a/n: ok so like..., arranged marriage aus? just heck me up. writings summaries? also heck me up.
in any case, i came up with the concept of an arranged marriage au, where Kagero's older brother was never sick, so he went to Shirasagi to become Ryoma's retainer while she got to stay home and look after her family and become a bit more of a "proper lady." and then like... saigero... and arranged marriage where they slowly fall in love... and then this monstrosity happened.. with it's super gross cheesy shoujo title and junk and.. forgive me
i decided to write this two months ago and only just finished it, but in my defense, college started.
The spring sky was perfectly blue, the air was fragrant with the smell of the honeysuckle bushes, and birds sang in the trees. Kagero put her hands behind her into the grass, threading the strands through her fingers, and watched a particularly quick cloud drift through the sky while she waited for the messenger to arrive. It was near noon, and the particular messenger that had been delivering the letters from Shirasagi as of the past year always, always arrived at noon sharp. Never a second early, never a second late. She admired his punctuality.
The door to the house behind her slid open, and her mother emerged with a hand on her hip and a frown on her face. "Slacking off?" she asked.
Kagero hummed and tilted her head back. The sunshine felt good on her skin. She could bathe in it forever. "I already finished my morning chores, Mother. I'm just waiting for the washing to dry and the messenger to come."
Her mother stepped carefully off the patio of the house and joined her. "Oh? Is today letter day already?"
"How do you lose track? I can never seem to stop counting the very minutes until letter day."
The older woman scoffed and reached down to pat her child on the head. "I've got a looser memory than you, child. Give this old woman a break."
"You aren't old, Mother."
Her mother tittered, then retreated back to the house, requesting that Kagero tell her when the letters came. Another ten minutes in the sun passed, in which she tried to coax a rabbit towards her and plucked up extra tall blades of grass, before the messenger arrived on horseback. He gave a polite greeting, as he always did, handed her the letters, then took her own. He made some idle chat as usual, bits of dull gossip from the capital, then mounted his horse and took off again with a quick farewell.
Kagero counted the letters- four exactly, all enveloped in nice paper with respectable wax seals- and opened the door to the house. She found her mother sketching at the table, her fingers black with charcoal, and her father sitting across from her to watch. They both looked up as she entered, their eyes immediately going down to the letters with eager expressions.
"Right on time," her father noted. "How many are there this time?"
"Only four," she responded. She tucked her knees under her and read the names written on the back of the envelopes as she passed them out. "One for each of us from Obi, and an extra one for me from Orochi."
Kagero slid her fingers under the seal of Orochi's envelope while her parents continued to talk. The violet wax gave easily underneath her push, and a good three pages of writing tried to spring from the confines ahead of the others. She reached in and pulled out three, four, five pages, checked to make sure they were all in order, and then proceeded to read.
Orochi's letters were always written in the attempt to make Kagero laugh. She told laughable stories about the frivolities of court, embarrassing mishaps with the noble men who constantly tried (and failed) to woo the queen, idiotic things that her fellow retainers had done. She drew cute doodles in the margins to emphasize the points of her stories, made terrible jokes, all before she insisted on knowing every detail of Kagero's life, no matter how dull it was.
Her eyes read the last line, "always yours, Orochi," twice before she folded the pages and slid them back in the envelope. She pulled her letter from her brother out of its confines next and began to read. Much of the information he gave her was the same as what Orochi said in her letter, but he offered new tidbits- the fact that in one man's attempt to woo the queen, he'd accidentally fallen into a fountain was a particularly amusing detail that Orochi had skimped out on, Kagero thought. She traced her finger down the side of the page as she continued to read, stroked every line lovingly, before coming across the main contents of the letter.
"My partner, Saizo, and I have recently clashed again. His insistence on doing things recklessly worries me and our lord to no end. I try to be a good influence on him, but he seems to enjoy courting danger at every turn, no matter what. It's quite confusing- he has a younger twin brother, also in service to the royal family, who almost resembles you in temperament, but the two of them couldn't be more different, and they argue frequently. It makes me glad that you and I have such similar personalities. I'd hate to argue with you whenever we get to see one another.
In any case, there is a bit of news that I've informed our parents of in their letters, and I'm sure that they'll discuss the matter with you at length as soon as everyone is done reading. I'd like to tell you beforehand that I was completely against the idea, but I haven't got a very strong say in it. Please write to me soon with your thoughts on the matter included, dearest sister. I'm eager to get your reply."
Her stomach turned with anxiety, and she peered up over the papers to observe her parents. Her mother was looking nervous, twisting the edge of her letter between her fingers, while her father was doing everything he could to avoid looking at her. She had a slight idea of what the news could be; she was twenty-two, unmarried, and her parents had been looking for a suitable suitor for her since her twentieth birthday- one that would not only be beneficial to their family, but also one that she would like.
Needless to say, they hadn't experienced any success.
"Your brother told you about the news?" her mother asked anxiously.
