Summary: All he did was fall in love. And now he's paying for it with forever as its price.
WARNINGS: Slight Oc's, AU, major yaoi with tints of shota-con. If you're not into these kinds of stories, better run away now and wash your eyes with whatever holy water you can grab. And of course, definitely ANGST-FILLED!
Disclaimer: I don't own POT...though I wish I did so that Ryoma and I can live happily ever after!
PS: "" for dialogs, '' for thoughts, italics for flashbacks, dreams and memories and bold for foreign, wired or text conversation
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"What wedding?" Soujiroh spat. He stole a glance at Ryoma who was blushing even redder than a fresh plump tomato. Sendoh was also sporting a blush. His eyes wandered outside and marveled at the drastic change in the scenery. While everything was almost wilting earlier, now Ryoma's garden seemed to glow with vibrant colors.
Norosuke uncharacteristically rubbed his hands to his face in frustration. "I'm not talking about your wedding, you idiots." He grumbled. He then turned to Sendoh.
"Part of this is my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to make you Ryoma's steward."
Ryoma's face paled. "But Father—"
Norosuke's face turned sullen. "I'm talking about your wedding, Takanaga-kun. Your father had you betrothed to Lady Chiisa, the daughter of the Minister of Finance. Your wedding will happen three days from today."
Now it was Sendoh's turn to turn pale. "Wha-what? This is absurd! How come—"
Ryoma stared at his lover in disbelief. 'Sendoh-san's getting married?'
Norosuke sighed. "This is my fault. Locking you two in here is one of the biggest mistakes of my life."
Soujiroh could feel the remorse emanating from his father's body.
Sendoh was still in a state of shock. Being Ryoma's steward required him to be locked up inside the estate as well so he had very little contact with his family.
"No." Ryoma muttered. Tears were glistening in his eyes once more. "It's not a mistake!"
"Sendoh-san and I—I won't let anyone call it a mistake." His lips quivered. "It's the wedding that's the mistake."
Yuujiroh stared at his youngest brother helplessly. It was just then that Ryoma turned to them, eyes pleading.
"Yuu-nii! You're the next Minister of Education! Surely you can do something about changing Minister Kobe's mind!" He then turned to his Sou-nii.
Sendoh winced at the pain in his chest. This is the first time he saw Ryoma so distraught.
"Sou-nii! You're the heir! Do something!" He stood up abruptly. "Why won't anyone do anything? Sendoh-san and I love each other!" Ryoma cried. Everything's crumbling before him. His little heaven with the one he loves suddenly turned into his own personal hell.
"Ryoma, please calm down." Norosuke stood up and took his youngest son into his arms. He held him tight, his heart breaking as Ryoma's body shook.
"Father please! Just this once...give me what I want. Please don't let them take Sendoh-san away from me." He looked up, his cat-like golden eyes shone with tears. "Just Sendoh-san please."
"I will pray for the family's safety and even the country's safety even harder...just don't take Sendoh-san away from me."
Sendoh couldn't take it anymore. He stood up. "I will fix this Ryoma-sama, Norosuke-sama. I will not allow this to happen."
Ryoma looked up from his father's chest. "Re-really Sendoh-san?"
Sendoh smiled at him lovingly. "I could never deny you anything Ryoma-sama." He reached out and touched his wet cheek.
"That's how much I love you."
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"He's still not waking up. I think we better take him to the hospital" Tezuka eyed the sleeping kitten in Atobe's lap.
"I think he's just really tired Mitsu." Fuji said while feeling the freshman's forehead. "He really hasn't been giving himself enough rest."
"What happened here?" A familiar voice came to their ears.
"Gen!" Fuji waved at him. "Oh, Ryoma collapsed."
Sanada eyed his lovers in horror and disbelief. "COLLAPSED?" He then turned to Tezuka. "Why didn't you take him to the hospital?" His lovers, though the most amazing individuals to ever exist in his life, are sometimes dumb as soup.
Tezuka sighed. "In an attempt to recover my dignity, I told them to take him to the hospital earlier too." This made Fuji and Atobe crack up.
