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Ui Koori hated weddings. He sat with his eyes narrowed, his arms crossed, and no hint of a smile on his solemn face.
Kaneki Ken struggled not to relate. The organ music swelling, the scent of roses and lilies, the candles lit along the arched windows: they all should fill him with a sense of hope. But the candles flickered, and a shard of loneliness nicked him. After the wedding, Hide would return to the manor his family owned in the country, and Kaneki would be alone here again.
He was supposed to be betrothed soon though, to a girl Arima recommended. And Kaneki had hardly met her. But she was beautiful. From what Kaneki had heard, the couple wedding today hardly knew each other. Kaneki cracked a knuckle. He doubted anyone would want him were they to see him.
Nagachika Hideyoshi, a duke's son and Kaneki's friend who had traveled to the city for the sake of the wedding, elbowed Kaneki, whispering about how Ui looked as if the mere idea of love disgusted him. "Or, maybe he's worried about the jousting tournament. He'll be competing, right?"
Kaneki nodded. As a knight, Ui would certainly be competing. He was favored to win, in fact, since Arima Kishou had withdrawn. Arima, the marquis and knight Kaneki had been squiring for for the past three years, had won every royal joust for the past decade.
Soft violin music filled the church, rising past the stained glass windows to the vaulted ceilings. At the alter, a priest joined the hands of Prince Washuu Matsuri, the king's grandson, and Lady Iyo, the daughter of a count, now to be Princess Iyo. Kaneki wondered if they felt happy, excited to get to know each other, or if they felt trapped.
The prince kept his eyes downcast. Iyo's cheeks flushed as her husband leaned in to peck her on the lips. Kaneki glanced down the crimson-padded row he sat on. Arima's newest squires, Urie Kuki, Mutsuki Tooru, Shirazu Ginshi, and Yonebayashi Saiko sat in a line, Urie looking impressed—in other words more benevolent than Kaneki had seen him yet—Mutsuki beaming, Shirazu jealous, and Saiko—Saiko was snoring. Kaneki cringed.
Iyo's attendants lifted her heavy train as she and Matsuri proceeded out of the church. Next would be the tournament, and then the banquet. Kaneki longed for it to be over so that he could retreat to his chambers inside Arima's wing of the palace.
Kaneki leaned over and gestured to Shirazu. "Shirazu," he hissed.
The boy turned to him, eyes wide.
"Wake Saiko up, will you?" he requested.
Hide snickered. Kaneki glowered at his friend. They may have grown up together, Hide's manor next door to Kaneki's aunt's manor, but Hide was always brave. Not like him. When his aunt announced that she was sending Kaneki away to squire for Arima in the hopes that he might become a knight one day, he cried, because Kaneki never wanted to be a knight. But Hide told him he could do it. Hide told him he was brave. And Kaneki promised himself that when he was afraid, he would remember his sunshine-headed friend, then living hours away.
Shirazu elbowed Saiko in the ribs. She smacked her lips, turning away from him. Kaneki's face burned. Indigo and silver light from the stained glass window dribbled over her face.
Shirazu finally licked his finger and stuck it in her ear. She yelped. "Wake up."
"That's so common," Urie said in disgust.
"Well, she had to wake up," managed Mutsuki, wringing his vest.
"Don't argue," Kaneki said. Urie cast him a disgruntled scowl.
A hand landed on the shoulder of Kaneki's brocade jacket. He turned his face up to see Arima Kishou raising his eyebrows. "I see it's difficult to keep that one awake."
Kaneki gulped. "I think she may have been up late last night."
"Indeed." Arima didn't so much as glance at Saiko. "We always have to be vigilant, Ken."
"I know, sir," Kaneki whispered. And he did know. But Saiko, unlike Mutsuki, Shirazu, and Urie, and even Kaneki, was not an orphan. Her mother had simply drunk away the family's fortune and her name was all Saiko had left. He remembered the burning loneliness after he arrived at the sprawling palace where all the king's advisors lived, how it consumed him until Mado Akira offered to help train him. She was kinder than Arima.
Saiko must be lonely too, and he couldn't bring himself to force her to participate if she didn't want to.
"Especially lately," Arima added as they spilled out of the pews and into the aisle, joining the throngs of nobles headed to observe the joust.
Kaneki swallowed. Earlier that week, an anonymous scroll arrived in the clutches of a carrier pigeon. The note read out Arima's daily schedule, an anonymous threat. Since that day, they'd made efforts to alter their daily routine, but Kaneki worried.