Kagero folded up the letter without finishing it, sat it aside, and folded her shaking hands primly in front of her like her teachers always taught. Ladylike. "No. He said you would tell me."
Her parents looked at each other, their anxiety practically palpable, and then her father spoke. "We, uh, may have found an appropriate marriage candidate for you."
Her guess had been exactly right. She sighed and twisted her fingers together, waiting for them to proceed.
"Actually, the high prince may have found an appropriate marriage candidate for you," her mother corrected.
Her blood froze and she tilted her head. "The… high prince? Prince Ryoma?"
"It seems that your brother informed him that we've been looking for a suitable husband for you," her mother said, "and he suggested, well-"
"He suggested his other retainer," her father put bluntly.
Kagero's lips turned down into a frown. "The fifth Saizo? The hot-headed idiot that Obi writes about?"
"That's no way to speak about a Saizo," her mother chided. "They're very respectable men."
"As a whole, yes." Kagero waved the letter in her hand, doing her best to play off the terror in her gut. "But this particular Saizo is apparently stubborn, cruel, and cares only for the life of his master. Obi says that he has no regard for anyone else!"
"That's what being a royal retainer is," her father said. "Besides-"
Kagero barged on. "And aren't we a little bit low-ranking for me to be a prospective marriage candidate for him?"
"We may not be a rich family, but we've been serving alongside every other clan for centuries," her father reminded. "Kagero, please, this would be good for us, and for them."
She could hear her heartbeat in her head, and it was making her physically ill. "Y-you want to shove me into an arranged marriage."
She heard her mother sigh. "Kagero, honestly, we all know that you won't get married unless we make you. You have no interest in anyone, and as much as we love you, you know it isn't appropriate for you to stay with us forever."
"If you loved me, you wouldn't make me marry a pig-headed man like the fifth Saizo," she muttered. Her head hurt, and she clutched it, ignoring the hurt look on her father's face.
"I'm reluctant to offer up my only daughter to an arranged marriage, but this is the best for all of us." He sighed, rubbing his forehead with his remaining hand. "And you can't say he's pig-headed when you've never even met him."
"That's the point!" she exclaimed. "I've never even met him! All I know are the rumors and stories and all the things Obi tells me."
"If you marry him, you'll move to Shirasagi," her mother cut in. "You'll live with your brother and Orochi. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"That isn't the point," she said. "I have no wish for my marriage to be arranged."
Her mother's face stiffened. "It… already has been."
Orochi twirled her hair in her fingers and kicked at the river water. "They set you up?!"
Kagero sighed and pressed her hands against her knees. "Yes. I'll be meeting him in the next couple of days. Obi will be attending, so at least there will be something bearable to go along with all of this."
The diviner sighed, laced her fingers together and stretched her arms above her head, then flumped down into the grass. When Kagero had frantically written her a letter the past week after she'd found out about her new circumstance, she'd written back just as quickly and promised to be there as soon as her duties would allow. Now, she made a face, like she'd eaten something incredibly sour. "I can't believe they arranged for you to marry Saizo."
A knot started in her gut and she swallowed heavy. "You've known him since he was a child, right?"
"I almost made him wet his pants once."
A laugh slipped out of her. "Well, at least you've humanized him a little for me. All I know is what Obi writes and the stories people tell about him."
Death incarnate. A heartless man, only concerned with his lineage. A master assassin, willing to do anything and everything for the crown.
"Saizo isn't as scary as they say," Orochi assured. "He's serious and grumpy, takes things waaaaay too seriously, and is as reckless as they come, but he's not necessarily a super bad guy."
Kagero peered out of the corner of her eye at her. "Oh?"
Orochi hummed, rolled her head around a little. "He is kind of a dick, though."
"Orochi!"
"What? You can be a dick but not be a really bad guy."
"It's your language I'm concerned about. Shouldn't a royal diviner not speak like that?"
"Lady Mikoto doesn't mind," she said. "Which reminds me, if you do end up coming to Shirasagi, I can introduce you to Lady Mikoto and Reina."
"Of course. All I have to do is marry a man I've never met."
Orochi regarded her with pity and took her hand. Her palm was warm. Kagero remembered all the times when they were children where she had been jealous of Orochi's long, delicate hands, perfectly suited for turning cards and burning herbs. It seemed like such a silly thing for her to be envious of now.
"Now, Kagero, don't you worry much. Plenty of people are in arranged marriages and are still happy."
Kagero let out what felt like her billionth very long, very heavy sigh. "I still don't like this."
"That's just fine, my sweet."
"I don't want to get married."
"You know, I think that might be why they felt the need to arrange an engagement."
"But isn't that ridiculous?"
"Of course it is. Now, just take a good, deep breath..."
"Will you stay for when I have to meet him?"
"As you wish."
Kagero's mother refused to let her outside for the next couple of days, lest she get a speck of dirt on herself. She even refused to let her draw or paint for the very same reasons. She scrubbed her to perfection every morning and night, to ensure that her skin and hair were clean and glowing so that she looked "proper."
