*Anonymous reviewers:
Fanda-Panda: -laugh- Of course I'm not offended! Everybody is entitled to their own opinions. Hey, at least you didn't drop a review just to say you didn't like Mulan and leave it like that! I'm glad that even though Mulan isn't your favourite Disney, you would still read my fanfiction. Thank you so much for that! And, of course, thank you for the reivew! It was a pleasure to read! (Oh, and another HUGE thank you to you as well for that review on my mermaid story. You are one awesome reviewer! Thanks for taking the time to write that.) That also sums up my two favourite Disney movies: The Little Mermaid & Mulan.
Akira Sakurai: Well, as you can see, I've continued! Welcome to the wonderful world of hitsuhina, the best pairing in Bleach (-laugh- no biasness here!). I'm sure you'll enjoy reading all the wonderful stories about these two - there are many. Thank you so much for your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter; also, I hope you haven't been waiting too long!
* A huge thank you worthy of the golden globes for my fantastic beta, PaperWishes, for without her and her amazing beta-ing talents this story wouldn't be half as enjoyable! Thank you! (By the way, I credit most of the first paragraph in QingTian to you! You can't deny it! I love your insert so, so much!)
Chapter 1 – Just One
*****
Chang'an
Imperial Palace
*****
With the utmost of urgency, the twin doors to the Emperor's throne room were thrown open, making way for three soldiers. Leader of China's armed forces, General Jushiro Ukitake, stood in the centre garbed in full battle armour. Flanking both his sides were his Lieutenant Generals: Ikkaku Madarame and Tetsuzaemon Iba. They too wore their armour, but theirs were not as elaborate as the General's. The three knelt down and Jushiro removed his gold-plated helmet.
"Your Excellency, we have received word that the Chao army, led by Sosuke Aizen, is headed straight for Chang'an," he said without prompt.
"Impossible. No one can cross the Honshu Mountains," Chojiro Sasakibe, the head of the Emperor's council, scoffed from his place behind his superior. "The very idea is–"
Emperor Yamamoto silenced Chojiro with a simple wave of his hand and returned his incicive gaze to Jushiro. "How has this information been confirmed, General?" he asked while folding his aged hands in his laps.
"One of my men was scouting the Khitan Plains, your Excellency. He sent word back with his kestrel, claiming that the Chao army had been spotted in the Mongolian pine forest, but we have not heard from him since." A hint of trouble in his voice gave way to his thoughts on what might have befallen his subordinate.
"How long is estimated before they reach the capital?"
"It is unclear at this moment, but they've yet to cross the Khitan plains. I estimate that it will take the Chao army at least two months to make it past the Honshu Mountains during the winter. However, we may have more time. I'm sure you're aware of this, your Excellency, but toying with his opponents is something Sosuke Aizen's notorious for."
"Sosuke Aizen…what a shame." Yamamoto's gaze stretched beyond the soldiers, and he released a battered sigh. "There is no doubt he plans to seize Chang'an by force, and with that my life."
"Your Excellency, I will have my men stationed around your palace at once."
"No, General. Have your men intercept the Chao army and protect my people. The same mistake will not be repeated." His tone was absolute. "Chojiro, send out conscriptions notices to every family within the kingdom. Prepare every soldier for battle and provide training for as many new recruits as possible."
Chojiro bowed and immediately walked away to begin necessary preparations. Yamamoto rose from his throne and folded his hands inside the sleeves of his golden longpiao; robes said to be imbued with a dragon's strength and nobility that only the Emperor was permitted to wear.
"General, I trust that you will find a suitable captain for the new recruits."
"With all due respect, your Excellency, I believe my men are powerful enough to stop the Chao army. Is there a need to risk the lives of more young men?"
"I will not take any chances." Even as the Emperor descended the stairs, the air was still and quiet His long and slender beard grazed the floor. Stopping in front of the General, he held out a bony finger. "A single grain of rice can tip the scales. One man may be the key to either victory or defeat."
*****
Qingtian
House of the Hinamori Family
*****
Behind the house, safely hidden from view was a small field, and standing in it was a sixteen-year-old girl. Sweeping back her hair, the girl slashed at the air, left and right, landing four consecutive blows on the imaginary enemy. Within her wild imagination, she was overpowering the small army that surrounded her, but to anyone watching, she was simply training.
