Prologue I

Fall. Piles of dried up leaves stacked on top of each other on the court grounds. The trees were almost bare, as almost all their leaves had fallen off of them; only a couple of rotting ones stayed. The air was chilly and the sky suggested it was about to rain.

Ah, rain. A blessing from the gods, as they say. It waters the crops, cultivates the land and deprives us of drought.

I silently watched the rain gradually come and shower the garden surrounding the building as I was seated by the edge of the open hallway's floor.

A soft sigh escaped my lips. It was getting chilly. Good thing the kimono I had on was pretty thick. I reached out towards the rain and soon enough my right hand was soaked.

Just then, I heard a couple of soft footsteps coming from behind me, each step getting louder and thus its source, nearer. No sooner than I took a guess at who it was, the tatami door slid behind me and a familiar voice spoke.

"Mikan, Hyuuga-dono and his son are here. Head down to the lobby to accompany his son while I and his father attend to business." The voice spoke in a refined and feminine voice.

I turned around and nodded at her. She was wearing her usual revealing kimono, one that showed her shoulders and cleavage, and heavy makeup. She was a voluptuous and beautiful woman though, so it suited her.

She smiled down at me, waiting for me to get up. "Hurry along now. And try not to cause trouble this time?" She said teasingly with a small laugh.

I got up, fixed my obi a little as it had been ruffled when I was sitting down. She patted my head and accompanied me to the lobby.

This woman is Hazushi Cho, the best and most famous female prostitute in all of the red-light district of Daikoku village. Her skin was flawless and her long straight hair a dark shade of brown. Every man who spends the night at the Hazushi house would ask for her first before having to choose someone else since she's always busy with people from the higher-ups. She's also one of the influential leaders of the underworld who keeps this part of the kingdom in check.

"What were you doing out there, Mikan?" She asked as we walked.

I looked up at her. "Oh, nothing much. Just admiring the rain, Cho-nee."

Another thing about her is that she was the one who found me and took care of me ever since I was little. I don't remember much, but I was told that my real mother died due to an illness that had gone viral several years ago and nothing about my father was known. Cho-nee found me at that time and took me in, raising me in this house. She's the closest thing I have to a mother, so I treat her with utmost respect.

We arrived at the lobby not long after and there, I saw Hyuuga-san and his son seated in the waiting area. We approached them.

"Hyuuga-dono, welcome to the Hazushi house." Cho-nee said with a smile. She was one of the few people who could greet this man without bowing her head and get away with it. "The meeting room is this way," she added, gesturing towards a different hallway from the one we came from.

Hyuuga Ioran, head of the Hyuuga clan and one of the leaders of the underworld as well. He comes here every once in a while whenever the leaders would have a meeting. He's a quaint-looking old man who's around his forty's. I often find myself laughing at his stubbled face, but always catch myself when I see the katana he's always carrying around. I haven't seen it first-hand, but I've heard that Hyuuga-san was one of the people you would never want to cross swords with. Why? I've asked that too, and all anyone ever told me was that he'd cut my head off as soon as he takes his katana off its guard.

He nodded and glanced at his son, who was sitting beside him. "Natsume, go play with Hime-chan in the meantime." He turned to me and smiled, patting my head lightly. "Hime-chan, always so much lovelier whenever we see you. I should bring Natsume more often so he could keep an eye on you so you don't get swept away by other guys, hm?" He laughed.

"Bleugh.." Natsume, his son, made a vomiting gesture and I glared at him. How rude.

I turned to Hyuuga-san, awkwardly smiled back and bowed politely. Hyuuga-san keeps calling me "Hime" for some reason. He wasn't a bad man. On the contrary, he's actually really kind as long as you don't do anything stupid. I've found myself being gifted with apples every now and then by him when we meet on the streets.

He patted Natsume on the back as well, which he nodded in response to, and followed Cho-nee as she led the way. My gaze followed them until they were out of my line of sight.