Kagero didn't understand the point- whether he liked her appearance or not, they were getting married anyway, and there most certainly would be times where he saw her with dirt under her nails and unwashed hair and skin. However, when she brought this up to her mother, she received a light scolding and a slap to the wrist, and so she let the topic drop and allowed her mother do whatever she wanted.
To indulge her, comfort her, on the night before the meeting, Orochi pulled her futon into Kagero's room and put them together. Despite her protests, she clicked her tongue and snuffed out the candle, snuggled up to her friend, and petted her hair the whole night. Orochi smelled so soothing, like the forest and the river water, and she was so warm to sleep next to. Perhaps in Shirasagi, they'd be able to do this whenever they wanted. The thought put her at ease and she finally fell asleep.
Orochi woke her up in the morning with a gentle shake of her shoulders, and Kagero yawned, tired tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, before sitting up. Her stomach was already tight with anxiety, and the smell of grilled fish and fresh rice in the kitchen was making her sick. Her best kimono was set out, folded neatly next to her closet with a new hair decoration her father had bought her in a feeble apology, and all she wanted to do was throw it all out the window. She wanted to curl up with Orochi, go back to sleep, and not ever have to worry about what society wanted her to do, what her parents wanted her to do, what was best for her family.
"You must wake up. Your brother and Saizo will be here at the end of the day, but I'm sure your mother has plenty for you to do."
Kagero rubbed a hand against her temple. "Orochi… Is this truly happening to me?"
Her normally upward lips turned down, she furrowed her brow, and she pulled Kagero to her. Her fingers found the ends of her hair and she played with them. "I-I am afraid so, my dear. But it'll be fine. It will be fine."
"And how are you so certain?"
"I am certain of a great many things, Kagero. You know this."
Her fingers felt numb and her arms floppy, so Orochi helped her into a simple robe and swept her hair back for her. She couldn't stop thinking, which was terrible, since all she wanted to do was just stop. Kagero wanted to stop thinking, stop caring, stop feeling sick to her stomach, but her mind was letting her do anything but.
It felt pathetic.
Kagero had never considered her house to be a messy place. Her family didn't have servants, and it was only the three of them (though it had been four before), and none of them had any particular grudges with helping around the house, so it was always clean. But her mother had spent nearly every waking hour deep-cleaning and scrubbing every last nook and cranny, and it almost literally sparkled.
"You're trying too hard," she told her mother. She held Orochi's hand a little tighter.
"I am not," she shot back. "I'm trying the average amount."
"My, I'd love to see what above-and-beyond looks like," Orochi mused.
"Both of you young ladies, stop your sarcasm," her mother snapped. "Oh, there's so much to do… I sent your father into town to buy things for dinner, along with some soap to wash your hair with, and I also-"
"You're trying too hard," she repeated. "I'm going to have breakfast, and then I'm going to take a long, long bath, if you don't mind."
"Whatever keeps you out of trouble," she said.
Kagero ate half-a-bowl of rice, set it down, but finished the whole thing when Orochi urged her on. "You'll need your strength" was her argument, but Kagero didn't know what she was going to need her strength for. Maybe so that she wouldn't pass out when she had to meet the infamous Saizo. Maybe so that she wouldn't appear tired and lethargic when he arrived. In any case, it made her feel horribly sick, but her soak in the tub certainly made her feel better.
Orochi hummed a song while she ran her fingers through Kagero's hair. In the cabinet, she had found scented oils, and she'd come to the conclusion that scrubbing them into her hair would be soothing, and it was. Kagero had always had a weakness for nice-smelling things; perfumes, flowers, oils. She focused on the calming scent to get her stomach to calm down.
"Don't you worry," Orochi said. "I'm going to be by your side the whole time, and I've known Saizo long enough to know how he works. I'll make sure everything is just fine."
Something in her fractured, and she wanted to snap and yell at Orochi to not baby her, to stop acting like things would be fine. But then she felt Orochi dig her nails into her scalp and massage, felt a little tremor and stutter in her movements, and she snapped her mouth shut and splashed water over her face instead. Nothing good was going to come from being mean, and she was only trying to be supportive.
Kagero sat by the window, soaking in the sunlight and letting it dry her skin while Orochi pulled a comb through her hair. It would've been a peaceful moment, but her mind raced through a terrible sea of possibilities- What if he hurts me? What if he expects things of me? What if my family suffers somehow?- and nothing felt relaxing by any means.
"How should we do your hair tonight?" Orochi asked. The loving lilt of her voice snapped Kagero from her dismal wallow through self-pity. "Anything fancy?"
"Certainly nothing as extravagant as you wear," Kagero responded.
"I'll have you know, my hairstyles are wonderful!"
"They're a little ridiculous when I wear them, don't you agree?"
