Author's Note: Sorry again for the long wait! This chapter was a pure struggle to write since I contemplated what exactly would occur in the chapter.

This chapter does differ a little bit from what I had said in the previous one as well.

gabi, thank you for the commenta, and sorry for the wait! And you're good! No worries about your message, I can understand what you're saying!

Thank you guys for being patient with this chapter! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

"Again, Shinjurou!" Tsuyojurou yelled out to Shinjurou who merely swung the wooden boken down in a repetitive motion and sweat poured out his pores, his yukata stained in sweat. His eyebrows were perched together and his teeth grit together, knowing he had to keep up with the pressure his brother kept on him or he would falter.

"Nii-san," Ryoujurou spoke as he too swung his whole wooden boken next to him, clearly tried out as well. He had loosened his yukata which drew down and was tied around his waist. His skin exposed the twisted scars from both his battles and the abuse their father had put him through. The largest was a thick and twisted scar running down the base of his spine while small white scars markings littered his upper forearms. They differed in thickness and color but he appeared to have on him than Tsuyojurou.

"Can I move on to something else?" Ryoujurou questioned and Tsuyojurou scowled, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.

"No! We already went over the training plan yesterday. We are staying to it! If you can't keep up then clearly I need to rethink you being my Tsuguko!" Tsuyojurou called out and Ryoujurou slumped a little this, his grip on his boken loosening.

"Nii-san, you are too strict." Ryoujurou mumbled and then winked to Shinjurou, trying to goad him into saying something else as well. Shinjurou blinked at this, taking a moment to recognize what he was doing, and he nodded briefly then looked back to Tsuyojurou. He swung the wooden boken again and looked at his eldest brother.

"Nii-san, perhaps we could get a refreshment with some water?" Shinjurou attempted to politely suggest and Tsuyojurou's eyes narrowed. He clicked his tongue and Shinjurou frowned, looking forward to making sure he did not anger his brother at the suggestion.

"…fine. I will go request something to drink." Tsuyojurou said and rolled his shoulders, clearly trying to loosen the tension in his shoulders. He began to walk away, which had the remaining two brothers relax momentarily until he whipped back around.

"Keep it up until I return!" He shouted and Shinjurou flinched before he returned to a proper stance and continued swinging. Ryoujurou chuckled lightly at this as he also continued his swings, muscles glistening with sweat, and his eyes stared directly ahead in a focus. Shinjurou's expression fell and his grip tightened on the boken, knowing he should look ahead.

"…Ryoujurou-nii…" Shinjurou began and Ryoujurou offered a look over his shoulder to see what was wrong. Shinjurou lowered his boken and his eyebrows knit together in deep thought.

"…do you know what…mother did so you would not be forced to marry?" He questioned softly and Ryoujurou stared at him, not answering him right away. Worry began to bubble in him at what his brother knew about the offer and Ryoujurou's gaze turned to a hint of dismay but was quickly whipped off his face at the sight of their elder brother returning.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Tsuyojurou's voice growled from behind them and Shinjurou winced at this while Ryoujurou looked at him with a smile.

"Aniue, thank you for going out to retrieve some water for us." Ryoujurou spoke up and Tsuyojurou looked at his brother with narrowed eyes.

He stayed quiet and said, "Don't ignore my comment."

Ryoujurou smiled at this and began to pull his yukata back up, covering up his body. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled lightly, having hoped that he could dodge the question.

"I wasn't, Aniue." Ryoujurou replied and placed his boken on his shoulder, shifting his weight on his feet, "Shinjurou and I were merely having a minor discussion. It was nothing of importance."

Tsuyojurou's expression changed at this, eyes growing wide and his jaw shifting, and then he quickly regained composure. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, mumbling a curse under his breath.

"Whatever." He muttered and Shinjurou glanced between his brothers, curious if Tsuyojurou perhaps knew of the new deal struck, "Continue practicing. There is still we have much to cover."

Shinjurou nodded in agreement and Ryoujurou simply smiled, clearly trying to make the impression that nothing was wrong. Tsuyojurou stayed quiet and observed his younger brothers, making a note to ask Ryoujurou later what the youngest had asked about.

Ruka observed the older Rengoku siblings in silent curiosity as she cleaned the engawa, watching them talking to each other quietly. The eldest appeared to be persistent in the matter while the younger one appeared to not care as much, his own gaze barely focusing on the eldest. She could not hear what was being said and she was glad of that, knowing she did not need to become much like the others workers who thrived on rumors and gossip. Her gaze lingered back to her work, eyes focusing on spots that she had missed from her small lack of focus.

Eventually, time had passed, the pair breaking up to leave with Ryoujurou staring off into the distance, an unusual look on his face until he turned his attention to her. She did not know why but she winced at his gaze, something clearly off-putting about the way he stared.

Like he knew of something terrible.

"Ah, Kūran-kun, how are you fairing today?" He asked as he now approached her and she blinked, before straightening herself up to him.

