The rain poured down relentlessly, a young girl leaned against the window of her school hallway, the soft chiming of her class bell softly played in the background. She closed her lilac colored eyes and her soft petal pink hair fell in front of her face, betraying a single tear.
"Yuki! Come on! You can't be late for class again!" A young girl with long chestnut colored hair and chocolate brown eyes called to her.
Yuki took a couple deep breaths moving rigidly wiping her tear away, "Yep, coming, Mai!" She turned around and gave a fake smile grabbing her books and scurrying to class.
Yuki took her new usual place in class, the back left corner next to the windows that over looked the school courtyard. Mai sat up in the front of the class where they used to sit next to each other and compete with each other to answer the teacher's questions. The horseshoe shape of the school made the perfect wall enclosure to create small cyclones of wind, sweeping leaves and water around splashing them every which direction.
Mai turned around to see her once closest competitor for valedictorian staring out the window mindlessly doodling in her notebook. The bell rang for break. "That's it!" Mai slammed her books down next to Yuki. "Miss Yuki Kurama! How dare you! I don't know what happened, but this has to stop! I'm not only yelling at you for your own good but for my boredom, no one else compares to you! Don't just hand me top of the class!"
Yuki turned her saddened lilac eyes to her only friend and began sobbing. Mai struck with confusion and guilt, "Hey, I'm sorry… I… I didn't know." She bowed to her friend, "Please, forgive me. I am at a loss for words… What's wrong? Anything I could help you with?"
Yuki stood up placing both of her hands on her textbook, releasing a couple large, silent tears onto the pages. "I live alone now… No one can know… My home is all I have left. I had to take an extra job to pay for it. The empty halls, silent rooms is all I have left of them."
Mai's eyes widened, "Yuki… It was…" She quickly looked up the local news on her cell phone.
"Four die in horrific explosion, Kanan, 29, May, 2022." Mai narrowed her eyes and pulled her glasses up to her face, "It couldn't have been… Yuki-sama's family?" Mai quickly scanned Yuki.
Her mid-back light pink hair swayed as she left the room, "Mai. Physics is next." She said with a stern voice.
Mai watched her friend walking out of the class room, "Oi, Yuki. We have perfect attendance. I think we can afford to miss a class we both excel in… let's go get some ramen and practice our martial arts in your family's dojo."
Yuki stopped in the doorway with her bag on her left shoulder and her right hand on the frame, "My father would like that."
A few hours later they arrived at the large manor of the Kurama family. A young man with long silver hair, braided and cascading to his hips smiled at Yuki and waved, opening his eyes revealing bright golden eyes. His shorter hair fell along his face with a smile that could slay one hundred dragons and charm thousands of maidens.
Mai leaned over with a hand concealing her lips whispering to Yuki, "Oh my, who is he… He's gorgeous."
Yuki groaned… "My betrothed… Riku."
Mai scoffed, "Lucky! I'm jealous."
Yuki remained emotionless, "My father's choosing, he's his katana protégé. He said he is a natural born warrior. He's kind, gentle and brave… But his eyes are murderous."
Mai blinked a couple times. "You think? I think his eyes are dreamy."
Yuki snarled slightly, "I think his family is wealthy and my father was in debt."
Riku stood by the entrance of the Kurama manor's archway. "I went to you're school to walk you home, but you had already left. I apologize in my tardy arrival, I wanted to surprise you." He held out his hand, "At least allow me to take your bag."
Yuki reluctantly handed him her bag, "Riku…" Her eyes swelled with tears.
He pulled her into a tight hug, "I know, don't worry. I took a job as an instructor of Bushido. My father offered to pay for your home, but I told him that would dishonor you and your family, that I would work to keep you in your home."
Yuki clung to him tightly, "Thank you, Riku. My father was right to choose you as a suitor.
Riku shot a glance at Mai that pierced her like daggers. "I guess I understand the murderous thing she was saying." She thought as she quickly broke eye contact and looked down. "I am Mai, I am Miss Kurama's friend and study partner." She bowed to Riku.
Riku studied her for a moment. "I am Riku Kenshin, I am Miss Yuki's fiancé, by arranged marriage. I am twenty years old and can handle her wellbeing from here." He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her up the hill of stairs.
Mai glared after them, "What a jerk!" She thought to herself. "He's four years older than her… I guess I didn't think that arranged marriages still happened." She shook herself and started walking back home.
The cherry blossoms bloomed brightly as the sun came out from behind dark clouds. Yuki and Riku sat quietly at the chabudai, occasionally sipping tea. Riku watched Yuki twirl her hair in her fingers staring emptily at her tea.
"Yuki, I—" Riku started
Yuki stood up and bowed, "I have to get ready to go to work."
Riku smiled behind his tea cup that was interlaced between his fingers, "As you wish. Although I've taken the liberty of resigning you from that position. It pained me to see you work so hard for so little, and the "gentlemen" that are served there are repulsive at best."
Yuki stopped in the doorway of her home, the manicured garden's scent filled the courtyard and petals blew past her into their home. She turned to look at him and opened her mouth to scold him, but stopped. "You meant well. I feel ill, I am going to lay down and rest."