Kagero tilted her head backwards as Orochi picked up thick handfuls of her hair, and eventually, the diviner relented to say, "Your hair is a little too thick to pin up like mine."
"Something simple," Kagero suggested. "Just pull it back and put my new hair decoration in it."
"Oh, very well," Orochi mumbled. She tangled her fingers into her hair and played with it, pulling it this way and that, then eventually decided on a simple ponytail. "A dull style, but you make everything look good."
"You're too kind."
Orochi hummed and placed one more pin in her hair, then took her hand and pulled her up from the windowsill. "They'll be here soon. Would you like to get dressed?"
She sighed and approached the kimono across the room, brushing her fingers along it. It was lovely- a simple, pitch black, with gold embroidered on the edges. A soft red robe, ruffled at the bottom, went underneath the top layer. It had once been her favorite kimono, the one she wore to every rare formal event, but now she thought it looked more like a prison garb than anything.
Kagero slid her robe off her shoulders and picked up the bottom layer. Orochi came up from behind and helped slip it over her. She tied it at the back loosely and picked the top robe off the ground to drape it on her.
Orochi tugged at the obi once more, securing it snugly below her chest, and then spun her around. Her eyes, usually such a lively violet, looked heavy and more like a meek lilac. Her lips were pulled down into a frown, and she brushed a strand of hair from Kagero's face.
"You look even sadder than me," Kagero teased weakly. "Perk up, please."
Orochi pulled a smile, but it was wobbly and fake. "You look so pretty."
"Thank you."
"It's a shame we have to waste it on someone like Saizo."
Kagero winced. "Didn't you tell me only two days before that he wasn't a bad person?"
She sneered. "Such a simple thing does not make him worthy of you, Kagero."
Orochi knelt across from Kagero and held her hands to keep her from biting her perfectly-manicured nails. Her mother paced the house, wringing her hands and occasionally checking the miso soup boiling in the kitchen, and her father sat, ever quiet, on the porch outside, his knees tucked under him. He looked almost like he was meditating.
"Any minute now, I suppose," Orochi mumbled. Her hands wrapped tighter around Kagero's. "Aaaany minute, my love."
A smile pulled at Kagero's mouth and she attempted a light-hearted conversation. "Would you say he is very handsome, my friend?"
She pursed her lips and frowned. "I can hardly remember what the whole of his face looks like, but his twin is very handsome."
"They're identical?"
She shook her head. "No. But there is some resemblance."
Kagero shifted in her place and curled her toes. "I-I see."
They waited a little longer. Kagero tried to make more small talk, but Orochi seemed even more nervous than her. Her hands, so tight around hers, were sweaty, and her eyes flickered around the room.
"You look near ready to fall over and die, Orochi," Kagero chided. "I think I'm the one who's supposed to be nervous here."
"I don't like Saizo," Orochi mumbled. "I don't want to give you to him."
She frowned. "Will he treat me badly?"
"I do not think he will harm you." Orochi chewed on her lip for a moment before continuing. "But I have never seen him as the type to be a loving husband."
The sound of a horse missed Kagero's ears, but she jumped when she heard her father laugh. The sound of hands clasping together and a familiar voice put her at ease, and she parted from Orochi to rush outside. Her mother started to scold her, then stopped as she followed.
Her brother held the reins of a horse in one hand, and the hand of their father in the other. He looked well, tall and handsome as always, and the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
It was such a warm sight.
"I'll take your horse," their father said, and he led it away by the reins. "Catch up with your mother and sister."
Kagero let their mother fall upon him first, smiling behind a hand as she showered his face with kisses. Obi grimaced and leaned back, but the smile on his face betrayed his delight at the affection of his mother. He didn't escape from her grasp for another few minutes, patiently answering every question she threw at him ("Have you been eating well? Is that an injury on your arm? Have you met a nice girl? Will you give the royal family my regards when you return?") before lowering her hands away from him.
"I'd like a moment with Kagero, Mother," he said.
"When will our other guest be here?" she asked. "Weren't you supposed to arrive together?"
"Saizo and Kaze told me ride ahead. They wanted me to have some personal time. I wouldn't say they're more than ten minute behind me."
"Kaze is coming along?" Orochi put her hand on Kagero's shoulder and peered at him. "Whatever for?"
Obi winced and waved their mother away. "I think he told me something along the lines of 'I have to make sure my idiot brother doesn't offend my new sister.'" His lips quirked into an amused expression. "I think he's more excited to meet Kagero than Saizo is."
He held out his arms and beckoned her forward with a motion of his fingers. Kagero slipped away from Orochi and threw her arms around him, stood on her toes to bury her face into his neck, and relished his warmth. "It's been too long," she said.
"Almost two years," he added. "I wish I was able to slip away from work more frequently, but being a retainer consumes all of my time. And to think, my lord Ryoma isn't even as needy as the second prince."
"Oh, don't say that about Prince Takumi," Orochi scolded. "I know you like him plenty."