Her name was Tao Hua Hinamori, the only child of honourable Long Fei Hinamori. The characters that comprised her first name had the meaning of 'peach blossom', but many just called her Momo. To this day she did not know why, yet it did have a pleasant ring to it.
Living with her grandmother, father and mother, she came from a family of four. They lived in a small village called Qingtian, not far at all from Chang'an. The size of their house was a little larger than the average, but their garden was absolutely massive. There were several other dwellings located within the Eastern complex, and aside from the complex divisions and village enclosure, there was no need for other barricades. Every citizen in Qingtian were acquaintances at the very least. It was close-knit and friendly community.
At the moment, Momo was training, clad very casually in clothes that had turned comfortable after many years of use. In her hand she held a long wooden stick. It bore numerous dents and scratches; a testimony to how long she practised with it.
"Hi-ya!"
With her cry she swung her stick down in a strike, stopping it just before it hit the ground. Following through, she executed a slow diagonal slash to her right, then to her left. After a couple of repetitions, she was all warmed up and ready to begin her real training. She held her stick vertically in front of her and a little towards her right, and then quickly rotated it for a powerful rotational strike. Immediately, she pulled the length of the stick back, stepped forward towards her invisible enemy and attacked its ribs with a horizontal strike.
"Hi-ya! Take that! And that!"
She raised her weapon high above her head and blocked an imagined attack. After blocking to the left, she let loose a rapid stream of quick frontal jabs, designed to intimidate the opposition and put them on the defensive. As she progressed with her training she broke out into a pleasant sweat and her eyes shone bright with fire.
"Big Sister!"
Momo stopped and turned around, seeing young Fen Xue running through the slightly overgrown grass to get to her. She was six-years-old and had taken to idolizing Momo, calling her 'Big Sister' even though they were not related by blood. Her hair was put up into two neat buns, one on the right and left side of her head. They were covered by a pale pink cloth and tightened with a string of plastic peach blossoms. It was a hair style similar to Momo's, though Momo wore her hair up in a single bun wrapped in light blue.
"Fen Xue! What are you doing out here?" Momo asked kindly, bending down so she was levelled with the younger girl.
"I was going to ask you the same thing, Big Sister. I didn't think you would be out."
"Why wouldn't I be out here? You should know I come out here every morning!" Momo gently ruffled Fen Xue's hair. "You practically come out here to see me every morning as well!"
Fen Xue smiled under Momo's touch. "I know, Big Sister, but I thought you had an important place to go to today."
"Ai-ya! The matchmaker appointment! Ohh, Mama will be so mad!"
Momo shot up off the ground and ran off. A second later she came dashing back, grabbed her stick that Fen Xue held out to her and took off again.
"Good luck, Big Sister!"
*****
Chang'an
Bath House
*****
A middle-aged woman was pacing outside the local bath house. It was where one went if they wanted to be cleanly presented for some special occasion. As the workhorses, carts and people passed by, the woman became more agitated. One of the staff came out partially through the fabric flaps hanging in the doorway, allowing the built up steam to escape.
"Xing Mu, where is your daughter? The matchmaker is not known for her patience."
Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared back into the steam. Xing Mu sighed and shook her head, causing her teardrop jade earrings to bob.
"Of all days for you to be late, Momo," she quietly chastised. "I should have prayed for the fourth guardian to guide her."
"Ha! What can they do? They're not even real," scoffed Qi Yuan, Momo's grandmoter on her father's side. "Now the dragon, Tao Hua could use one of them."
"Mother, how can you believe in dragons but not in the other eleven guardians of our family?"
Before Qi Yuan could properly answer, they were interrupted by the clopping of fast-paced horse hooves. A second later Momo jumped off her palomino, Jin, landing in the tight space between her mother and grandmother.
"I'm here!" she proclaimed, slightly triumphant.
"Late again, Tao Hua."
Momo winced; her mother had used her actual given name. "But, Mama, I was-"
"None of your excuses, young lady! Now get inside!"