The sun shone above, the sky pure azure. Sweat prickled at the back of Kaneki's neck.
"You excited for your own wedding?" Hide whispered in his ear.
"Hide!" Kaneki hissed. "It's not official yet." A knot formed in his stomach. It'd be another stone tying him here, cementing his place as a future knight.
Arima thought it was time he married, which struck Kaneki as odd, seeing as Arima had no interest in marriage himself. But he had no position from which to question it. Arima had simply called him into his chambers one day and asked him if he would like to get married someday. Kaneki had stammered a yes, and Arima had announced that there was an eligible lady.
"But when do I get to evaluate her, see if she's fit to marry my best friend?" Hide winked.
"She's here," Kaneki responded, twisting to look behind him at the mob of faces. Mutsuki caught his eye and frowned in concern. "Don't worry, Mutsuki, everyone's moving slowly. No risk of a crush," he assured the boy. "I presume we'll see her at the tournament, or at least at the banquet." He wasn't certain what would be worse: if she came over and spoke with him, or if she avoided him.
"The sooner the better," Hide proclaimed, adjusting his deep blue overcoat. Kaneki caught several ladies of the court glancing his friend's way.
They found their seats for the jousting contest. Kaneki sat alongside Arima and Hide and the four new squires. Supposedly three more squires would arrive over the next month. Kaneki's head swam just thinking about it. The sun beat down on his hair.
"Good afternoon," said a voice behind him. Kaneki turned to peer up. A handsome man with soft blue hair and cheekbones that would be every portrait artist's dream smiled down at him, a knight with lavender hair at his side.
"Good afternoon," Kaneki replied.
"Tsukiyama Shuu," he said. "My father, Tsukiyama Mirumo, and I have arrived in town for the wedding. We plan to stay at least a month." He tapped his chin. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Kaneki Ken."
"Me?" Kaneki blinked. Hide was chatting with Arima, the wards with each other. He had heard of Tsukiyama Mirumo, a duke and one of the wealthiest nobles in the entire kingdom, but not of his son.
"Indeed. Ever squire of Arima's achieves a reputation." Tsukiyama leaned his face close to Kaneki, sniffing. "You must be quite special for Arima to agree to take you on."
The knight beside him sighed. "Master Shuu, we're—"
A horn blew. Kaneki whirled around to face the royal box. Firstly, Prince Matsuri and Princess Iyo entered.
"Poor lambs," Tsukiyama's voice whispered in Kaneki's ear. "Forced to marry, like sacrifices. One's accepted it; the other's still fighting in his mind."
"Hm?" Kaneki gaped at Tsukiyama. He didn't want to hear his fears spoken aloud. "Iyo's a lovely woman—anyone would be happy to wed—" But he saw that look in Matsuri's eyes too, the loneliness.
"Not if you're into men and your bloodline requires you to continue the bloodline."
Oh. "You can't—"
The horn blew again. The Crown Prince, Yoshitoki, entered the box next, sitting next to his son. And lastly, after another horn blast, King Tsuneyoshi entered. Kaneki joined the crowd of nobles in kneeling before him.
"Rise," said Tsuneyoshi, and the tournament began.
"How are you feeling?" asked Hirako Take.
"Well," said Ui Koori, adjusting his armor. Sweat slid down his spine. "It's an honor to fight for the glory of our king." The horse shifted beneath him, snorting. The Washuu's dove crest rose high on the banners above.
Atop a white horse, Amon Koutarou, one of the strongest knights and a former squire of Mado Kureo, adjusted himself on the saddle. On a dappled stallion, Kousuke Houji's former squire, Takizawa Seidou, prepared to charge. New knights, they were, knighted months ago. Ui and Hirako, Arima Kishou's first squires, had been knights for three years.
It wasn't long before Takizawa fell from his horse, landing on his shoulder. Ui winced.
"He's talented," commented Hirako. "You think Amon could win?"
"I think any of us could," replied Ui. He focused his gaze on the banners. The doves. The reason he fights, the reason he jousts. If he doesn't focus on them, he'll look into the crowd, and that would be the end for him, because he might see her face.
Hirako let out a snort. "Look at that."
A tiny figure—it must be Shinohara Yukinori's protégé—prepared to face off with Tanakamaru Mougan. Ui pressed his lips together. Supposedly it was a random draw assigning face-offs, but it seemed a tad unfair to have such a small boy even in the tournament, let alone facing off with a large, accomplished knight like Tanakamaru. Judging from the gasps in the crowd, they agreed.