Obi smiled and rested his hand atop Kagero's head. "I like teasing him plenty as well."
Her brother's hand stroked her hair, carefully avoiding all the pins and her hair decoration, and almost all of her worries melted away. He had always had that sort of effect on her- since she could remember, he was so sweet, so gentle, so loving, and he had always protected her. So long as Obi was by her side, Kagero thought, maybe this whole affair wouldn't be quite so terrible.
Their mother came back into the room and waved a spoon at them. "Now, stop that hugging! Kagero, you'll get your outfit all wrinkled. Obi, go wait outside for them. You're distracting her."
"From what?"
"I don't have to tell you that! You're just distracting. Now, go!" She smacked his wrist with her spoon and drove him outside, but not before he sent one more glance at Kagero over his shoulder. He smiled reassuringly, waved, and then the door slid shut.
"Please sit down, Kagero," her mother said. She ran her hands over her face and scrutinized it. "You look nervous. There's nothing to be afraid of so long as your father and Obi and I are here."
Orochi tapped her foot. "I as well?"
"And Orochi."
Kagero smiled.
A knock came from the door, followed by Obi's voice. "They're here. Best finish primping Kagero, Mother."
In response, their mother slapped Kagero's cheeks, ushered her into the back room to wait, and left her alone with Orochi and a twisting stomach. She listened carefully, picked up the faint hints of unfamiliar voices speaking with her brother and father, and hunched down. Her fists curled up on her knees and she willed her stomach to calm.
"I feel sick," she told Orochi.
She knelt next to her and stroked her hair. "It's fine. We're all here."
"Gods Orochi, what if I vomit on him?"
"I shall laugh."
"Orochi!"
"I shall fetch him a towel, or something. After I laugh."
Despite everything, Kagero managed a weak laugh. Her stomach was still in knots, but something about Orochi's rough humor was therapeutic. It always had been, and it likely always would be.
"Just think, Kagero. Even when you have to go to Shirasagi, Obi and I will be there." Orochi continued to pet her head, and Kagero let her eyes drift shut. "And I'll introduce you to some other friends. Prince Takumi's retainer, Oboro, is nice… if she isn't making a face at you. And Setsuna is a bit dim, but the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. Hinata is a nice boy, and so is Subaki. You should avoid Azama, though."
"Should I?"
"He'll drive you crazy."
The door to the house slid open, and she heard heavy footsteps. Her hands clenched over her knees and Orochi wrapped her arms around her.
"My brother hasn't properly thanked you enough." A man's voice, deep, soothing, and gentle. "Forgive him for being so terribly rude."
"I've said thank you three time already, Kaze." This voice was hard, deep, gravelly, and sent a shudder down Kagero's spine. "I'm not here to grovel."
"Saizo!" the other man hissed. "Be polite."
Orochi stood and made for the door. "I'm going to go set the mood, my dear."
Kagero raised an eyebrow. "What mood is that?"
Orochi stepped outside and began sliding the door shut. "Just wait here, sweet."
The voices were muffled, but Kagero could hear them well enough when she scooted closer to the door:
"Kaze! Saizo. Good to see both of you."
"Orochi, you're here as well?"
"Have you come to torment me in yet another aspect of my life?"
"No no, Kagero is simply a dear childhood friend of mine. She requested I be here for the introductions."
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you with the queen for the past few days. Glad to know you're doing fine."
"Oh, Kaze, aren't you just the sweetest?"
"Enough with the small talk." Another chill raced through Kagero when he spoke. "Forgive my bluntness, but may I meet her?"
Kagero stood and nervously shifted around while her mother chattered on about how great it was to host Saizo the Fifth and his brother, how wonderful her daughter was, how much he would just adore her.
Just words in the wind.
Her heartbeat hammered in her ears, and she paced about the room. She would be cordial, she resolved. Ladylike, charming, and she would smile just enough and speak when spoken to. This was for the good of her family, after all. This was her duty, just as her brother's duty was to serve the royal family. This was just a role to play.
Kagero stepped back, moved to lean against the wall and collect herself, and then, as she heard the sharp sound of the door sliding open, remembered that the wall was, in fact, actually the door.
Her feet stumbled backwards once, her back met thin air, and she heard a startled sound, clearly from Orochi. Kagero shut her eyes and braced for the impact.
She didn't hit the floor, however. She heard the heavy sound of feet on the floor, and then arms were wrapped around her and stopped her fall. Whoever it was let out a grunt and fell to their knees, clearly unprepared to completely catch her, and Kagero set her hands against the floor, just to ensure that it really was there and she had not fallen and cracked her skull open.
And then she opened her eyes.
Whoever it was was definitely not Orochi nor her brother. It was a person she had never seen before, with crimson hair and an eye a color to match. His other eye was closed, permanently shut by a scar that crossed over most of his face, and he looked a bit irritated, but mostly startled, perhaps just a touch bit relieved. He had her arms in his hands (which, she noted, were quite warm, maybe even hot), and her head rested in his lap.
