Title: Innocent Scandals
Inspiration(s): Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Author: Miss Rei Faun
Anime: Ronin Warriors
Type of Fanfic: Alternative Universe; set in the late Heian Era
Genre: Drama
Couple(s): I'll give you a hint, they're het couples and NO romances with OCs are involved! (for the most part)
Yaoi Yuri or Het: Het
Original Characters: A few.
Notes/Warnings: Yes, this is based on the novel (specifically the two movies). I'll give you a hint: we have a Warlord, A female warlord and another woman, a boy and a girl here...This takes place in the late Heian Era in Japan, around the mid-1100s...I guess to explain decadence of the nobility. Some plots will be based on "Dangerous Liaisons," the famous modern film interpretation, and some scenes will be based on "Valmont," the lesser known, not as dark interpretation. So a bunch of bad stuff will happen, and...If you've never heard of the novel, then I better shut up so I won't give away the plot...
I can't explain much for this chapter, so...
Rating: R/NC-17 for lemon, angst, one off-screen rape scene, treachery, and death...basically anything that's considered not for kids...
Chapter Rating: PG/PG-13
Disclaimer: RW belongs to Sunrise/Bandai; and the novel and movies belong to this Laclos (sp?) person...

At a nearby small orphanage, out in the countryside...

Two women, dressed in lavish kimono, walked around, looking for the doors. A Buddhist monk came out to talk to them, and then he went back inside.

Inside, a female instructor was teaching the little girls about moral values, as she had always done. The monk came and whispered to the instructor. Her eyes widened.

"I'm terribly afraid..." One of the women, a crimson haired woman, said.

"Oh, don't worry, Juri," The other woman, the dark haired younger one, assured her friend, or rather, her cousin. "I'm sure she's just the same as she was four years ago."

"Kayura, I'm very grateful for you to be here with me...Oh, it HAS been four years! There's no telling what she'll look like, now."

Suddenly, the doors opened, and out came a little young, red-haired girl. As soon as she saw the crimson-haired lady (whose name was Lady Juri Satsuma, a widow), she squealed, teary-eyed! "Mama!"

"Suzu-chan!" and they hugged. As they let go, Lady Satsuma said, "Do you remember our cousin?"

The girl looked at the dark-haired young woman.

"Hello, Suzunagi! Do you remember me?"

The girl known as Suzunagi gasped. "Miss Kayura!" And they hugged as well. As Lady Satsuma talked to the monk, Suzunagi began whispering to Lady Kayura (who was also a widow).

"Is it true, that I'm getting married?"

"Oh yes, little one," Lady Kayura smiled.

"Who is it?" She asked excitedly.

"Now I can't help you wit that one...I don't even know myself."

At the Satsuma residence...

As they returned, little Suzunagi ran about, excited to be home for the first time in forever.

"She's such a darling," Lady Kayura said.

"Oh yes..." Lady Satsuma replied. "I am in doubt, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Her fiancé...well...four years ago, when she was ten, he suggested that I send her far away to an orphanage, so she can be free from immoral scenes here in Nara and elsewhere. As he said, young adolescence may be dragged to these horrors, heavily influenced. You know, he's so attracted to her purity, innocence, her virginity..."

"Who is she marrying, now?"

"Well, he said not to tell anyone...but he'll be at Suzu-chan's Coming of Age ceremony next week, so you'll see him then."

"Ah yes! How is that going?"

"Well, we're almost done."

"And I hear you're hiring someone to teach her how to play a shamisen."

"Well, her fiancé did say that he would love his future bride to play a shamisen, so yes. This teacher, a young man, is supposed to be one of the best in Heian...but unfortunately he's a commoner—educated, but a commoner nonetheless. He should be coming shortly..."

"Oh great..." A dark haired young man (who's probably seventeen) sighed. He didn't want to teach some snobby little rich kid to play the shamisen...

So there he was, at the Satsuma mansion. "Well, here goes," he said as he went on in.

"Yuli Yamano, was it?" Lady Satsuma asked.

"Yes, milady." The young man known as Yuli said (hesitantly).

"Well, my daughter is to be taught how to play this instrument so I expect you to teach her well."

"Yes, milady."

One of the maids brought the girl, wearing a bright kimono, in.

"Suzunagi, this is Yuli Yamano. He will teach you how to play a shamisen. You will start today."

Suzunagi stare at awe at the instrument, but she was quite scared of the young man (plus she didn't understand why her mother was treating this guy so coldly.)

Lady Kayura sat quietly, observing all this.

"Young man, you will address my daughter as, 'Suzunagi-san,' is that clear?"

"Yes, milady." God! What a bitch! He thought...

So there was little Suzunagi, trying to figure out what Yuli was teaching her.

And there was Yuli, trying not to confuse the girl...

A male guard was there to watch them...to make sure Yuli doesn't do anything rash.

As soon as Yuli saw the guard he grimaced. Oh give me a break!

He sighed and started demonstrating by playing a little simple tune of only a couple of notes.

Again she stared at awe.

"Can you do that?"

"Um...okay," she said shyly. She played every single note slowly. She did well except for the last two notes. She panicked.

"Hey don't worry, we're just getting started." Yuli looked up for a second. "I'll tell you what. We'll practice a couple of notes and that will be it for today. But first you gotta learn how to hold this thing."

Suzunagi gave him a sweet, friendly smile, "Okay, Yamano-san!' "

"You don't have to call me that, you know. Just call me Yuli."

"Okay, Yuli-san!' "

"...close enough..."

((A/N: That's it for this chapter!))