I don't own Heian Love! All credit goes to NTT Solmare!
Prologue: Intrigue
Their first meeting hadn't been especially grand, to put it lightly. He'd approached her with a calm and confident air, as expected of the respected Emperor Kuze, while all she had done to prove her own worth as his new court lady was stumble over her words and exclaim all too enthusiastically (and rather loudly) how much of an honor it was to be there. He hadn't taken any offense to her excitable behavior, but her ending up being labeled a wild flower by him hadn't been exactly what she had in mind.
Of course, Hinata was always there to console her that perhaps he had meant it as a compliment, where she would then stare at her blankly as if she had just suggested they go play in a moat of acid.
On the other end, he would retire from his duties that day to sit in his room and reminisce on his decisions, only to find out that, instead, his nightly boredom and inability to sleep brought on curiosity of the over-enthusiastic wild flower he had met for the first time only hours before.
She would receive a poem with words of love and admiration written upon them, and her heart soared at the thought of someone staring at her from afar. Hinata threw out the different possibilities of who the Mystery Poet could possibly be, and of course, Emperor Kuze would be one of the first names mentioned. The court lady of course would scrunch her nose and scrutinize the first moments of their meeting, then realize there was no way a man like him could ever look at her as anything other than exactly what he saw her as – an unrefined lady. A wild flower.
And he was ruled out.
Kuze raised his hand to deliver three short knocks on the wooden slide doors in front of him, straightening his posture as he waited for the footsteps he heard scuffling behind it to make their way towards him. With one swift moment, the door was flung to the side, revealing the parky young woman that he had seen walking around with his new court lady on numerous occasions only the other day.
Her reaction was not one of joy, as he had expected, but instead a look of surprise. "O-oh! Emperor!" She seemed to be working through a list of possible ways to greet him, but he offered a small nod of his head to try and calm her down, lest the poor girl go into shock.
"I hope I am not intruding," he started carefully, shifting his eyes neatly to sneak a glance behind her. The house was mildly darkened, though he could see a little flicker of light further in, indicating that either she or someone else had still been awake.
The pink-haired woman shook her head quickly. "Not at all!" She scuffled to the side quickly and motioned for him to come in. He would be lying if he did not admit to being wary, what with it being rather late into the night. He had hardly expected anyone to answer the door and found himself wondering why any normal person would be up at this hour, himself aside... if he was considered. "Is there something I can help you with?" She spoke merrily as she closed the door behind him.
"I find myself here to visit my new court lady, actually." She seemed to not be surprised this time, having figured that was why he'd come already, no doubt. She nodded and muttered a few pleasantries as she motioned for him to follow, and he moved along with her into the house. It was not large, not compared to many of the others around it, but the lack of furnishings made it seem a lot more spacious. Random items piled around here and there indicated that they had not finished setting things up fully.
The perky girl ran ahead of him a bit, turning into one of the rooms to the left. He heard her muttering a fews things to whom he would assume to be Mikase Suzuka, said court lady he'd been contemplating for a while. When he turned into the room as well, he caught their conversation at its worst.
"It's terrible, Lady Suzuka! Emperor Kuze is here!" Her servant was bent down slightly to have better eye contact with the raven haired woman, whom sat on the floor with a candle burning in front of her, quite the mess of papers sprawled around her lap. She proceeded to gape at her words before grasping onto the situation.
"What?" Her tone was surprised, not offensive. Despite that, he raised his hand and coughed into his fist quietly, gathering both their attentions. Hinata gasped and blushed at the embarrassment of being caught, whereas Suzuka simply stared at him for a moment before hastily trying to push her messy black hair from her face, wearing a perplexed expression.
"This is not quite the welcome I had expected," Kuze stated, his eyebrow raising slightly at the odd pair. Hinata quickly dismissed herself and muttered an apology to him on her way out, notably sending her friend a glance as she ducked out. There was something strange about her.
Suzuka seemed to consider her words carefully for a moment before darting her eyes back to her lap, where she gently moved a paper from it and stood up, bowing her head. "I... apologize. I just wasn't expecting your company, is all! A-ah... um... it's a pleasure to have you, though."
He seemed to contemplate her demeanor for a moment before walking further into the room. "You are a terrible liar, but the sentiment is appreciated." He opted to make her feel less tense, and went over towards the opposite wall, sliding down to sit against it. She got the message and sat back where she had been moments before, pushing the candle slightly between them for more light.
"Is it alright if I ask what brings you here tonight?" She hesitated while talking, shifting uncomfortably beneath his unwavering gaze. For a moment, it was hard for him to believe this was the same woman that had been practically yelling out her excitement when they had spoken earlier. He kept a bored expression.
"I came to inquire about a poem you received," he answered, shifting his chin up as if it were a serious matter. Her face flushed in perfect timing with his words, and for a moment, he thought she must've been mortified into complete silence.
"Has that news reached even you!" She gasped once she found her voice again, bringing her hand up to pull at a strand of her hair. It was the first little tick he noticed about her, at that moment. Something that she would do when embarrassed.