"Oi, noodle-head."

Ugh.

I turned to Natsume, who was sitting on the chair, staring at me with the same uninterested look he always had on. I didn't reply.

Hyuuga Natsume, son of Hyuuga Ioran and expected succeeding head of the Hyuuga clan. He resembles his father, with his strong physique and skilled swordsmanship, but at the same time resembles his mother, thick straight black hair and dark red eyes. But most of all, he resembles himself, cheeky, annoying, arrogant, stoic, and many more. He's three years older than me and I've known his annoying self ever since I can remember.

He raised an eyebrow when a couple of minutes passed but I refused to give him a response. He sighed and got up next to me.

I tensed up, sensing he was about to do something mean to me again. He always does.

"Are you going to keep ignoring me, noodle-head?" He asked, sounding rather bored.

I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. "I do not know this 'noodle-head' that you speak of."

He chuckled. "Oh, really? Maybe I should introduce her to you, then..." He started to circle me with an annoying grin on his face.

"First of all, you have to know that she's this puny eight-year old who walks around in a white kimono most of the time for some reason even though it always gets extremely dirty at the end of the day," he said, lifting his index finger. My eyes never left him even as he kept walking around me, which meant I had to rotate my head along with his movements.

"Second," he took a lock of my hair between his fingers and flipped it off. "She has noodles on her head, which she usually calls her hair." He snickered.

"I'm going to kick you." I threatened him. He was always such a meanie to me. My hair didn't look like noodles. Cho-nee told me that my curly and somewhat unruly hair was of a beautiful golden shade, way different from the light brown color of noodles.

He scoffed and stopped in front of me. I continued to glare at him. "Third, she throws out threats as if they could actually affect people."

I had enough. Cue a wholehearted but flimsy attempt to punch him on the face.

Now cue the dodge and obvious miss.

"You're a hundred years too young to land a hit on me, noodle-head." He laughed annoyingly and shook his head.

I rolled my eyes at him, straightening my posture. "You're only three years older than me, you know." I stuck out my tongue at him.

"And thus, three years wiser than you." He added, raising his fist to my forehead. He slowly raised a finger. I closed my eyes, getting ready for whatever he was planning on doing, some sort of way to hurt me probably.

Flick.

"-Ow!" I exclaimed.

"Not to mention faster. Tag, you're it!" With a healthy grin on his face, he dashed away towards the courtyard, leaving me rubbing the spot where he flicked his finger at my forehead.

"Mou.. You're not faaaiiirrr!" And with that, I ran after him, pulling my kimono up so I could move faster.

Summer. Oh what people would give to have a nice ice cold bath under the unforgivingly hot weather? There was not a cloud in the sky, giving the earth time to enjoy the sun's full warmth, almost excruciatingly.

Although the sun did hurt my skin, I tried to endure it as I did my training, trying to shoot a hundred arrows for today regardless if I hit the mark or not.

Hearing footsteps approaching me, I paid no heed and continued shooting one arrow after the other, aiming at the trunk of a tree.

"Noodle, father asked if you would like to take a break and have a cold drink."

I knew that voice. Undoubtedly, it had become deeper through the years since I met him, but it was still easily distinguishable as his.

Wiping a trickle of sweat rolling down my cheek, I reached back for another arrow and kept my count in mind. "Ah, alright." I didn't even glance at him.

"Then let's go-"

"After I finish this." I added, loading the arrow up to the bow.

Elbows up, pull back, proper aim, aaaand... Release. An arrow joined the clutter of more arrows sticking out from the trees surrounding the one I've been aiming at this whole time.

I heard a sigh from beside me. Was it just me or did I hear a smile in it?

"Oh well. If you pass out from dehydration, I'll be right here to watch and laugh at you." I glanced at him and saw him taking a seat under a nearby tree's shade.

"Hah, you wish." I replied, getting ready for another shot.