"I am well, Rengoku-san. Thank you for wondering." She commented softly and he hummed at this, still looking at her with that sorrowful gaze.

"I am glad to hear that." He spoke but the tone of his voice clearly showcased he had other feelings on the matter. He decided to sit down on the engawa, looking back out into the back momentarily before his attention returned to her. She remained still curious about what he might do next and following a passing moment, he patted the spot next to him and smiled to her. She froze at the gesture, knowing she should follow his request but again her stomach was knit in knots in worry. She stayed still before nodding and placed her rag down, moving over to sit next to him.

"Kūran-kun," he began and she patiently waited for his next words, "Have your parents thought about marriage for you?"

She stared blankly at him for asking such an absurd question, confused that he even brought the subject up when she had little information regarding the matter.

The thing she did know about marriage was that her own parents struggled with getting married to each other due to certain matters that they had yet to disclose to her. They did not talk about marriage opportunities for her at all, since they had other struggles to focus on.

"…no, Rengoku-san." She bluntly answered him and his gaze softened at this while chuckling lightly.

"I see. How fortunate of you." He spoke and she glanced at him from his word choice, perhaps wondering why he brought up such matters with her, "You are aware that my older brother had gone to an Omani for his bride, correct?"

Ruka had not known of this and shook her head no as he clicked his tongue, clearly surprised she did not know of the matter.

"Yes. That is how he had met his bride, Kamari-San." He continued and his eyes narrowed, a look that was absolutely familiar to her.

He looked like the master of the estate.

Even having only seen his anger once, she would not forget those hardened and burning anger-filled eyes.

"I too was destined to go to an Omani and pick a bride as well." He hissed out, far more viscous and venomous than she had never heard from him. A shiver briefly passed over her at this and he quickly lost the angry gaze as if it had disappeared in a second.

"I no longer have to worry about that problem though." He said nonchalantly and she remained silent, just waiting to hear him speak, "I have been lucky this far. But Shinjurou will not fair as well."

At the moment of the youngest Rengoku, Ruka stiffened and looked to him to see if he would speak on anything else. He leaned forward as he stared at her, mischievousness appearing in his outward appearance.

"Ah, did I catch your attention now?" He wondered and she stayed quiet, trying not to reveal that he did. He drummed his fingers on the floor and smirked at his correct assumption.

"Would you like to know what I speak of, Kūran-kun?" He whispered this time and leaned closer to her, waiting to hear her answer.

"Nii-san, what are you doing?"

Shinjurou's voice broke Ruka's thoughts and she looked over her shoulder to see him standing behind them. His gaze was worried and his hands gripped his wooden boken tight, clearly wanting to know what he had stepped into. His brother had leaned away from her, giving her the personal space she so clearly wanted, and her breath evened out from his slowly reclining presence.

"Shinjurou," his brother spoke and pulled even further back from the girl, smiling at him innocently, "I was merely having a small discussion with Karan-Kuhn."

Shinjurou glanced between the two, trying to take him in his brother's answer before nodding, his grip on the boken lessened but still was tight.

"…alright." He said and Ryoujurou nodded as he slipped off the engawa, "But Kūran-san prefers personal space, so please keep that in mind."

Ryoujurou stopped momentarily at his brother's words and blinked, turning to him in shock before it was quickly replaced with understanding. He nodded and smiled back at the two.

"Of course, I'll keep that in mind, Shinjurou." He said and folded his arms over his chest, "Well, I do have some other business to attend to. It was nice to talk with you, Kūran-San."

Then before Shinjurou could question the meaning behind his brother's words, Ryoujurou had already walked off without looking back at them.

"Kūran-san," Shinjurou spoke and she looked up to him, staring at the way his body stiffened, "Did my brother do anything to you?"

She blinked, tilting her head before replying with a shake of her no.

"No, Rengoku-san," she replied faintly and his eyes narrowed as if he didn't believe her but he did not want to push her into answering.

"…alright." He muttered and continued to stare at his older brother, wondering what he said to her to lead her to such an uncertain situation. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at her, noticing the quick breath she drew in a breath before glancing back at her remaining work. She sighed and stood up, quickly dusting off her yukata over the edge of the engawa then shuffled past him to return to her work. He opened his mouth to say something else but closed it when she turned her back to him, grabbing the rag and beginning to scrub the wood again.

He hoped that his brother did not do anything to hurt his friend.

Or else he might do something he regrets.

"What did you say to her?"

Ryoujurou blinked at the disgruntled voice of his younger brother and looked over his shoulder, seeing him with his eyes narrowed in a familiar glint. His lip curled in what he believed was anger, clearly radiating the familiar relationship between them, and Ryoujurou simply stared before smiling at him.

"Shinjurou, what do you mean?" Ryoujurou countered slyly and Shinjurou's expression turned even sourer, fists clenching.