His valid eye blinked once, then narrowed at her. "Are you fine?"
This man was, Kagero had to admit, horrifyingly attractive.
"Saizo!" Orochi hovered behind them, wringing her hands.
And her fiancé.
In a flash, she realized she was doing nothing more than laying stupidly in his lap, staring up at him like some accursed idiot, and she sat up quickly, blurting out, "Oh, gods, I'm so sorry-!"
And whacked him right in the face with her head.
Kagero had to give him credit- he made a rough sound and grimaced, immediately clutched his nose, but other than that, made no indication of pain. Her forehead throbbed from the impact and she held it, drawing her legs up to her chest and fighting the tears brought to the corners of her eyes. She looked up, found her brother holding the handle of the door and very unsuccessfully fighting a laugh, and heard the anxious sound of her mother's voice behind both her and Saizo.
"Kagero." A hand entered her field of vision, and she followed the length of it up to meet her father's face. He looked mildly amused, but more concerned. She took his hand and let him yank her up, still holding her forehead, and found Saizo behind her, his nose in his hand and the man she assumed to be his brother behind him.
"Goodness." Her mother flitted over to her and ran her hands over her face, checking for any spot of blood or blemish. "Kagero, are you-"
Obi snickered behind his hand still. "I-I'm sorry. I was going to come and get you, and-"
"I shouldn't have been moving around so much in there," she mumbled. "My fault." She glanced over at Saizo- her fiancé- and found him checking his hand, likely for blood, but she saw none on his face. She wrung her hands together and shifted in place, finally mumbling, "Sorry."
He took a deep breath, turned away from them, muttered something, and went outside. The door shut hard behind him, and Kagero flinched, clenching her hands at her side. Her mother's hands on her face tightened, and she pressed her lips, glaring at her in disapproval.
"What?" she hissed. "I apologized to him."
"You must forgive my brother." The green-haired man stepped forward, his hands tucked politely into his sleeves, and he gave a deep bow to, no, not her father, not her mother, not even her brother, but her. "He's just collecting himself. He doesn't mean to be so rude."
Kagero stared- she couldn't recall the last time someone had shown such respect to her herself. It felt good, if she was being honest. "Oh, it's, uh, fine?"
He straightened back up and smiled. His eyes were a deep violet- perhaps a bit duller than Orochi's, but still a captivating color, nonetheless, and just being in his presence was calming her nerves. "You're Lady Kagero, aren't you?"
"Yes, I-"
"Isn't she just the most beautiful girl you've ever seen, Kaze?" Orochi hooked her arm through Kaze's, grinning as she boasted and gestured at Kagero. Her stomach felt hot and she looked away, fiddling with the long sleeves of her furisode. "The wait to meet her was well worth it, correct, old friend?"
Gods, Kagero just wanted to melt into the floor and never come back up.
"Should I invite him back in?" Her mother hovered nervously near the door.
"Let him pout for a moment," Obi replied. He crossed his arms and stood next to Kagero.
As if on queue, the door slid back open, and her mother jumped back as Saizo stalked in. She caught a good glimpse of his clothes: Black hakama and a gray haori over the white shirt, quite casual for formal wear, but from the way he lifted and arm and pulled at the edge of the sleeve, he was still uncomfortable.
He looked up from his sleeve and regarded her, a cold, curious gaze that she burned under. She swallowed, considered breaking eye contact, but decided against it. Instead, she reached under the sleeve of her robe to weakly grab at her brother's hand, and he reached back for her, letting their fingers brush.
As soon as they did, a strange courage built in her, and she unclenched her other hand. Her mother nervously stepped forward as Kagero approached Saizo, but remained a polite distance away. She brushed past Kaze, past Orochi, not once breaking his gaze. He didn't flinch as she stood toe-to-toe with him, but rather looked… approving? Admiring? Like he respected her.
It somewhat occurred to Kagero as she opened her mouth that this was her future husband, that she had not even been properly introduced to him, that she was probably going to regret what she was going to say as soon as she said it, and that her mother and father would give her an earful, but she didn't care.
"May I be honest, sir?" she asked. She was close enough that she could smell him- strong and earthy, like warm wood. One of his eyebrows lifted and his mouth twitched, but she couldn't tell if it was towards something like a grimace or an amused smile.
Saizo dipped his head towards her. "Of course."
She ran her tongue over her lips, carefully selecting her next words. "I find this whole matter ridiculous, and I have no desire to marry you."
Saizo blinked. Her mother's hand was on her arm suddenly, squeezing almost painfully, and the presence of her father loomed behind her. An amused snort came from Orochi behind her, and the weight of what Kagero had just said fully settled on her.
Her fiancé ran a hand through his hair (she remembered, for no particular reason, how warm his hands had been on her arms minutes before), and huffed. "The feeling is mutual."