A couple of months back, I had decided to undergo combat training as Hyuuga-san's disciple. At first, everyone aside from Natsume was against it, Cho-nee, Hyuuga-san and everyone at the Hazushi house, but for some reason, they suddenly let me after a few days. Though Hyuuga-san refuses to teach me anything more than how to handle bow and arrows, I was more than willing to accept the offer. Beats sitting around at the Hazushi house doing nothing. Besides, I had to know how to take care of myself at least, right? So, here I am, at the Hyuuga clan's training grounds. I come almost every day, so my skills have been improving.

"How many arrows have you done so far?"

I loaded up my bow. "Seventy-six." I stepped a foot back and pulled the string back, before shooting yet another at the tree. "Seventy-seven," I corrected myself.

He was leaning against the trunk of the tree he was under, with one of his legs flat on the ground and the other pulled up. I could feel him staring at me. "Heehh... You sure you're not tired? You don't really have much of stamina, y'know."

I couldn't lie. "I am tired. But what's the point of training if I don't push myself to get better?"

I didn't hear a reply from Natsume while I loaded up another arrow and shot it towards the tree again. "Seventy-eight," I counted.

It went silent for the next couple of minutes, with me just shooting and trying to hit the target, but failing to anyways, and Natsume just sitting there, watching me.

When I missed for the ninety-ninth time, I sighed and grabbed another arrow, the last one I'll be shooting for the day. It was already past noon and the sun was high up in the sky, showering me with its unwanted warmth as it had been for the past hour or two.

Shaking my head, I loaded the bow with the last arrow. "I've been doing this for months now and I still can't hit that target. Not even close."

True enough, I couldn't. Looking at the collection of arrows sticking out from the trunks of the trees near the one I was supposed to hit and the ones on the base of said tree, I became disappointed in myself. What was I doing wrong?

"Your posture is completely off, your grip wobbly, and your aim wrong." It was Natsume, chuckling. I forgot he was still there.

I faced him and placed my hands on my hips, trying to give him a dirty look. "Well excuse me, why don't you teach me how to do it then? Hmph." I loaded my bow with the last arrow of the day and even though he was an annoying prick, I tried to fix my posture, grip and aim this time. Hey, he is an asshole, but he's a pro at these things.

I heard rustling and footsteps before I felt warm, callous hands on my grip and the other on my back.

I glanced at Natsume, who was looking over at my target, while pushing my back straighter and tightening my grip. He probably sensed me looking at him and said, "You asked for help, didn't you?"

I pouted and looked away. "Yeah, but I didn't think you'd actually-"

"Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm getting hungry and bored and father won't let me back without you, so might as well." He grumbled.

"Huh... Well, thank-"

He interrupted me again. How rude.

"Keep your back straight. You've been slouching all this time, because that bow is too heavy for your weak little body. Your hand placing is okay," I beamed in joy about actually getting one thing right," but your grip is getting really weak, and I'm guessing it's because of the same reason why you're slouching." He finished, but was still holding onto me. It was starting to make me feel uncomfortable, to be honest.

"O-Okay." He was completely right about the bow being too heavy for me, but I wasn't going to actually admit it.

With his arms supporting mine, I was able to stand straighter and hold the bow tighter. All that was left was for me to aim and shoot. Okay, breathe in... Aaaannd shoo-

He stopped me. "You're not done yet. Your posture is okay, and so is your grip, but your aim is completely off, noodlehead."

I frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm aiming right at the target."

He scoffed and said, "Yeah, as if your arrow is just going to fly as straight as a single line. Idiot. That's not how it works."

I grumbled. I got called an idiot again. "Then how does it work, Mr. Know-It-All?"

I could hear him smirking from the title I gave him. Didn't he know I was being sarcastic?

"There are various factors you have to consider, which you would have known if you went to school. But since you're a stupid little girl, I guess I'll have to give you a quick lesson." He laughed. I frowned. "First of all, you have to consider the wind. If you close your eyes and feel it, you'll know which direction it's going and naturally, your arrow will be slightly pushed towards that direction when you release it."

