a love that can never be reciprocated?
"I'm sorry, Nobori. If you love her, you'll know what to do."
"Don't worry, mister Touya. I'll see to it." He could feel a sharp pain in his heart but chose to ignore it. It was for Touko's own good.
\
Touko stood by her window as she stared out into the night sky. It was a clear night. She smiled to no one in particular as she started tracing the constellations. She remembered the days where she would ask Nobori to teach her about the galaxies. He would always sit down beside her, holding her hand and tracing out the constellations in the sky. Her heart would always raced at the warmth from his hand and his light ticklish breath behind her ears.
"The night sky is clear tonight." A voice came from behind her.
"Yes indeed. I want to learn more about the stars, Nobori."
"As you wish, miss Touko." Nobori bowed before placing himself next to her. He grabbed her hand and pointed it towards a particularly shiny star.
"That star is really bright."
"It's not a star, miss Touko. That is Venus, a planet. As you can see, it doesn't twinkle like how a star would."
"Ah! I know Venus. She's the goddess of love and beauty." Touko leaned back into Nobori's chest, which immediately went stiff with the new physical contact.
"Y-Yes." He stuttered. His hand went limp.
"What's wrong, Nobori?" she looked up at him from her position. He looked back into her eyes. Touko freed her hand from Nobori's and placed it on his forehead. "You don't feel sick."
"It's not a fever, miss Touko." Nobori grabbed her hand and removed it from his forehead. Touko realized that he was still holding her hand and his face was now a few centimeters away from hers.
"Then what kind of sickness is it?" she barely whispered out. Her heart pumping blood furiously. All she needed to do was to stretch her neck a bit more and their lips would meet.
As if reading her mind, Nobori used his free hand and placed it under her chin.
"Love sickness." Without warning, he raised her chin and their lips met.
It was a tender kiss at first, but Touko's desire soon took over and she started pulling Nobori's shirt, deepening the kiss. Nobori willingly complied as his hand went from under her chin to her back, pushing her closer. Touko jumped slightly when she felt Nobori licking her lower lips, begging for entrance. She eagerly accepted the request and soon their tongues were engaged in a fierce battle, trying to taste every crevices and corner of each other's mouth. Nobori freed Touko's hand and rested his hand on her thighs. Despite the thick fabric of the kimono, Touko could feel the heat radiating from his hand as it ran up and down her thigh. She could not help but to let out a moan. She could feel Nobori's lips curving up into a smile against her lips as his hand got more daring and started travelling further up. For revenge, Touko used her freed hand to stroke his chest sensually, earning a groan from Nobori. Proud of her work, Touko's hand started travelling southwards and that was when the alarm bells in Nobori's head went off. He suddenly leapt backwards as if scalded by hot water and fell onto the ground. He was fully awake now.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, miss Touko!" He quickly adjusted his position into a kneeling one and bowed lowly. "I don't know what got over me."
"I-It's okay, Nobori. I… I enjoyed it." Touko said bashfully. Her eyes adverted Nobori's ones when he raised his head in surprise.
"It can't happen, miss Touko. I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Nobori stood up and ran out of the room, leaving a bewildered Touko behind.
"I'm sorry, miss Touko. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do." Nobori whispered out to no one as he ran back to his own room.
\
"Touko my dear, you're already eighteen aren't you?"
"Yes, papa."
"Hmmm, it's about time you marry don't you think?" Mr. White nodded at one of the attendant as he presented a file to him. Mr. White took the file and handed it over to Touko.
"Do I really have to?"
"He will make a good husband for you, Touko dear. Even Nobori approved of him."
She froze. So did Touya and Kudari who were at the same table. Nobori was nowhere in sight.
"N-Nobori did?"
"Yeah, Nobori specially chose him for you, making sure your future husband can fulfill your expectations. He really cares about your well-being."
"I don't want to marry, papa." Touko's voice trembled.
"Stop talking nonsense, Touko. You're already eighteen. It's about time you get yourself a man and start bringing me grandkids." He joked lightheartedly but Touko did not see it the same way.
"No, you don't understand, papa!" Tears started running down her eyes. Mr. White was surprised. It has been a long time since he last saw her cry. Touko stood up from her seat and ran out of the room. Nobody dared to go after her.
\
"Why did you do that!" Touko slammed open the door to Nobori's room. "I've already told you to stop making decisions for me!"
"It's for your own good, miss Touko." Nobori turned away from Touko. Not daring to meet her eyes. "It's about time you get married."
"Stop lying, Nobori. You know how I feel! You know that I love you and you love me too. So why?"
"You can't love me, miss Touko. You're the daughter of a merchant. I'm just a servant. Your father would not approve."
"What? So you care about all those too? I've always thought you were more sensible that that! If you want me to marry so much, I'll do it!"
He turned around to stop her, to tell her that he regretted his actions. But she was already gone.
\
"I'll do it, papa. I'll meet that guy." Touko deadpanned, her voice lack of life.
"It's okay Touko, papa won't force you if you don't want to."
"I'm fine, papa. I was just too nervous yesterday."
Worry was evident in Touya's and Kudari's eyes. They knew what was going on and they did not like it at all. Touya was especially guilty since he was the one who approached Nobori on the whole issue of how he should not be with Touko.
"If you say so, Touko dear. I'll arrange a meeting with him next week."
"Thank you papa."
\
"What brings you here tonight to my room, Touya?" Mr. White regarded his son as he turned to look at his partner, "and Kudari."
Kudari bowed respectfully.
"Father, there is something we would like to discuss with you… about Touko's marriage." Touya started.
"Ah yes, what about it?" Mr. White's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Feeling protective over your sister?"
"No, that's not it, father. You see-…"
"Please do not let miss Touko marry!" Kudari suddenly interjected, earning a weird stare from Mr. White.