"Do not underestimate boredom in the capitol, Miss Mikase." The corner of his mouth twitched, indicating he had to hold back a smile at her reaction. "I figured I would lend my assistance in discovering the identity of this man. I have little else to do at these hours."
"R-really?" She didn't seem to exactly know what to say to that, but the look on her face told him that she didn't exactly need to tell him her answer. She wasn't going to turn him down, even if she wanted to, and it would seem that by the lack of distaste on her face, she didn't anyways.
"Tell me about this ordeal of yours." He gestured to her, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee, and in turn, his hand under his chin.
"Well, I... received a very nice poem not too long ago, actually." She looked like she regretted saying that, because no doubt she realized that was already very obvious. He didn't chide her on it, however, and simply regarded her words.
"Nice, eh? That's a very... dull way of expressing your feelings about it." The words seemed to send her into a panic, because she shifted slightly, the papers rustling underneath her legs.
"Well... I apologize, I don't have that large a vocabulary." He accepted her explanation and then nodded his head in the direction of the poem, which he could see sitting neatly on a table in the room. It was common sense she would have that folded more neatly than the mess she had around the floors. She scrambled to retrieve it and opened the folds, clearing her throat gently. "Lonely at night, Thinking of my rose, Poems a sole respite, On the road I chose."
Kuze had a contemplative look on his face as he regarded her once more, and she must've sensed that he was about to ask something important. "What do you think of this poem?" Her momentary confusion confirmed she didn't know exactly why that would be important for him to know, but she didn't dare leave it unanswered.
"Oh, I think it's very lovely! Especially when you read it aloud." She rested the paper gingerly back on the table. He once again nodded to accept her answer, but didn't ask anything else. Already he could tell she had no idea who it was that had sent her the poem, and for that reason, he felt oddly disappointed.
He considered going on about it, but something else captured his intrigue. While she sat waiting for him to say something else, obviously nervous she would do something stupid, he took time to look at the papers scattered around the floors. There were various drawings on them, some painted even, and he vaguely wondered if he'd interrupted something important. He hardly minded the mess, much to his surprise.
"What are all of these?"
Suzuka gasped, as if she'd forgotten they were on the floor at all and waved her arms in front of her chest. "Doodles, that's all. I draw when I'm unable to sleep... At any rate, they aren't very good. Definitely not where my forte lies, I assure you. I'm sorry for the mess, however, Emperor." She bowed her head in apology. He pursed his lips.
"And where does your forte lie?" He studied her reaction, already expecting the stunned look on her face. She was a very animated woman. Her head cocked to the side, her brows furrowing together. Another tick she had, when she was considering something.
"Music," she stated carefully, as if she were afraid of speaking the word. Most court women prided themselves on their abilities with incense or the talent they had for keeping their house and gardens looking luxurious. But here was the wild flower of his court, where if one had asked her what she loved most of all about the world, she would reply, of all things, 'music'. "The violin, to be exact."
"Oh?" Kuze leaned forward, letting his interest show despite himself. She fidgeted shyly. "Do you currently have one?"
"Oh, um, no, unfortunately. I made a few sacrifices on what to bring along with me when I moved here. We didn't want to crowd the place and all that." He found that quite curious, with how little boxes she'd seemed to have. By knowing her father, he knew she didn't come from the highest of classes, but had she really been expecting her new home to be all that small? By her standards, perhaps that was the case.
"I see..." And for some reason, there was a note of that made in the back of his mind, one that would nag at him for some time, no doubt. A grave look fell over her features, however, which caused him to freeze. He sat up in concern, his eyes narrow. "Miss Mikase?"
"Was that the wind?" The crinkle in her brow was back, a frightened frown pulling on her lips. He listened with her and realized the sound of something running smoothly outside the window. He slowly stood up and walked over to her, fixing her with a gentle gaze. "...It's okay," he murmured soothingly, to which her eyes widened. The glass behind him shattered, breaking a mirror nearby in the process. It caused her to jump up from where she sat in panic.
Not particularly surprised by the attack, as he had found him ever cautious of such things, he easily reacted. Drawing the blade he kept by his side, he turned around and held it up in time for it to clash together with that of a demon's – or rather, a man wearing the mask of one. He used the strength in his arms to push him back, causing the attacker to stumble towards the damage he'd caused on the side of the room. Kuze's lips pressed together in agitation, and if not slight worry for the woman clearly panicking behind him.
He dashed forward and metal clashed against metal once more – twice, three times. The 'demon' let out a harsh growl and aimed his sword lower, but the Emperor side-stepped him and pushed the blade into his side, listening as a sharp hiss from the pain came from behind the man's mask. He heard a quiet voice grunt, one that was clearly familiar, but before he got a chance to do any further action; the man was gone. He sighed heavily, narrowing his eyes at the broken glass on the floor.
The Emperor sheathed his sword and stared at the window in wonder, though he immediately realized he should have been careful. Turning his attention to his court lady, he startled when he noticed her trembling, seated once more on the paper-strewn floor. He quickly walked over in front of her and leaned down, reaching out his hands to rest on her shoulders.