To say that dinner passed by awkwardly would be an understatement. Her mother, normally so sweet and calm, practically fumed at Kagero as she served the food, but offered gentle smiles to Saizo. Kaze, on the other side of Saizo, often leaned over to speak kindly to her or offer reassuring smiles, and Obi on her other side often sent worried looks her ways. Her father's expression on the opposite side of the table was tight, perhaps a little angry, and it made Kagero nervous- she had never had a hard time reading her father before.
"If you don't mind my asking," Kaze said to her father as the table was cleared, "how did you lose your arm?"
Kagero flinched and Obi laughed nervously.
"Kaze," Saizo warned.
"It's fine," her father said, but he still cast a glance his wife's way. She kept her back to them as she rearranged the dishes in the kitchen, but her shoulders were stiff. "I went out to the border to help with the skirmishes there some fifteen years ago. I was captured, and lost my arm during torture."
Kagero watched as Kaze winced. Saizo remained stoic, but offered a bow of his head and a "Thank you for your service."
Quiet settled over the room, and Kagero nervously tapped her fingers along the table. Just looking at Saizo still made her anxious, but now his presence loomed huge next to her. Hot. Unyielding. His hands on the table appeared rough and calloused, likely from holding weapons, and something stirred in her stomach. Anxiety, she assumed.
She wondered, briefly, if he would treat her well. If he would ever hurt her. From what Obi had told her, he didn't seem the type, but she just didn't know. Marrying a total stranger was, in theory, already terrifying, but having that total stranger next to her was even more so.
Finally, it was too much. Obi glanced up at her in surprise as she stood suddenly and made for the door.
"Kagero?" her mother called out. "Don't you-"
"I just need half a moment," she sent back. She felt Saizo's eye burning into her back, all the way until she was out of the room, out of the house, and she sighed with relief as she sat on the porch.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
Her head whipped around, and Kaze stood in the doorway, his face still stuck in that soothing smile. She hesitated a moment, tossing around possible ways to tell her soon-to-be-brother-in-law "no," but found no polite manner to do so. So, she nodded at the space next to her, and Kaze tucked his knees under him and sat.
They sat in the silence, listening to the faint chirping of crickets. The very first fireflies of the year, a sure sign of the approaching summer, hovered above the koi pond. Their lights danced on the water and caught on the wet grass near the surface. If her heart hadn't been beating a million times per minute, Kagero would have enjoyed it much more.
"You weren't scared when I snuck up on you like that," said Kaze. He turned to give her a different kind of smile, one more reminiscent of a cat's. Playful, teasing.
"My family are ninja," she reminded. "And I've had the training myself."
He looked impressed. "You have?"
She squirmed a little in her place, wondering if she should have admitted that. "Nothing so extreme as what they teach in Shirasagi or ninja villages, but I wanted to learn. So my father taught me."
Kaze looked back to the fireflies dancing above the koi. "Obi never mentioned that." He dug around the folds of his clothing for a moment, and then held a kunai out to her, handle first. "Could I see you throw this, please? I'm interested to see your skill level."
"It's nothing impressive, sir, I assure-"
"You are to be my sister, Lady Kagero. Please, don't call me that." Kaze pushed the handle of the kunai towards her again, more insistently, and, with a defeated sigh, Kagero took it. It was heavy, but felt like an extension of her arm. Her mother would have a heart attack if she ever admitted aloud to the weapon feeling just as at home in her hand as a paintbrush or sewing needle.
"I'm going to hit that tree," Kagero told him. She pointed to a tall oak right across from the pond. It was a decent ways away, but still close enough that she wouldn't exactly be showing off if she hit the mark.
"By all means."
He'd just finished saying "means" when Kagero threw the blade. The warm metal slid out of her fingers, the tip whistled through the air as it flew, and she felt satisfied, like her stress was melting away, as it hit the tree and stuck.
A low whistle left Kaze after a tense few seconds. "Amazing. You have better aim and poise than most ninja I'm acquainted with, Lady Kagero."
Her cheeks felt hot, and she fingered a strand of hair busily. "You falsely flatter me."
"No, I'm quite serious." Kaze stood and leaned over the railing, peering for a better look. "I don't offer that compliment to you lightly."
Kaze spoke so different from Saizo. If Saizo's manner was like a wildfire, Kaze's was the wind on a clean, fresh day. Soft, strong, and soothing. Where Saizo's shoulders were tense and his expression irritable, Kaze's body was relaxed and his smile easy.
"Are you really brothers?" she asked.
Kaze looked down at her in mild surprise, and she bit her tongue and berated herself until he laughed.
"I know we don't seem like it," he admitted. "In truth, I am not that close to my brother. Whenever Obi mentions you, I envy the bond you two share."
Kagero stood and joined him against the wooden railing. The crickets seemed to grow louder by the minute as the stars shone brighter. While she had initially thought them to look nothing alike, now she saw similarities from this close: The curve of their jawlines, the shape of their eyes, the slope of their nose, even the texture of their hair.