Five minutes later, and Ui felt his own jaw drop when Suzuya unseated Tanakamaru, who hit the ground with a grunt. Suzuya then cackled like some kind of deranged idiot.
"Good luck," Hirako told Ui. Ui nodded, barely glancing at his friend as he rode out onto the list. Atop a black horse sat Kijima's former squire, Furuta Nimura. The lad about whom everyone said there was nothing special. At least it wouldn't be much of a challenge. Ui gritted his teeth.
The dove wavered in the wind.
Ui hoped she was watching.
The horses took off, charging at each other. Ui readied his lance. He'd named it Taruhi. One hit, and Furuta was on his ass in the dirt. Cheers rained down for him, but he didn't want them. Except for her cheers, and if he looked into the crowd and couldn't find her face, he'd panic. Ui bowed towards the king.
Hirako won his match against Kuramoto Itou, and then Ui readied himself for his next round. Thankfully, it was Amon Koutarou. A challenge, unlike that strange Suzuya. Blood filled Ui's mouth when he chomped down too hard on his tongue.
He had to win. For the king. For her. For the king.
They rode past each other on the first pass, Ui barely ducking Amon's lance. He felt it strike the edge of his arm, but he refused to flinch. He would not fall off this horse. He would win.
On the third pass, Ui thrust his lance out and felt it collide. Amon let out a groan as it slammed into his abdomen. He slid halfway out of his saddle, dragged for a few meters by his horse before the animal stopped. Smeared in mud, Amon rose, a look of shock on his face.
I won. I beat Amon Koutarou. Ui allowed himself a small smile. Amon nodded at him. Amon was a respectable competitor, a good man.
That meant he would likely be facing Hirako, or so Ui thought until Suzuya sent Hirako flying into the dirt.
How in the hell?
Suzuya whooped again. Ui scowled. He would avenge Hirako, now.
"Win for me," Hirako wheezed as he staggered past Ui. Blood trickled from his lip.
"Are you all right?"
Hirako nodded. "Good luck. He's a little demon."
The third pass, Ui told himself. Again, that's when I'll make my move. Just like with Amon. He readied his horse.
Again they charged. And again, and on the second run, Ui spotted something red on Suzuya's arm.
He's not wearing armor on his arm? Is he stupid?
Is that thread?
The lance hit him in the chest. The wind flew out of Ui's lungs. His stomach imploded. He flew backward, slamming into the ground. His horse whinnied, carrying on without him.
Ui blinked, staring up at stars exploding in a bright blue sky. They twinkled, and then faded, and he was left there. His lungs inhaled. His abdomen throbbed.
I'm sitting on my ass.
I lost.
He got to his knees, gulping in air. Shame built in his neck, forcing his head down.
Even if you lose, it's for your king, he reminded himself. He lifted his head and his body, getting to his feet and then bowing. It's not a true loss, then.
Suzuya cheered again. Ui's eyebrows pressed together. How rude. Still, he won, and Ui couldn't fault him for his excitement. Though he certainly faulted him for his inappropriate reaction.
"He's better than you'd think, isn't he?" Amon commented as they sat together at the banquet. Takizawa appeared to be taking his loss quite poorly, devouring a chicken leg and a hefty amount of pineapple.
"He is," Ui agreed, watching as Suzuya painted yogurt sauce on his lips in a sort of mustache. Suzuya turned to the tall, long-haired squire next to him and chortled.
"Koori!" cried a voice from behind him.
He dropped his fork. It splattered cranberry onto his shirt. Oops.
"You did so well! Suzuya was amazing, but I was rooting for you." Lady Ihei Hairu winked at him. Her soft teal dress with her pink hair and huge green eyes—she looked like a fairy.
"It's not appropriate to call me Koori here," Ui said flatly. He considered Lady Hairu a friend who was more than talented in swordsmanship herself, but it wasn't proper for her to address him without formality here. He'd never be able to live with himself if someone started a rumor. Lady Hairu was an orphan as well, taken in by the Kuroiwas, and a bit brainless at times even if she was the best sparring partner Ui ever had, and she knew how to steal melon bread from the kitchens, and how to make him laugh.
Hairu rolled her eyes. "Only you would complain at a compliment." She spotted Arima Kishou nearby, seated at a cherry-wood table next to Ken Kaneki. "Ooh! I wanted to meet his new squires; I need more friends. And Saiko's another girl who's learning swordsmanship!" She flitted off.