He closed his resplendent eyes, "As you wish, my love." He stood up and began clearing the tea set.
Yuki laid in her bed and curled herself up into the fetal position. She felt a hand on the top of her head. She quietly sobbed and drifted asleep.
Riku gently kissed her cheek and watched the sun set from the back porch. Glancing over his shoulder looking at Yuki sleeping he ducked into his newly claimed room and quietly loaded ammunition into a .45 caliber colt magnum revolver. A jet black gun with an inscription on the right side of the barrel, "When Life Gets Hard" and on the left side of the barrel the inscription continued, "Death Comes Easy".
He left a note in case Yuki woke up, "My love, will be back soon, I departed to run a few errands."
At a silent park near a serene River a couple sat giggling on a bench exchanging kisses. Riku slowly walked passed them shrouded in a long onyx coat that concealed most of his features. The young girl lifted her hat revealing the familiar face of Mai. "Got you." She whispered, "Um. Hey, I have to go, my mom just texted me."
Silently she stalked Riku watching his every movement and watched as he opened the passenger door to a i9 BMW, 2021 model. She watched for a small time, "Mhm, a cheater." She pulled out her notepad writing down the time, place and vehicle information. She took a photo with her cellphone for proof. At the click of her camera a bright flash came from inside the sports car. She gasped and screamed. The door opened and Riku got out and slowly walked to where she was hidden.
Riku pulled his cellphone out and dialed a number, "It's done."
"I don't think he noticed me." She sighed in relief with her comforting thoughts. Then she felt a cold piece of metal on the direct center of the top of her head.
"Get in the car." Riku's deep voice demanded.
Mai cried out, "Pleade, don't kill me, I didn't see anything, I thought you were cheating on Yuki, that's why I followed you… I had no clue you'd be here, I was here with my boyfriend and—"
"Silence! Get in the vehicle?" He growled deeply.
Mai held her hands up and slowly approached the vehicle. "Does she know? Does she know you're a killer?"
Riku said nothing and his face never changed as he opened the door and shoved her in. The rounded the vehicle and pulled the bloody body out of the drivers seat and sat in its stead. He opened his phone and redial end the number. "Witness, need a cleaner and disposal. Reimagine is needed." He hung the phone up and glared menacingly at her. Saying nothing he started the car and drove away from the park.
Mai started to panic, "He's going to kill me. Maybe he killed her parents so he could remove the obstacles of her family… I bet her father was rethinking the marriage." Her mind whirled with crazy conspiracy theories.
Riku pulled the car up to the Kurama manor. He turned to her, "You say nothing. Get out. Meet with Yuki." He shoved her out of the car and waited for her to enter the home. Then put the car in reverse and pulled away.
Yuki stood silently holding out a cup of tea for Mai as she walked in. "Yuki…" She smiled at Mai still in her school uniform although covered in dirt.
"I fell asleep and never changed, sorry I must look a mess." Yuki handed her the cup, "I'm going to change." Yuki turned around and walked into the master bedroom of the manor and came out in a black velvet set of lingerie.
Mai looked away and blushed. "A little inappropriate. Yuki you have to change into something less revealing. I have to get you out of here, Riku. He killed someone. He's insane. He's going to be back, we have to—" Suddenly, the front of her shirt felt wet and hot. She looked down and dropped the cup of tea. "Yu-…" She saw a kitchen knife buried into her abdomen. Yuki violently pulled it out of her splattering blood all over herself. Her once soft beautiful lilac eyes radiated bright red with a Cheshire maddening smile across her face, she placed her hand over her bosom.
"Oops." She laughed widly. "I wish you wouldn't have said anything. I wanted to be your best friend forever. I wanted us to grow old watching our grandchildren run about the yards. But you couldn't keep your mouth shut." Yuki took a step back, "I killed my family. I ordered Riku to kill them when I learned about my father's dealings with the Yakuza."
A small pool of blood had gathered and Mai fell to her knees soaking her jeans in her own blood.
"He dishonored us. And my mother knew… My brother helped them… And the fourth in the explosion?" She cackled manically, "My father's lover… My brother's wife. All of their shame died with them. I was guilty. I felt ashamed that I took that into my hands and destroyed my family. I was sad… Then I felt sick. But I realized…. Murder runs in the family."
Mai's eyes grew heavy and she felt herself being dragged and tossed into a hole in the ground. "Sorry, Mai. I can't have competition get in my way. Not in anything." The pressure of the earth began to bare down on her and she closed her eyes. Buried in the serene gardens of the Kurama family.
Riku returned to the manor and pulled the bamboo floor up and began to build a large burn pile in the backyard. "The first time is always the messiest." He said standing up from lighting the pile and held Yuki close gently stroking her low set pigtails. "But you're so beautiful soaked in another's blood." He pulled her in and placed a passionate kiss on her lips.
Yuki leaned into his embrace slowly removing her clothes, "Take me, here, now, just like this. We shall consummate out marriage now."