Momo pouted and walked through the flaps. No sooner than she had taken one step inside, the worker that previously stuck her head out pounced on her. She enclosed her jewelled hand around Momo's slim wrist and pulled her behind the changing screens. Clothes flew about in the air and a second later she was pushed into the hot bath. The water was still miraculously frothy; the surface teemed with masses of orchid-scented bubbles. The worker grabbed a variety of bottles and poured their mysterious contents onto Momo's hair.
"I can wash my own hair!" Momo cried out indignantly after a particularly forceful scrub nearly sent her under.
"Momo," her mother said warningly, "do not forget what is happening today."
"Yes, Mama," Momo replied, making no effort to hide her resentful tone.
She sulked beneath the bubbles and allowed the worker to continue her relentless cleaning. Today was the day she would pay a visit to the matchmaker. With the matchmaker's approval, Momo would find herself with a suitable husband and bring honour to her family. It was, after all, a daughter's greatest duty to her parents, family and ancestors.
Honour was deemed as the most important virtue. If you didn't have it you were better off dead. For a male, honour was about courage and strength; fighting for one's own county. For a female, honour was about being refined, graceful and elegant; becoming a suitable bride. However, Momo was never really what one would consider any of those things. She tried her best, she really did, but she was too restless and too curious.
"These clothes are filthy! Momo, what, exactly, have you been doing?" her mother asked. With effort she attempted to shake the last dirt clods from her daughter's clothing.
"Um, I was doing…my chores?"
Her grandmother nudged her and said in a voice only she could hear, "Training with that overgrown chopstick sure is hard work, Tao Hua."
Momo grinned and winked at her grandmother. Qi Yuan only ever called Momo by the name of Tao Hua. She was as laid-back as she was elderly – and Qi Yuan had been alive for a very long time. Momo could always count on her grandmother to share her opinion. She simply didn't fret that Momo would rather fight with her stick than learn how to sew, or that she was very prone to tripping over her own two feet.
After her forceful bathing, Xing Mu led her daughter to the tailor, where she was fitted with a nice kimono-like dress called a ruqun. The first layer was the colour of an almost translucent pink. It touched the floor and settled around her like a silken pool. The thick collar and cuffs were white. Over that was a torso skirt, cut off about mid thigh. It was made from ramie cloth, and it was a rich purple colour. A thin sash was used to secure it in place and a weighted braid of jade was looped around it. Finally, a long red sash hugged her waist several times around before being tied up in a neat bow.
Walking carefully as to not soil her new clothes, Momo followed her mother carefully through the streets. Qi Yuan took the rear, leading Jin. The final stop to be made was Chang'an's beautician. There, Momo had her face painted white, her eyebrows and eyelashes in a contrasting black and her lips in vivid red.
Xing Mu removed the cloth from her daughter's head and teased out a few strands to drop gracefully towards the nape of her neck. She tucked a beautiful hair pin firmly in the space between the bun and head. It was a glass plum blossom with fine detail and craftsmanship. Several varying lengths of russet beads hung down from the flower.
"There, you're ready," Xing Mu said as she gently lifted her hands away.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Momo agreed honestly, twisting her head around to look at herself.
"Here." Qi Yuan handed Momo a fuchsia umbrella. "Now you march in that stuffy room and show that matchmaker what you're made of!" she chuckled.
"Of course, Grandma! I won't let you down."
The three walked out onto the streets and headed for the matchmaker's. As they drew closer to the building, Momo realised with a start the many people crowding up a particular street. They were the friends and family of the other girls who were appointed to meet with the matchmaker.
She was late!
Picking up the fabric of her trailing ruqun, she dashed through the crowd. She stumbled past the last few bystanders, nearly tripping over. With a sigh of relief she saw that she was not nearly as late as she imagined. She walked up behind the last girl and peered ahead to get an idea of the expected protocol. Maybe she shouldn't have skipped out on so many lessons before the final assessment…
The girls ambled down the straight pathway before fanning out in front of the grand building. They knelt down and opened out their umbrellas in front of them. Almost immediately, the matchmaker pushed her doors open, looming over the girls like a portly hawk.
"Tao Hua Hinamori."
As always, thank you for reading through another chapter. Tell me what you think, where I can improve, what you liked/disliked, point out typos -and on and on- If you have any questions, even totally unrelated ones, I'll be happy to answer them (as long as they're within reason - however, random is FUN!)