|-|Nothing is Forever|-|
|Part One|
The summer air was dry and smelled faintly of smoke. The wind that blew through the trees was of no help; it just pushed the hot air around a bit. The leaves rustled together like paper. If they didn't have rain soon, the trees might start changing colors
Tamiko gave herself another futile wave of her fan. It was not a day to hang around outside, but she had nowhere else to retreat to.
Guests were expected later that afternoon. It wasn't something she wanted to be around for, despite her obvious need of attendance. It was a marriage meeting. After the first dozen, she doubted this one would work out either: her father simply had high expectations.
She sighed and leaned back against a tree. The family compound wasn't in sight, but she knew she was still on their land. With her legs apart and her simple yukata pulled up, she looked nothing like the high class woman she was supposed to.
As long as she made it in time to bathe and dress into a formal kimono, she would be in the clear. Her father allowed her at least that much. To sunburn, however, was unforgivable. Not that the shade helped with the unrelenting heat.
She pushed her sweat drenched bangs up, trying to wipe off her slick face. Her long, blonde hair didn't seem to want to stay in the bun she had forced it in, and with the temperature, any length of hair made it even more uncomfortable.
With the sun slipping a little further down in the sky, Tamiko figured she should start walking home. The walk itself would be torture, but the thought of being late pushed her forward.
"Thank you for coming here today," her father said, smiling politely. "My wife and I will discuss it further and contact you again later this week."
The time frame was a dead giveaway. If it had been a couple days, then Tamiko would have something to wonder about. A week was a definite no.
After many bows and a few more courteous words exchanged, the guests left. Another family wishing to marry into their family, her father would say. Tamiko was their only daughter; he would give her away to only the best.
As she was about to leave the room, her mother stopped her.
"Have you finished your homework for tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yes, it is finished," she replied, her posture still formal.
Her mother gave an approving nod, allowing her daughter to leave.
As soon as the doors slid shut behind her, she heaved a sigh. She glanced warily at a nearby maid, whose expression stated that she hadn't seen a thing. Tamiko wasn't supposed to relax, even in her own home.
She walked briskly through the many hallways and doors until she had made it outside. The sun was beginning to set, casting a dim glow to the forest. There was only a small bit of land before the trees started, and she hardly ever enjoyed staying there.
Staring wistfully at the trees, she nearly started walking towards them. If she hadn't been in a kimono and it wasn't a school night, she would have continued to do so.
Instead, she walked a few feet towards a wooden bench that stood up against the building. It was the closest she could get to the forest without actually entering it.
If there was one thing she was happy about living in Konoha, it would be the abundance of trees. They calmed her, for some reason. They served as a sort of escape from life.
She didn't hate what had become of it, she just needed to unwind from the day's stressful events. Being the only child, she was constantly watched. Every flaw was revealed and fixed; there was hardly any room for privacy.
School was nice, though, she had to admit.
As she was pondering the benefits of going to school, for goodness knows why, the wind flew through the leaves, making enough noise to break her train of thought.
A dark figure jumped down from the forest. As it straightened up, she noted it was a guy. She was too surprised to speak.
He looked up suddenly, staring at the house before he moved his dark eyes over to her.
Surprise quickly turned to bewilderment. Several thoughts flew through her mind: -Goodness, I'm still dolled up from the meeting. –There's something shiny on his head. –Calm, calm down. –Who the flip is this guy?
He started walking casually over to her, as if he cared not on whose property he walked. His features became clearer as got closer.
And then he smiled.
I haven't updated anything in a super long time, buuuut...ta da? New story? Yeah? Hopefully it's interesting or will get interesting as the plot unfolds. This is being written as a request from Koyuki-Rune ^_^
Jen