"What does this have to do with you, Kudari?"
"You see, father, Touko actually has someone she already like." Touya quickly salvaged the situation.
Realization seemed to strike Mr. White.
"And that person is Kudari?" he pointed at said guy.
"No, sir. It's my brother, Nobori." Kudari bowed again, apologetically this time.
"I know you don't like it when people of different statuses marry, father, but I beg you to overlook the two of them."
"I don't get it. If Nobori liked Touko, why did he approve the marriage in the first place?"
"My brother is a guy who would put others before himself. He probably did it so miss Touko can give up her feelings for him."
"Hmmm, so you're telling me that Nobori approved the marriage to hide his feelings?"
"He's not hiding his feelings, sir, he's running away from his feelings. If miss Touko gets married, he'll be able to forget his feelings for her and miss Touko may also forget her feelings for him."
"And isn't that a good thing?"
"No, sir. Even if he says so otherwise, I doubt he is able to erase his feelings for miss Touko completely. Especially not when he has been loving her for the past two years."
"Two years?!" Mr. White exclaimed.
Touya shot Kudari a disapproving frown as Kudari quickly covered his mouth, regretting his words.
"You mean to say, for two years, Nobori has been having impure thoughts about my daughter?" Mr. White raged.
"It's not like that father!" "It's not like that sir!"
"Nobori is a good man, father. He's not someone who will take advantage of Touko."
"My brother places miss Touko's feelings and well-being above anything else."
"Enough." Mr. White stood up and looked down at both his son and Kudari. "I would never approve a marriage between my daughter and a servant of my house."
"Father!" "Sir!"
"Please, sir! Please reconsider it!" Kudari shifted into kneeling position and bowed.
"Kudari, look at me." Mr. White demanded. Kudari complied and raised his head nervously.
"Y-Yes, sir?"
"Remember what I told you two on the first day?" Mr. White smiled gently at Kudari's puzzled face. "You are not her servants. You are her playmates, her friends, her bodyguards and… if I must say so… my sons. I have never seen you two as servants. Servants don't go through special training or education, they don't even get to dine at the same table."
"S-sir… we didn't know…"
"You two are entrenched in your past. Just because you used to be slaves, it doesn't automatically make you my servant. I guess my hospitality wasn't clear enough to you two…"
"We're eternally grateful for your hospitality, sir! I'm touched that you would even think of us as your sons."
Mr. White bent down to Kudari's eye level.
"Tell Nobori this: If he's grateful like you've said, he better not make my daughter cry again. And he better be a good son-in-law."
Kudari's and Touya's face lit up with joy as they hugged each other in happiness.
"Thank you father!" "Thank you sir!"
Both ran out of the room excitedly to their respective sibling's room.
"Kids these days…" Mr. White chuckled to himself.
\
The moment Kudari told Nobori what Mr. White said, Nobori immediately bolted out of his room to Touko's. Along the way, Touya stopped him.
"I'm sorry, Nobori, you know… for calling you a servant and putting you through such pain."
"Don't say that, mister Touya. I was the one who was affected by my past. If it wasn't for you, I would not be able to love miss Touko openly." Nobori bowed. "I would have continued thinking that I was a lowly servant just because I was a slave once. It was your family that gave me a chance to escape my past."
"Thank you, Nobori." Touya smirked and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't screw this up."
"I won't."
\
"Miss Touko." Nobori burst into the room. Touko was sitting on her bed, a dazed expression on her face. Before she could even say anything, Nobori pulled her into a hug.
"What brings you here, Nobori?" Touko's heart fluttered at the sudden close proximity. She had expected Nobori's presence now that her brother has told her everything and the excitement was making her giddy.
Nobori broke the embrace to look Touko in the eyes.
"I'm back, miss Touko, for you. I'm sorry for forcing you to go for an omiai. I'm sorry for not being honest with my feelings. I'm sorry for not being able to say 'I love you' when you want me to." He was sure there was blush on his face as he poured out his feelings.
"Nobori… don't ever do such thing ever again. You understand?" Touko chided, her voice shaking from all the emotions that were starting to surface – anger, happiness, relief and most importantly, love.
"I promise."
Touko leapt forward and flung her arms around his neck before locking her lips with his. He happily obliged and returned the gesture with equal passion.
"Does that mean we get to carry on from where we stopped the other day?" Touko broke the kiss and asked; A mischievous glint in her eyes.
\
It feels almost like yesterday when Nobori met Touko. Ever since that day, he knew that his heart belonged to Touko and nobody else. When he first realized Touko's crush on Kudari, his heart sank a bit but nevertheless, he stayed by Touko's side. Yes, he was slightly envious of Kudari at that time but said nothing of it. It took him a few more years before his feelings were reciprocated. But even so, he often worries if they could truly be together since he was branded a slave before being bought. In the end, he felt that Touko was better off with someone else and tried to match her off in an omiai. He instantly regretted his actions. Thankfully, Kudari and Touya saved the day and because of them, he was what he is today.
In front of him was Touko, with a cup of sake in her hand. He picked up his cup of sake before their hands intertwined as they drank their vows. Everybody around them applauded along with some congratulatory exclamations. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Kamitsure shaking Kudari in excitement.
"Congratulations, you're now both husband and wife."
"My son becoming my son-in-law… I better start getting grandchildren soon!"
"When will it be our turn, Kudari?"
"Ehhh. Your father's requirements are insane! Nobody can survive a river filled with crocodiles and poisonous snakes!"
"Maybe I should have asked Nobori to do that. He ought to put in more effort for my sister!"
"Now now, brother, I'm sure he went through a fair amount of trouble thanks to you."
Yes. He was happy.
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