"Don't worry Gen. He's just sleeping." Atobe felt his forehead. "He doesn't have fever either."
Fuji sat next to Atobe, positioning the boy's legs over his. He then cast a pleading look at his two stoic lovers.
"Can we stay like this even for just a few minutes?"
"He's been pushing us away so hard that I want to treasure this. In this moment, we look like a picture of perfection."
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Sendoh ran hard towards their family estate. Despite the fact that he's only allowed to go outside Ryoma's estate twice a year, he's still familiar with the way back...especially now that adrenaline was pumping hard into his veins.
'This wedding is insanity!' He mused as he stormed inside the estate.
"Master Sendoh!" One of the servants cried in surprise when the young man grabbed her arm.
"Where is my father?" He snarled at her.
"He-he's in the clinic Master Sendoh." The frightened servant groveled.
His eyes were wild with anger. He let go of her arm and ran straight to the family clinic which his family owned for a long time.
Good thing that the place seemed empty. He went straight to his father's resting chamber.
"Father!" He slammed the door open, startling his sister-in-law, Maasa, who was serving his father, Takanaga Sou, his afternoon tea.
"Sendoh-kun! Where are your manners?" Maasa chastised him but he's not interested in her chastising as of the moment.
Takanaga Sou smiled at the sight of his youngest son, despite his behavior. He's been away for six months already that year and he was hoping that the wedding he and Minister Kobe had planned would be a lovely surprise.
"It's good that you're here Sendoh. We have to—"
"Why did you betrothed me to Lady Chiisa?" Sendoh seethed in anger. "How come you did this without consulting me?"
"Sendoh?" Maasa cried. "Show some respect to Father!"
Sou was taken aback by his son's anger. "But Sendoh, aren't you and Lady Chiisa good friends when you were young? It seemed like a favorable engagement."
Sendoh couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That was eight years ago! And I never opened the prospect of engagement or wedding to her!" He paced back and forth, with Ryoma crying playing in his head over and over. "You know very much that when I took the oath to serve the Echizens, that was for life. You agreed to that! Everyone agreed to that since they knew I'm a threat to the family's hierarchy—"
A resounding slap echoed inside the chamber, with Sou stunned as Maasa's palm connected with his youngest's face.
"So disrepectful!" Maasa glared him. "Have you no manners? This will further your career and not have you stunted serving the Echizens for life. And what exactly have they had you doing there anyway?"
Sendoh ignored the sting in his cheek and just glared at his father, who in turn just lowered his gaze. For his father knew very well what his duty to the prized clan is.
"I will not stand for this, Father." He calmed his self and looked straight into Maasa's eyes. "You can condemn me if you want but I'm not marrying Lady Chiisa." He was about to leave when Maasa grabbed his arm.
"Sendoh-kun please reconsider. You're the only one who can save this family from shame!"
"Maasa!" Sou protested.
Sendoh turned to face her. "What did you say?"
Maasa swallowed hard. "Your brother, Hajime-san was accused of stealing money from the treasury."
Sou stood up. "Stop this now Maasa!"
But the woman wouldn't stop. "In order to prevent him from going to jail, Father proposed the engagement. It was easy since Lady Chiisa had been infatuated with you since you were kids—"
"SO YOU MADE ME THE COLLATERAL!" Sendoh was outraged. He turned to his father who wouldn't want to make eye contact with him.
"Shame on you Father! Shame on you all!" He cried. "Hajime should go to jail if he is guilty! Why do I have to pay for his sins? I do not feeling anything for Lady Chiisa and I never will!"
Sou was in tears now. "Sendoh-kun, son, please reconsider. For the family—"
"You abandoned me for the sake of this damned family!" Sendoh pointed and accusing finger at his father.
"I will not let you ruin my life nor I will let you destroy the only precious thing in this word for me!" He turned on his heels.
"I would rather die than betray the Echizens." With that, he left the estate with a firm decision...
Marry Ryoma or die trying.
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The two of them sat before the council, hand in hand and head held up high despite the glare they were receiving. Rinko gave her husband's hand a firm squeeze to help him calm down. It was very visible how tense Nanjiroh was.