"Look who just walked in," whispered Takizawa, downing another goblet of wine. Fire flickered from the chandeliers above their heads. He nodded at the door.
"Mado Kureo," said Amon, face dissolving into a smile. Ui watched Amon. Everyone heard the story of how Amon was rescued from one of the last witches in the kingdom, a man who forced Amon to help him capture victims to drain their life from. Children, all of them. Repulsive. But Mado Kureo took a chance on Amon, and he's now one of the most just and strong knights in the kingdom. Ui admired him.
"Who's the girl next to him?" inquired Kuramoto, taking a bite of sausage.
"Mado Akira," stated Takizawa. "His daughter. Looking at her you'd think she's some delicate flower, but the girl is a demon with a sword."
The blond woman carried herself with confidence. Her eyes swept the room, landing on Takizawa. A scowl creased her lips.
"Am I sensing a history?" teased Kuramoto.
"Not hardly," retorted Takizawa, pouring himself more wine. "That girl's a monster."
Ui curled his lip. There's a history there, isn't there? He watched as Hairu giggled next to Arima. The wine tasted sour in his mouth.
"You did well today, Ui," a voice interrupted.
Ui turned in his chair to see Furuta Nimura there. A bruise swelled on Furuta's cheek, under a mole. "So did you."
Furuta blinked. He nodded and scurried off like a child.
"He's an odd one," remarked Kuramoto.
"You're telling me," laughed Takizawa.
He just seemed nervous to Ui. Ui glanced at Hairu again. She was now chattering with Yonebayashi Saiko.
"What are you doing?" he demanded two years earlier when he found the pink-haired woman swinging a sword in one of the palace's practice courtyards.
"Training," she replied. "I want Arima to be proud of me. He recommended the Kuroiwas take me in, you know."
Ui snorted. "He never praises anyone."
"He should," she replied. "I've seen you. You're good."
The wine stung his throat.
The food was delicious. Saiko helped herself to three helpings of potatoes roasted with garlic and rosemary. Kaneki watched the girl serving their table, dressed in a drab brown dress. Her sleek indigo hair covered one of her eyes.
"So?" Hide finally prompted. "Is that her?"
"Hm?" Kaneki turned to his friend.
"Your fiancée. Or soon to be betrothed." Hide nodded at the servant girl.
"Of course not!"
Hide's eyebrows rose. "Poor girl. That was awfully harsh, Kaneki." He waved his hand.
"Hide, stop!" Kaneki reached for his friend's arm. Urie's lip curled as the servant girl approached.
"What's your name?" Hide chirped.
She blinked, surprised. Kaneki wonders whether people often ask her her name. It must be hard otherwise, her as a nameless servant. "Kirishima Touka."
"Well, Touka," drawled Hide. "More wine, please."
She nodded and rushed to grab the pitcher. Kaneki glowered at his friend.
"What?" Hide asked. "She's cute. Kaneki, you should marry her."
"Hide!" Kaneki's face felt as if it was burning off. He shoved his wine goblet away from him as Touka came back to pour more.
"I'll take some too," Urie ordered.
Touka's eyes narrowed. She poured, but it overflowed. "Oh no!" Her gasp sounded insincere.
Urie cursed. Kaneki bit back a smile. Hide wiggled his eyebrows as if to say that this was a plus for the servant girl.
But he wouldn't be allowed to. It was rare for a person of noble birth to marry a person of common birth. You had to receive special permission from the king. And as Kaneki took note of Kuroiwa Takeomi beaming at one of the bakers hired from outside to create the cake for the wedding, he wondered if that might not happen sooner rather than later.
But Arima would disapprove. And Kaneki admired the man, hard though he was. He taught Kaneki so much. He gave him the future his aunt would never give him. Even if it was a future that made Kaneki cringe.
A flash of purple interrupted his musing. Kaneki stiffened. "That's her."
"Hm?" Hide turned towards him.
Kaneki nodded. The band struck up a merry tune as Kamishiro Rize glided across the banquet hall. The marble pillars, glossy and strong, were dull compared to the elegant way she moved, the way her hair hung long and loose despite the impropriety of leaving it down.
And to Kaneki's shock, she met his gaze. And smiled. And headed in his direction.
"You're going to marry her?" hissed Hide. "Kaneki! She's beautiful!"
"Rumor has it she's out of control," Urie said. "Maybe there's a reason they want a quick marriage with someone respectable."
"Urie, that's rude," whispered Mutsuki.