"You said something to her." He spoke harshly and Ryoujurou continued to look at him with disinterest. He placed the cup of tea down onto the tray that lay near him and then stood up, towering over his brother.

"…perhaps but what of it is your business?" He countered and Shinjurou remained still, not backing down from his brother even with his towering brother. He clicked his tongue and Shinjurou approached him, knowing he had little to persuade him into releasing the information.

"She's my friend and she's concerned. It's my duty as her friend to know what's bothering her." He answered and Ryoujurou stared at him before smirking at his words, impressed by his younger brother's words.

"Excellent choice, Shinjurou," his brother praised him, and hope began to replace the anger knit in him, "But I am still not telling you what we discussed."

Shinjurou's expression dropped and Ryoujurou brushed past him, now heading into the estate. He opened up the shoji, ready to close it behind him but was stopped by his brother's hand. Shinjurou had lurched forward and prevented it from going forward. Ryoujurou blinked at this and sighed as he opened the shoji more for his brother to make it through.

"Why won't you tell me, Aniue?" He asked softly and his expression broke, clearly sadden and confused as to why his brother reluctantly told him nothing. Ryoujurou stayed quiet and turned to him, eyes solid and no emotion bottling out. His brother looked to be in a state of questioning before his eyes narrowed and his lips pierced together in a silent matter as if he made up his mind now.

"…will you like the answer even if it is one that will hurt you?" Ryoujurou replied cryptically and Shinjurou's eyes grew wide, confusion sinking through him.

What exactly did he mean by that?

Shinjurou opened his mouth to speak up and question his brother but Ryoujurou then proceeded to walk away without any other words spared between the brothers.

"…he deserves to know, mother." Ryoujurou spoke in a soft whisper as kneeled next to his mother in front of the kamidana. His mother had on a beautiful blue patterned kimono and her hair was simply donned up in a bun. Her makeup as always was perfection and her expression once he spoke to her was replaced with sorrow, her thin fingers gripping tightly into her palms. She spared no look to him, perhaps processing what he spoke or merely ignoring the comment. She pulled herself up, staring into the flames lit next to the portraits of her gods, then turned to Ryoujurou. The light of candles illuminated her already pale face and she took a moment to gather herself before releasing a small breath.

"…why burden him with this knowledge? He is merely a child." She responded in a whisper, her head low as if she was ashamed. Ryoujurou pulled himself up and looked at her, eyes soft and mouth knit into a frown. His gaze shifted down and his palms laid flat on his thighs while his mother's turned lost. Her eyes looked distant as if she were no longer there, and he gulped.

"…but he should know. He should know what fate awaits for him." Ryoujurou answered back and his mother blinked, regaining her composure, and turned to him. Her face was now saddled with sorrow and tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes, ready to dribble down in silent rivers.

"I did not want to burden him with such information. He should enjoy his childhood. He needs not to saddle himself with responsibilities for the future." She spoke and breathed in deeply, barely managing to hold back her tears. Her gaze shifted to the ceiling and heaved for control, and after another moment of passing, she returned to look at him.

"He is a child." She pleaded with him and grabbed his hands, gripping them tightly as if he would run off. Her large brown eyes pleaded with him and he sighed before nodding, accepting her plea.

"…fine. I will keep quiet on the matter." He promised and relief flooded over her at this, her face softening a bit.

"Thank you, Ryoujurou-kun." She mustered out and he nodded before his gaze turned back to the gods, staring down at them as if they were judging the two.

"Of course, mother." He said and breathed in, "But he is already learning how to become a warrior. He is already becoming a young man from all of the training he is processing. This matter is nothing like that. Hw will have to learn of his marriage rather soon with the promise of meeting next year."

Outside from the fusuma, unaware of the two figures in the room, Shinjurou's eyes grew large and his heart raced in his chest. He had to cover his mouth from releasing any sort of sound that would indicate his presence to his family. He could hardly believe the words spilling from their lips.

It had to be lies.

But the way his mother had looked so broken hearted when informing them of breaking Ryoujurou's obligations now made sense.

She had traded him to save Ryoujurou from marriage.

Tears prickled his eyes and he curled into himself at this.

How could she have betrayed him like that? She had proclaimed to love him, even after she would perish from earth yet she gave him away. She also promised to keep him from harm and pray to the gods for his safety but how was this not like hurting him?

Shinjurou had so many thoughts swirling out of control and then another thought whistled through him.

Was this what his brother informed Ruka of? That he was to be wed off?

His heart raced in his chest and he didn't even notice that he was trembling. His thoughts started to swirl and he stood up, slowly padding away from the room as quiet as he could be.

If she knew of his marriage, was that why she seemed so off? Could it be the issue his brother spoke of it to her?

Was that why his heart in his chest hurt at the thought of her learning he was to be wed off to someone?

EndNote: So, we have learned what exactly was traded to get from Ryoujurou to marry!

In the next chapter, Shinjurou goes to the omiai to meet his potential bride!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the story, and please stay safe!