"This is outrageous Nanjiroh. You cannot possibly think of—"
"Of what?" Nanjiroh challenged. "Of protecting my son? Of putting his happiness and welfare over the affairs of the family?" He gritted his teeth.
"For more than three hundred years this family thrived from his pain. I will never allow that to continue."
One of his estranged uncles, Echizen Yosuke, shook his head. "You don't understand Nanjiroh-kun. This family will collapse without—"
"Then let it be!" Nanjiroh cried. "If we're so weak that we have to depend our family's existence in the prayers of a young boy then we do not deserve to thrive in this world!" Rinko tried to placate her husband by soothing his back.
"Nanjiroh, please take a deep breath." She whispered to him. She then turned to the council.
"I am but only the wife of the first born son of the main family." She stated calmly. "But I am also Ryoma-sama's mother. He is half my flesh and blood. And as a mother, I will never ever allow you to exploit him any further. And..."
"Echizen Norosuke weeps in heaven at the state you're putting his beloved son in as well."
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They had been quiet for quite a while, only staring at each other. Norosuke, Soujiroh and Yuujiroh locked themselves inside the private shrine of the main house, trying to make sense of things.
Ryoma had locked himself inside his room and wouldn't come out even to pray unless they solved the problem. This caused another wave of drought which started in his estate and was now manifesting in the main house's gardens as well.
"Father," It was Yuujiroh who broke the silence.
He and Soujiroh looked up.
"I just remembered that when mother handed Ryoma to you and just before she drew her last breath, she made us promise to protect his happiness for all eternity." He closed his eyes, picturing that fateful day; the day they lost their mother and also the day when they received a gift, Ryoma.
"What are you trying to say, Yuujiroh?" Soujiroh asked.
" We cannot protect Ryoma forever from the things we fear that would harm him, like the Shogun or the people themselves." His golden eyes flashed in determination. "I think we took Mother's last words wrong. Safety isn't tantamount to happiness." He turned to his father.
"Please Father, we have to fight for Ryoma's happiness even if it appears that his happiness comes in the form of Takanaga Sendoh."
Norosuke closed his eyes and contemplated on his son's words. Indeed, it was heartbreaking when his wife, Lady Yuuna, handed the baby to him with shaking arms and tears flowing down her beautiful face. Despite her impending doom, she looked the happiest in the world. That was the day he promised that he would do anything for his family...especially for the treasure that the heavens had handed to them.
Soujiroh sighed. "Although this is rather insane, I cannot argue with you Yuu. My heart breaks seeing Ryoma's tears. I do not want to see him cry ever again."
Norosuke was about to speak his mind when a soft knock interrupted him.
"I apologize for the disturbance, Your Holiness. But Takanaga Sendoh has been pleading to have an audience with you for quite a while now." A guard spoke from the other side of the door.
Seeing that he two sons nodded in agreement, he sighed. "Very well, let him in. and please stand guard for at least ten meters from his room." he requested.
"Understood Your Holiness." The guard replied. A few seconds and they heard footsteps towards the door. Norosuke eyed Soujiroh and his eldest immediately started conjuring up his spiritual will to make an invisible wall between them and the rest of the world.
In came Sendoh who was looking very distraught.
"I apologize for this insolence Your Holiness—"
"Please take a seat Sendoh-kun." Norosuke gestured and the young man followed. He could sense the sadness emanating from his body.
"Did you talk to your father about this matter?" He asked calmly. It took a moment for the young man to reply.
"Yes I did Norosuke-sama." Remembering that transpired earlier made his blood boil again.
"Apparently, the engagement was a deal between my father and Minister Kobe to keep my older brother Hajime from going to jail for felony."
"Ahh so it seems that the rumors are indeed true." Yuujiroh muttered. They all turned to him. "I was at the royal palace the other day and heard that Undersecretary Takanaga was caught embezzling money from the treasury."
Sendoh cast his eyes downward. It's shameful that his family's name was tarnished because of his brother's greed.