"I'll warn you," Kaze started suddenly, "my elder brother is emotionally clumsy. He gets angry easily, and he doesn't know how to properly interact with people. He's essentially married to his job as Prince Ryoma's retainer, and nothing else matters."
Kagero winced. "So I can expect to be neglected?"
He shook his head. "No. When you marry, I think you can expect him to take care of you. He does not do things by halves, and while I don't think he's exactly made to be a good sort of husband, he'll be doing his best."
She leaned over the railing, wistfully staring out at the pond. It had been one of her favorite spots since she was a child, and she would miss sitting with her father and meditating at its shore, painting it with her mother. She had been to Shirasagi all of twice in her life, and she wondered how city life would suit her. Would there be these peaceful spots?
"Rest assured, Lady Kagero." Kaze rested a hand on her shoulder, and she found it in herself to give him a smile. "If he does a single thing to harm you, physically or emotionally, you let me know. I'll set him straight."
She turned back to the koi pond, and her heart had stopped pounding. "Please, just call me Kagero."
Saizo was in one hell of a hot mess, and he blamed his stupid, happy-go-lucky moron of a partner.
He sat on the porch of the house, resting his face in his hands as he listened to the crickets. His fianceé had taken off right after the meal, Kaze had followed, and Orochi would simply not stop glaring at him, so he'd left for fresh air.
Saizo had to admit, he liked her family. Her mother was kind, though obviously trying much too hard to impress him (she reminded him a little bit of his own mother), and her father had been a respected ninja, active in the army until the Nohrians had taken his arm years ago. Obi had been his partner for five years now, and he liked him well enough, when he didn't want to wring his neck.
And the girl, Kagero, she was pretty. Catching her earlier had been all instinct, but it had given him the opportunity to look at her, and he would be lying if he said his heart hadn't caught in his chest for a second or two. Those sharp brown eyes, thick black hair, and her skin under his hands had been as smooth as silk, a distinct contrast from his own scarred and messy flesh.
He just didn't want to marry her.
The door slid open behind him, followed by, "What's eating at you?"
"Go to hell," Saizo spat as Obi walked out of the house.
His partner lifted an eyebrow and turned, leaning his back against the railing. "Why don't I ever just get a normal 'hello?'"
"I blame you for this whole stupid mess," Saizo snapped. "If you had just kept your mouth shut to Lord Ryoma about your parents trying to marry off your sister, then-"
"It's not like I wanted him to suggest matching the two of you together," he shot back. His bright green eyes narrowed, and he looked uncharacteristically upset. "I was having a friendly conversation with him, casually mentioned her, and then, suddenly, you're engaged to my little sister! And now, here we are, and I've accidentally shoved my only sibling into a marriage with a total stranger."
Saizo snapped his mouth shut and set his jaw, angrily looking out towards the fields. While it wasn't quite like Igasato, he appreciated the remoteness of the home. It put him a bit at ease, but he still felt like a fire was raging through him. It had started when Lord Ryoma had said he should marry Obi's sister, for purposes beneficial to both of their families, and it hadn't stopped, and he just wasn't sure when it would.
"I hated my parents trying to put Kagero into an arranged marriage," Obi continued. "It's unfair. She's never wanted to get married, and now, it's all my fault. And I was the one most against it." He sighed and hung his head. "And you-"
"I have to get married," he replied gruffly. "Even if I don't want to."
"Gotta carry on the Saizo name, blah blah blah." The other man hung his head back and sighed to the sky. "I swear, if you even try to use my sister as some sort of tool to carry on your family legacy, I swear, I'll-"
"Gods, Obi, do you really think I'd ever make a woman do something she didn't want to?!"
Silence for a minute. "No. I'm sorry. That was very rude of me to insinuate."
Saizo tapped his fingers against the wood, his scowl lightening. "Apology accepted."
He heard the faint rumble of Kaze's voice from across the house, though he couldn't make out the words. That was fine, though- Saizo didn't need to know what sort of unflattering things about him he was saying to his future sister-in-law. It was none of his business, and, more importantly, he flat-out did not care.
"You'll treat her okay?" Obi asked quietly. He turned and leaned on the railing, staring out like Saizo.
He scratched the wood underneath a nail, anxiety churning in him. "Yeah. I'll do my best."
"That's good. Because, if you ever even thought about doing something as dumb as hurting her"- Obi slammed a hand on his shoulder hard enough that Saizo winced- "I would tear you limb from limb, you hear me?"
A shudder rolled up his spine. "S-sure. Yeah."
a/n: you guys can follow me on tumblr or twitter! my tumblr url is saigero, and my twitter is raijinshuus! i'm more active in talking on my twitter, so talk more about my fics and stuff there, but i also post wips to my tumblr as well! the summary for the story is likely to change, since im so bad at them and i'll probably not be able to help myself from fidgeting with it ;.;