Spring came slowly to Sa Province, melting the snow in the mountains and bringing warm breezes. Cherry blossoms and wisteria replaced plum flowers. And on a pleasant day filled with birdsong, Ryuuren whisked Eigetsu outside before the morning meal, insisting that they enjoy the elegant sights of the season.
The two took a walk in the garden, admiring the purple flowers of the wisteria and listening to the birds sing. Ryuuren made an occasional contribution with his flute as a gentle breeze scattered pink petals from the cherry trees onto the grass below.
Spying a small blue object floating down from the sky, Eigetsu held out his hands and caught it. "Look, Ryuuren-san!" He held up a feather. A vivid shade the color of lapis lazuli, it was several inches long and gleamed with an iridescent shimmer.
"You've found a rare treasure, soul friend number two!" Ryuuren stroked his chin and leaned closer to admire the feather. "In a faraway village that I once visited, these feathers were prized and given as gifts. It would be for someone very precious to you, the—"
"Eigetsu-sama! I've been searching all over for you!" Kourin ran up to them and glared at Ryuuren, indignant that this nuisance was once again taking her place by her beloved's side; she wanted to walk under the cherry blossoms with Eigetsu! Hands on her hips, she scolded the colorfully dressed man. "Ryuuren-sama! Stop bothering Eigetsu-sama! You dragged him out before he even had a chance to eat anything this morning!"
"It's okay. Ryuuren-san wasn't really bothering me. He just wanted to enjoy the flowers together." Remembering what his friend had been saying, Eigetsu smiled and held the feather out to her. "Kourin-san, this is for you."
The young lady looked askance at the feather but still took it after a moment's hesitation since it was being offered by her dear Eigetsu. "A feather? What is this for?" She wondered if it was that weirdo's idea, suspiciously eyeing the eccentric Ran and the brightly colored feathers sticking out of his hair.
"How unrefined to question this elegant gift. Soul friend number two's soul friend interrupted my tale of the treasured blue feather. It's a present for a person most precious to you." Ryuuren threw his arms up in the air and exuberantly declared, "A blue feather is a gift for the girl you wish to marry!"
"Eh?" Eigetsu nervously rubbed the back of his head and exclaimed in surprise at this statement. Kourin's eyes widened and she hid her gaping expression behind a sleeve. Both blushed profusely, their cheeks becoming even pinker than the cherry blossoms above.
Trying to cover her self-consciousness, Kourin quickly shoved the feather into her robes and changed the subject. "Come back to the house, Eigetsu-sama! Your rice porridge is getting cold!" She took his arm and started pulling him away.
"Yes, let's go back!" Ryuuren quickly caught up and enthusiastically took Eigetsu's other arm. "I would like mushrooms with my porridge!"
"Who asked you?" A miffed Kourin found herself being dragged along behind Eigetsu.
…
That night, Kourin carefully closed the door to her room and pulled the blue feather out of her robes, from its place near her heart. Even if it also reminded her of that weirdo, she would treasure it since it was from Eigetsu. Blushing a bit at the memory of that morning, she carefully wrapped the feather in a handkerchief and tucked it away in her drawer.
…
Author's Note: This was originally written for the Blue prompt of the Rainbow Challenge at the saiun_challenge LJ community. And the blue feather idea is borrowed from Harvest Moon. For those not familiar with it, it's a series of farming sims and often includes a dating sim part. The characters and animals in the game have friendship levels that go from 0 to 10 hearts; several characters are potential spouses and if you raise their affection enough, you can propose by giving them a blue feather.