Soujiroh turned to the young man. "So what do you propose we should do now, Takanaga-san."
Sendoh swallowed hard, hoping that his heart would stop trying to burst out of his chest. He lifted his eyes up to meet Norosuke's gaze.
"I want to marry Ryoma-sama, Norosuke-sama." He said with conviction. "I do not care about the affairs of my siblings. It is just fair that they suffer the consequences of their actions."
"But I will never allow anyone to hurt Ryoma-sama in any way. I will love him and protect him with my life." He then bowed low.
"Please give us your blessings."
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"Well I guess it's time to take him home." Atobe muttered as he gazed at Ryoma who was sleeping on Sanada's lap this time.
"He's been sleeping for quite a while now. Should we wake him up?" Sanada asked.
Fuji shook his head. "No, no, no Gen. We have better luck in making him fall in love with us when he's up and snarly than when he's in his post-nap state."
Tezuka nodded in agreement. He knew the boy's temper very well. "I guess we'll just carry him home."
Atobe looked at him indignantly. "Carry him? Excuse me, Ore-sama—"
"He's right Kei." Sanada said. "Taking your car will cut our time with him short. If we carry him home, we can be with him longer."
Atobe pouted as he contemplated the matter. "Fine, but you will be responsible of Ore-sama's back aches after this."
Fuji smiled and took Ryoma's bag. "Saa don't worry Kei. I'll give you a nice soothing massage when we get home." The tensai winked at his lover before leading the way.
Atobe smiled inwardly as he watched Sanada helped Tezuka hoist Ryoma unto his back.
'Ahh...anything for him I guess.'
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The people parted into either sides of the hall to bow down and pay homage to the high priest, Echizen Norosuke, as he and Yuujiroh walked towards the Shogun's office. If there is one thing that he and his sons learned about politics, you have to get the upper-most hand first in order to secure your win.
The guards at the entrance showed their respects. "Is His Royal Highness ready for our audience?" Yuujiroh asked the guard.
"Yes Minister Echizen. He is waiting inside." The guard promptly reply.
"Very well, may the heavens smile upon you and your family, good sir." Norosuke told him. The man was almost in tears as he received the blessing from the high priest. Rarely would they talk to the commoners, much more for servants like them.
He ushered them inside where the shogun was waiting.
When the guards left, he and Yuujiroh knelt before the man himself.
"Please rise, my dear friends." The shogun told them. "Should we get to the subject of concern so that we could enjoy tea leisurely?"
Norosuke eyed his son carefully as they sat before the shogun.
"Very well, you've known me to be a very direct and honest man, your highness." Norosuke started. "We came here to ask a favor from you."
The shogun put down his tea cup. "Anything for you, my old fried."
"We want you to prevent this wedding from happening." Norosuke bluntly said, the royal man taken aback by his words.
"My, you never changed Norosuke. You really go direct to the point." He said. "So you want me to stop the wedding between Takanaga Sendoh and Kobe Chiisa? May I know the reason?"
"May I speak, Your Highness?" Yuujiroh bowed and asked.
"Yes you may, Minister."
Yuujiroh sat up straight. "Takanaga Sendoh is an invaluable individual to the Echizen family. It's his assistance that made all the prayer sessions for your good fortune successful and being married to an outsider would taint the sanctity of the ceremonies. This would affect the blessings that the clan has been praying for the royal family and the country."
"And besides, Takanaga Sendoh swore an oath that he will serve the Echizens for life and being married would require him to abandon his duties. We will not allow that to happen, Your Highness."
Upon realizing the weight of the young minister's words, the shogun nodded. "If that is the case, I will do my best regarding this matter. The blessings that my tenure receives from your prayers are far more important than any other matters. As the wars against the rebelling feudal lords coming to a close, I want you to continue praying for our victory."
"Certainly, Your Highness." Norosuke replied. "You can be assured that my family will never stop praying for your safety and victory."
The shogun smiled. "We have a deal then." He took a sip from his cup. "Oh before I forget, I would like to ask if this drought has anything to do with the situation with Takanaga-kun."