"Miss Mikase? Are you injured?" She shook her head in response and flinched away from his touch, which only caused him to frown. "Hey... you don't have to push away from me so readily, you know?" It had not been out of respect or worry of being close to him, but because she was frightened, which made him feel worse.
"I-I just need a moment," she murmured, her gaze averting to the side.
"I understand and... I apologize. I did not intend to bring you danger this night." Panicked as she was, she managed a smile.
"That's not your fault. This... this is why you don't ever send notification of your visits, right?" He nodded gravely at her question, to which a look of understanding came to her features. "Oh... well, you're okay, aren't you?" Her voice immediately rose, though out of fear instead of excitement. He preferred to hear her babble about happy things than speak short and fearfully, he noticed.
"A few scratches, nothing to be worried about. I do believe I should leave you for this night, however. I suppose I will have to return some other time to discuss the business of the Mystery Poet with you." He also made a mental note to send someone over to clean up the damage caused by his attacker. He stood up, offering her a hand as he did so. It took good effort on his part, half having to hold her up to keep her from falling back down. By time she was back on her feet and the shaking had stopped, Hinata had reentered, her eyes wide with worry.
"Miss Suzuka, are you alright! I heard something and came running!" The Emperor looked up at the woman, moving from her way as she rushed over to help her friend, clearly worried to death if someone like her had forgotten pleasantries. He began to show himself out before turning around and pausing, taking in the sight of the slightly shaken, yet unbelievably brave face of the wild flower that particular night. She met his gaze and blinked. She looked even more unrefined, shaken from danger, little drops of paint stained into her clothing from the calm moments before he'd arrived, with hair tied up messily yet somehow still in her face all the same.
She opened her mouth as if to apologize once more for some reason or another, perhaps taking his scrutiny as a bad sign, but he raised his hand and smiled unreadably. "It will be alright for the rest of the night, Miss Mikase. Please do not worry... I had better get back." He paused once more, mulling over his thoughts, before he added in, "I genuinely look forward to getting to know more about you." And for an instance, he started to think that was not a formality statement. She just nodded dumbly and watched as he exited her home.
On his way back, the Emperor thought of how he knew so little of this woman, yet had the urge to know her better. The urge to know more about her quirks and personality, for she seemed so much different than the other court ladies he had met in his time ruling. The urge to know why such an odd, unrefined wild flower interested him, so.
It wasn't until he returned to his quarters that he pulled out a piece of parchment and dutifully wrote upon its surface; Sorry for the trouble. Next time I hope we can spend a bit more time together without being interrupted. There's still so much I don't know about you. -Kuze.
The letter was delivered immediately, by whatever staff would still be awake at such an hour.
As it were, he came to hope to reinforce his welcome to her. He made arrangements to send her gifts of furnishings – most notably a new mirror to replace the one broken the night before - and candy. They were to be delivered the next day, taken to her new home by Mikage. However, most importantly out of all those items, buried between the furnishing, was a beautifully crafted violin, in hopes her song would prove to be just as unique as she, herself, seemed to be by first intrigue.
I have no bloody idea what this is going to be, but I've been playing too many Shall We Date games, and this is the result. BI
Anyways, woo, prologue! This shouldn't be a particularly long story of mine (seeing as I have many others to finish, omg!), but never say never. It depends how into it I get. And I love Kuze, so... 8D
I'm seriously going to be doing a lot of fanfiction for these games, anyways, because they just... they just don't exist and I don't know why. D: Why aren't there more SWD fics? No, I will not let this go! -pout-
So far I have my Ninja Love fic up (though it's more a bunch of one-shots, or it will be, once I update it kukuku), and my Prince Love one will be the next one to be placed up. I am going to be writing a story for each of the games, these three being the firsts. I'm excited for this!
By the way: I'm not going for historical accuracy or anything so forgive me if random things seem out of place with the Heian period. I mean, in-game they used PDAs to send one-another texts, I don't think I'll do anything that tops that. XD I tried to make -that- more realistic with the letter thing, at least. -sobsob-
Last random note: HAKDFJHASDG I SUCK AT FIGHT SCENES SO I'M SORRY IT WAS SHORT AND STUPID AND GOD THERE WON'T BE MANY OF THEM ANDAOHDFD
Okay, I'm done now, I apologize.
Anyways, thanks for those of you who have stumbled upon this story and read it. :3 Please do review, if you have the time. I would appreciate it, and it motivates me to get working on the next chapter! Which will no doubt be more fun than this silly introduction. ;D I don't plan on following the game word-by-word or action-by-action as I go along, trust me.
-Matron of Madness. C:
P.S. First person to catch the Hunger Games reference; I will legitimately take any Shall We Date couple from any game (EXCEPT Heian Love, I have not finished all the characters) and write a one-shot of them with any scenario of your pleasing (sexual situations aside, however!). I couldn't help it. It's a lovely little quote.~ :)