"Don't insult her!" snarled Shirazu, jabbing his finger at Urie.
Rize paused by Kaneki's chair. "So."
Kaneki wishes he'd drunken less wine. No, more. "Hello."
Shirazu gaped at them. Urie looked disgusted. Mutsuki twisted his jacket. Saiko poured herself more wine.
"Care to take a walk in the garden?" Rize invited.
"Y-yes," Kaneki stammered. "Of course." He scrambled to his feet. Hide winked at him. Kaneki hoped Rize didn't notice. Does she actually want to get to know me? Is it possible an arranged marriage to her wouldn't be a disaster?
The Sunlit Gardens were situated right outside of the banquet hall. Groves of trees stood like sentries arranged in patterns, several fountains bubbled, and birds chirped. One could get lost in them.
Rize took Kaneki's arm and his breath. "So," she said. "I thought it would be valuable to get away and get to know each other. But the noise in there was so deafening, and it's not safe to leave the palace. I heard Mado Kureo's been sent to deal with a bunch of beggars trying to sneak in for food."
"Oh." Kaneki frowned.
"I heard you have an elaborate library in Arima's wing." Rize beamed up at him.
"I—" Kaneki cleared his throat. "Um, yes! Yes, we do. It's got every book you can possibly dream of, and then some. Do you like to read?" They passed a towering pine tree. Stars glittered above them, and the full moon shone down, bathing the smooth stone path in silverlight.
"I love it," Rize confided. She smiled up at him. "It's the one thing I can always turn to. Reading. No matter what happens in my world."
Kaneki nodded. She steered him towards the right. The air felt a bit chilled without the sun. "Books were my escape too. After my father died, and then my mother."
"Mm." Rize studied a raven bathing itself in one of the sculpted fountains. A human crushed a ghoul, water spurting from the ghoul's ceramic skull.
There is hope. "You should come visit," Kaneki invited. "Tour the library."
"I'd like that," Rize said.
"When we get married," Kaneki said. "You can read them all, and—we can read them all, and—"
"Book partners," Rize commented. The raven took flight overhead. A water droplet, cold, landed on Kaneki's scalp, seeping through his hair. "I like it. Of course, it won't be like a real marriage."
Kaneki frowned. "Pardon?"
"I don't intend to marry anyone," Rize said with a trill. "Just in name only. I suggested it to my guardian in the hopes of getting my freedom back."
So you don't want to try? "Oh," Kaneki said, voice small. It shouldn't hurt. It shouldn't. This as the first time he'd even spoken to her. And yet, a bruise presses into the back of his eyes.
"I knew you would be the type to agree," said Rize, digging her fingers into his arm.
Kaneki swallowed. He studied his boots, leather shining and new.
A twig snapped behind him.
"And now I'll go," Rize said cheerfully, releasing him. "Thank you, Kaneki. I'll visit your library in the next few days." She hurried towards the left, down a path that wound through a thick grove of trees.
Huh? "But—Rize—it's late, you can't leave!" Kaneki stuttered.
"I will do what I want!" Rize hollered over her shoulder. "That's the way it's going to be, Kaneki Ken—" She screamed.
And Kaneki tried to. But the scream wouldn't burst from his throat. His jaw clenched so tightly he couldn't pry it open even for air. His nostrils wouldn't cooperate. His legs moved backwards, and he wasn't moving them.
What?
Rize's scream was silenced. Her arms froze, mid-air. A dark figure emerged from the shadows.
And a laugh filled Kaneki's ears. He struggled to breathe, but there was no evidence he struggled at all. His skull felt like it would burst. His lungs begged. His throat screamed. The darkness encased the figure, encased Rize, encased him.
When he awoke, he heard voices drumming through his skull. The smell of moist dirt invaded his nostrils. Kaneki coughed.
"What the hell happened?" yelled a voice above him. Kaneki craned his neck up to see Arima. And Ui Koori. And Hirako Take.
"There's no sign of her, Sir," reported Amon Koutarou's voice.
"Kaneki!" Ui yanked him up by his shoulders. "What happened?"
He shook his head. Rize's—gone? "Someone—laughed—I couldn't move my body—there was a darkness—" Or was that just him losing consciousness? He didn't know.
She said she only wanted to marry me to use me. But he would never rat her out.
"Witchcraft," whispered Ui.
"That's a ridiculous claim," snapped Marude, one of the dukes.
"No," said Arima, surprising Kaneki. "It's not."