Norosuke clenched his teeth. "Yes Your Highness. That is why we need Takanaga-kun back in the estate so that we could remedy the situation immediately. The deities are very hard to placate when they are upset."
The shogun seemed to accept his explanation. "I will see to this matter immediately then. We do not want this drought to cripple our agricultural industry."
"Indeed Your highness." Norosuke added. "We will forever be rallying for your good fortune in all your endeavors Your Highness."
"Forever we will pray for your protection."
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Soujiroh was tasked to converse with Minister Kobe. He knew that the man was running a rather impressive agricultural business and he knew the right cards to play.
He was sitting alone in the minister's work chamber, waiting for him. 'All of these are for my brother's happiness.' He told his self over and over.
The door opened and in came Minister Kobe and his daughter Lady Chiisa. The woman was beautiful indeed but she pales in comparison to Ryoma. And also, there seemed to be a sinister aura within her that bothers him.
"Echizen-sama! What do we owe you this visit?" Minister Kobe greeted him cheerfully. "Chiisa, will you make Echizen-sama some tea?"
"Yes father." She giggled. Urgh! Soujiroh hated her already.
"You do not have to bother Minister Kobe. My visit is nothing but short since we have to remedy the drought plaguing the capital." He put emphasis in the word drought and the effect was immediate in the minister's face.
"Yes, yes I understand that you have to get back to your duties." He muttered. "I am really worried about this drought, actually. At this rate, it will reach the provinces in a few days."
His daughter gasped. "But father, what about my wedding?"
Soujiroh cleared his throat, getting their attention once more. "Actually, that is the reason why I am here. I will go straight to the point, Minister Kobe." He held himself with the composure that only an Echizen could muster.
"My family will not give its blessings to this wedding." He announced. The sound of a broken ceramic cup punctuated his statement.
"Bu-but Echizen-sama—" Chiisa protested.
"Minister Kobe, this wedding is the cause of this drought." He added. 'Give them something more to fret about.'
"I-I do not understand Echizen-sama." The old man was flustered.
"Takanaga Sendoh is an important part of every ceremony that we hold. He is the one tasked to give the deities' offerings. He was chosen by the deities themselves from a group of select young men. Ever since this wedding came to our knowledge, he had been unable to perform his duties, causing the deities to become upset and cause this drought."
Lady Chiisa slammed her fist on the table. "No! Sendoh-san and I are getting married! Father you cannot believe this nonsense!"
"Chiisa! Show your respect!" Minister Kobe scolded his daughter
Soujiroh glared at her. "Nonesense, my lady? Is it still nonsense that by this time tomorrow, your family's livelihood would be ruined?"
Lady Chiisa casts her eyes downward. " Bu-but—"
"And we cannot simply let Takanaga-kun go. Being an integral part of the ceremonies, he knew too much. If you still insist on this arrangement, then we will have no choice but to have him killed." Soujiroh added, the last part was very much to his liking.
"No you can't." Lady Chiisa muttered.
Soujiroh stood up. "I understand that this arrangement was to save Takanaga-kun's brother from going to jail. However, I believe that despite being the Minister of Finance, you still do not have the authority to judge who gets to go to jail or not or even strike up deals."
"Think about this carefully minister Kobe. Your family's good fortune is on the line. We will not allow Takanaga Sendoh to break his oath to the Echizen clan." He turned to leave but before completely exiting the chamber, he turned around once more.
"And besides, his Royal highness, the shogun, has already been informed of this incident. With the country's welfare on the line, he will definitely ask you the same thing. Good day."
And then he left the two in their own miseries.
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They had been taking turns in carrying Ryoma in their backs. It was unusually easy since the boy was unusually light.
"I never realized he'd be too light." Sanada muttered as he adjusted Ryoma so that he would be comfortable. "I'd imagine he'd be a bit heavy with muscles."
Fuji frowned. "Well, we've seen him eat with Momo. I wonder if all the calories he's taken in solely went to training."
"You mean aside from training at school, he still trains at home?" Atobe asked and Tezuka nodded.
