Heart of a Womanizer
Shuuei does not understand why he is so unlucky in love. Women have fallen over their feet to be near him, idolized him.
And yet, the few times he fell in love, the women did not love him back.
There was Gyokuka, for one. He adored her, but when she married Setsuna (Yuki), she broke his heart. Not that she was aware of it. Ever since then he swore he would be open about his feelings for women, before leaving his home for the imperial palace. Of course, he was only able to tell them how much he lusted after them (it showed in his actions at the Red Light District). But he was never able to say how much he loved a lady, possibly because other than Gyokuka, he didn't know who else he would love - or if he would ever love another woman.
That love for Gyokuka had faded, thankfully. He knew there were few things worse than lusting after his brother's wife. Yet it had only been replaced. He fell in love with Shusui, one of the most beautiful women of the court. But she loved him not. Instead, she was in love with Lord Shoka.
He wished he could win her heart. He flirted with women, visited brothels, acted like a womanizer, just so that he could get her attention. He later told Kouyuu that, when Kouyuu was annoyed that he kept on talking about the pleasures of making love with a woman. He didn't mean to say that to the misogynist Kouyuu; it just came out. And to his surprise, Kouyuu laughed.
"You're never going to get her like that, Shuuei!"
Kouyuu was in hysterics for a while (but Shuuei got back at him by getting Kouyuu lost - Kouyuu wondered in circles without realising it, when he was on the way to the Imperial Archives, which was where he was to begin with). But he could see where Kouyuu was coming from. He swore Kouyuu to secrecy on this matter.
But he could no longer drop the charade he had started. It broke his heart when he realised she did not remember their first meeting - to him it stayed fresh in his memories as if it had just happened. But he was certain he could win her heart -
Even though, when she called Lord Shoka's name, it broke his to pieces.
Fin
Author's Note: Angst Shuuei is always win, I think, so here's my tribute. Enjoy!