I nodded. He has a point. "Okay, what else?"

"Next, you need to consider the distance of your target. Like I said, the arrow doesn't shoot through a straight line, and since gravity applies to your arrow, it'll move downward."

I stared at him. I didn't get it.

It seemed he understood how I didn't get it, so he sighed and said, "Just remember that the further your target, the higher your aim should be." He let go of me, which caught me off guard and almost made me lose my posture again.

"Now shoot your last arrow so we can go." He grumbled, taking a step back and leaning on a tree's trunk.

I nodded and faced my target. Okay. I lifted my bow up and loaded my last arrow. I checked my posture, it was good, though it made my back hurt. My grip was tight. My aim was perfect, slightly to the right, since there was a breeze to the left, and slightly upwards. I took a deep breath and released the arrow.

I heard Natsume make a sound. I don't know what kind of sound, because I was too fixated on the arrow on my target!

I actually jumped up and yelling out loud all sorts of things which I really don't remember. When I was finished, I glanced at Natsume, who had a confident smile on his face and didn't even think twice about it, I just hopped on over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I told him, still hugging him. This went on for another second until I realized what I was doing. By then, I let go and stepped back from him.

Oh no. That was extremely inappropriate. Natsume was supposed to be my friend- I say 'supposed to be' because I don't think we really are with how much we fight- but he was still the heir to the Hyuuga Clan. I was but a lowly commoner, so there were probably rules against what I just did.

"I-.. Uh.. I'm sorry about that just now, I didn't think it through." I hated doing it, but I bowed my torso down in front of Natsume, hoping he wouldn't get mad or anything. Through the years I've known him, I know every little thing gets him pissed.

I felt a hand chop me on the head. Ow.

"Get up, your noodlehead is not a pretty sight." He said.

I looked up and saw him walking away, so I got up. "Wha.. What did you say!" I puffed my cheeks up and followed after him. "I was being polite and apologized and that's what you have to say?" When we were near the house, I put the bow and its arrow holder down by the armory storage room thing.

"Do you know how hard it is to bow down to such a rude lord? Hmph!" I added and crossed my arms, still following him.

He didn't respond at all. He kept walking.

This was bugging me, so I walked a few paces faster to get a view of his face. "Hey, what's wrong with y-" I saw his face. He was frowning. like he usually did, and he looked a little red. "Wait, you're looking kind of red, are you sick?" I reached both hands up to touch both sides of his face.

This made him stop walking. "... Noodlehead, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, looking down at me.

I frowned at him. He was getting even redder! "I'm checking if you have a fever! You're all red in the face, after all."

He growled. "I probably got sick, because I had to wait out for hours for yo- What are you doing? "

I pulled his head down and placed his forehead on mine. For some reason, his temperature was getting warmer! "You do have a fever! We need to call someone quick!" I started to panic. If what he said was true, I would be the reason he got a fever and that didn't bade well for me.

He pushed me off, making me let him go, and he looked away, his hand covering his mouth. "I'm not sick, you moron.."

I shook my head. "But your temperature is really high!"

"Ugh, you're such an idiot. Let's just go find father." He said, annoyed, and went back to leading the way.

I was very confused. "But your fever!" I followed him.

"Shut up."

"Why won't you listen to me? You. Have. A. Fever!"

"Shut up."

"Your face is all re-"

"Shut. Up."

And this kind of exchange went on until we reached Hyuuga-san's study, where I told him about Natsume's fever, but he took one glance at his son and laughed, telling me I shouldn't worry about it. At least, not now.

Chapter End

Note: And that's the end of the first part of the Prologue! I'll upload the second part once I finish it~

Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Please let me know! I got a little shaky at the end there, hehe.

Oh and by the way, this story may not be updated regularly. But I will try to get in as much chapters as I can!

Thank you for reading!