"I believe they have a tennis court in their backyard. I guess that's what you get for having an ex-tennis pro for a father." The bespectacled boy answered.
Sanada frowned when Ryoma unconsciously nuzzled against his neck. "Well I still think he should eat more. When he's more amiable, I'll make sure he eats."
Fuji chuckled. "Any more and he'll blow up Gen."
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Norosuke and Yuujiroh went to meet up with Sendoh outside the Takanaga estate.
"I do apologize for dragging you out here Norosuke-sama, Yuujiroh-sama." Sendoh said.
Norosuke smiled sadly at the young man. "Let's just say we're not doing this for you but for my son's happiness."
With a nod, they all went it. At the sight of the head priest, everyone in the estate clamored to tidy things up. Servants ran to and fro to get things ready for the unexpected visit for the country's most holy man.
"Norosuke-sama!" Takanagha Sou bowed in respect. Soon Lady Maasa followed his suit but stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of the head priest. Even Norosuke's eyes narrowed at the sight of the woman. Something is not right with her aura.
"What do we owe you this visit, Norosuke-sama?" Lady Maasa greeted.
Yuujiroh felt his father's discomfort and stepped forward. "We are here to discuss some things with Sou-sensei. Will you prepare a private room where we can converse, Lady Maasa?"
The woman nodded and left to do his biddings. That was the moment that Sendoh chose to step from behind Norosuke's shadow.
"Sendoh..." Sou muttered.
Norosuke's face was solemn. "Yes, we came here to discuss these things, Sou-san."
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Ryoma paced back and forth inside his room. He felt uneasy, leaving everything to his father and brothers. He knew that he had been rude, telling them that he will not resume his prayers unless they do something about the situation.
'But I don't want to lose Sendoh-san either!' His mind protested. He moved to peek outside his window but the scene that greeted him made him frown. Everything in his garden wilted; from the roses to the peonies that he and his Sou-nii planted months ago.
"Am I being too much?" He asked himself. He nervously eyed the garden pitying that state of his flowers.
'Just a little bit more my darlings, I will revive you in no time.' He mused apologetically. He drew his curtains to a close. 'I have given so much for this country. All I'm asking is to be with the one I love...'
"...is that too much to ask?"
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"You know very well the conditions as to why we took Sendoh-kun in, Sou. And remember that you so willingly gave him to us." Norosuke pointed out. Yuujiroh was busy putting up a spiritual barrier or force field between them and the rest of the estate while Sendoh just sat to his left, staring at his father head on.
"But Norosuke-sama, I have to save—" Sou stammered but Norosuke cut him off.
"Save a son that gave your family shame?" He asked. "May I ask, Sou, what happened to Hajime-kun? He was a bright young man who has a secure future in the royal court. What drove him to do this thing?"
Sou just shook his head. "I don't know Norosuke-sama. Lately he just kept on saying that he wanted more money. I didn't bring them up that way. Ever since he got married to Maasa, his attitude changed."
Norosuke's eyes narrowed once more upon hearing the name of the woman.
"End ever since she moved into the estate and helped me with my work, the patient number slowly decreased until—"
"I see. I think the aura in your estate is bad. Something dark is blocking it. It must've been the reason as to why your good fortune declined. If your saying that you daughter-in-law is somehow connected to this, I think you are right." Norosuke said.
"There is something sinister about her aura. I can also conclude that Hajime-kun's behavior may be influenced by her tainted spiritual will. If you want, you can send him to the estate so that we could purify him." He took a sip of tea. "But you have to get rid of the cause of your family's despair."
Sou stared at his master in wonder. Somehow, everything clicked. Ever since Maasa moved in, his patients were getting sicker and sicker until everyone lost confidence in his skill as a doctor...then his son, his beloved son had a drastic change in attitude. And it was Maasa who suggested that they have Sendoh marry her relative Lady Chiisa. He couldn't stop his tears from falling.
"Father..." Sendoh took pity at his old man.
"Father," It was Yuujiroh who called.
"What is it?" Norosuke asked.
"A dark aura is looming outside the chamber. It's pushing hard against my barrier." Yuujiroh said.
Norosuke smirked. "You see now Sou? someone is indeed poisoning your family." he then turned to sendoh. "Will you be able to peek and see who this individual is without being seen?"
"Yes Norosuke-sama." The young man stood up and crept into the shadows of your room. He peered out and saw Lady Chiisa and Lady Maasa with snacks in their hands, trying to talk the guards into letting them inside their chamber. With a frown, he slinked back into their table.
"Who is it then?" Norosuke asked calmly.
"It's Lady Chiisa and my sister-in-law, Maasa." Sendoh replied. This made Sou gasped.
"You mean—"
Norosuke smirked at him. "Yuujiroh, I'll leave everything to you." His second son smiled and closed his eyes, gathering all of his spiritual energy.
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Chiisa grabbed Maasa's arm when she felt a sudden wave of choking air. "N-nee-san!" She cried.
Maasa dropped the tray she was holding, grabbing her throat as she tried to gasp for air. "Y-you better run, Chiisa!" She coughed out. But Yuujiroh's destructive spiritual will have them rooted on the spot.
Chiisa has tears in her eyes. It's like this invincible force was trying to forcefully close her windpipe.
'I'm doing to die! I'm going to die!'
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"Slowly Yuujiroh..." Norosuke told him. He doesn't want the tainted wretches dead yet. He turned back to Sou who was sweating profusely.
"Now back to the topic," He cleared his throat. "I think you deserve to know the main reason as to why we're preventing this wedding." He cast a knowing glance at Sendoh.
"You are one of those individuals who knew about the existence of my third son, Ryoma, the strongest amongst the Echizens." he started. "It's because of him that we don't want you to marry off Sendoh-kun."
Sou stared at his master in confusion. May I know what is Ryoma-sama's involvement in this? I simply couldn't accept it if this wedding offends him." He stated.
He knew about the existence of the third son and pledged to himself that he will never let anything come to harm the treasure that he watched Lady Yuuna bring to life. He made everyone else believe that the baby died alongside his mother, for even when he took his first breath outside his mother's womb, he and Norosuke knew of his powers.
Norosuke nodded. "This wedding offended him very much and made him upset, thus the cause of this sudden drought we are experiencing. Apparently, during the years that Sendoh-kun became my son's steward, they fell in love and are now lovers."
Sou's eyes widened. He cast an accusing glare at his son who just met his glare with a proud gaze.
"You—you usurped Ryoma-sama's innocence?"
Sendoh shook his head. "I did not usurp anything, Father. I just took very good care of him, never tainted him. I just loved him in the only I can, serve him."
Sou couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Get over your shock immediately. We do not have enough time." Norosuke snapped at his childhood friend. "The wedding is cancelled. The shogun gave me his word and I heard that he already sent his right-hand man, Minister Yamagata, to see to the matter personally."
"By tomorrow morning, a secret ceremony will be held in the main house. You are to come." Norosuke's voice became serious.
"It's our son's wedding."
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They were standing in front of the Ryoma's for quite some time now. They didn't know what to do next since the young boy's father had adamantly expressed his hatred of them.
"I think we should ring the bell already." Tezuka told them.
Atobe glared at him. "Ore-sama did not come here to be scolded like a child, Mitsu."
Sanada sighed and pushed the bell. "We better take it then." He smiled at Fuji who was the one tasked to carry their young prince.
"Who is it?" A voice of a young woman came to their ears, making them let out a sigh of relief.
"Meino-san, Echizen collapsed while we're at the park so we took him home." Tezuka spoke through the speaker. Sudden movements came to them before the door swung open, and revealed a distressed-looking Nanako.
"Oh it's you." She gasped out.
"Be thankful that my uncle and aunt are not home yet, so please come in."
lovelovelovelove
A/N: Wahahahah I thought I could finish the prequel in two chapters but I realized I couldn't. Wahahahahaha! So next chapter would be the final part of the prequel installment. I know, I know...I'm excited to start on the story proper as well but I guess we have to hold on tight. Hehe
Make me happy! ^_^