First night
Chapter Two/Part one: Tears in the wedding
The sun spread its warm rays upon the small Shohoku village, as if it were sharing in this joyful day with the happy villagers.
All the streets were beautifully decorated with flags and banners. The people were dressed in lovely clothes and chatting merrily about the happy event, which was due to take place in the public square. Women were preparing a large dinning table for the occasion; everything was wonderfully pleasant and happy.
Ayako walked through the crowds, as she returned from the market place, greeting everyone she met with her beautiful smile. And since it's her brother's wedding day everyone was congratulating her and asking wither she needs help or not.
Ayako sighed to herself, as she remembered when her father died, leaving her behind with her five-year old brother to face a difficult life alone. She had been only seven back then, and since her mother had already passed away, she had had to work hard to support herself and her little brother. And although a friend of her father, a kind innkeeper, had taken the two young orphans under his care, she had refused to depend on anyone or accept charity from anybody - even if it was from her father's best friend. So she helped the old man and his son in the inn and raised her young brother to the man he is today.
//A MAN// Ayako sighed to herself //He's no longer the little boy I used to lull every night to sleep…used to hug every day…used to kiss every evening…He has grown up and found someone else to take care of him… // a single, silent tear escaped from the corner of her eye.
Suddenly, Ayako felt fingers wiping her tears softly. She turned to see her husband smiling lovingly at her.
"Ryota?!!" she asked surprised "how long have you been here?"
"Since you stopped in the middle of street and your mind drifted far away" Miyagi paused and then asked gently; "thinking of Kaede-kun?"
Ayako nodded slightly looking into space, Miyagi smiled warmly and placed his hand on her shoulder in comfort.
"It seems like only yesterday when you and him came to live in our house" he said softly as the couple resumed their walking towards their house near the inn "he was only five-years old back then, and now he has become a man, and today he's starting a new family away from us"
"Yes" Ayako whispered sadly.
"But, what really matters is that he's finally happy," Miyagi looked straight into Ayako's eyes as they stood in front of the house "I know that you consider him not only a brother but also a son…believe me honey, that's how I feel towards him too. After all I did help you taking care of him, didn't I?…But he-as every son must- separate from us and start a new life"
"I know that, dear" Ayako said, opening the door and entering "but still…I can't believe that he's going to leave me so soon."
"So soon?" Miyagi raised his eyebrows "Come on, Aya. He has been under your care since the age of five, No even before that. And it's not like he's going to the far ends of the world. Sendoh's house is only three houses away…besides, Kaede-kun can't live without you…you're everything he's had for so long..."
At this very moment, "ONEESAN!…WHERE'S MY TUNIC?!…I CAN'T FIND IT!!" a voice called from the first floor.
Miyagi chuckled "See what I mean…? Poor Sendoh, sometimes I feel as if I pity him"
Ayako looked at her husband annoyed that he was speaking ill of her dear brother.
"ONEESAN!!…WHERE ARE YOU!?"
Ayako sighed "Coming, coming, coming……that boy, he's sixteen-years old and he can't find his tunic…I suppose he didn't prepare his clothes last night like I told him" she murmured under her breath as she made her way up the stairs to her brother's bedroom.
***
Ayako entered the room and saw Rukawa kneeling in front of a wooden box and was searching between his folded cloths. She leaned on the doorframe studying his soft feminine features carefully, his messy shiny black hair, and his lovely blue eyes. A soft sigh escaped from Ayako, and Rukawa looked at her.
"Oneesan? Why you are standing there? Come in"
Ayako smiled at her brother "You hadn't prepared your cloths last night as I told you, had you?"
"No, I hadn't" Rukawa scratched his head embarrassed, "I forgot"
"Here is your tunic, Kaede" Ayako took out a white tunic with dark blue coat band from a small closet "I had put it in the closet so it won't furrow"
"Thanks Oneesan" Rukawa took the tunic kissing Ayako on her check "you're the best" and went to bathroom to change his cloths.
Ayako touched her check, where Rukawa has just kissed her, //Kaede//.
Tears gathered in her eyes and, unable to prevent them, rolled down her checks. Minutes later Rukawa appeared near the door. "Oneesan, how do… " Rukawa was shocked to see Ayako crying silently "Oneesan, what's wrong?"
He rushed towards her and hugged her tightly, Ayako sobbed on his strong chest. "Oneesan, please don't cry" he pealed "have I done something wrong? If I have, please forgive me"
Hearing her dear little brother apologizing for something he haven't done, Ayako looked up at him and smiled warmly between her tears.
"No Kaede" Ayako reached out her hands and touched Rukawa's face "You haven't done anything wrong…it just suddenly I realized how much you have grown up…you had became a man all of a sudden and now you found a lover and you're leaving with him"
"Oneesan" Rukawa said softy, fixing his deep blue eyes on Ayako's, "Akira's love can not make me forget yours…your love is in the depth of my heart, nothing can possibly replace it…when I opened my eyes on this world, I didn't see anyone except you beside me…you were my sister, my mother, my father and my whole world…I can't possibly live without you, Oneesan" tears slowly rolled down Rukawa's checks as he said these words.
Ayako smiled warmly, reaching her hands out she wiped his tears away "Don't cry Kaede-chan, it's bad luck to cry on your wedding day…I know how much I mean to you, and I want you to know that you'll always be my adorable little baby…no matter how old you be…you'll always be my little Kaede"
Rukawa smiled between his fresh tears, and hugged his sister tightly.
Suddenly, the two siblings heard Sendoh's joyful voice yelling from down stairs.
"SNOW, WHERE ARE YOU? YOU'RE NOT INTENDING TO KEEP ME WAITING SO LONG, ARE YOU?"
Rukawa rolled his eyes and sighed "well…Oneesan, I think this is the time for me to go, are you coming with me?"
"No, dear…I'll come with Ryota before the wedding ceremony…you go and enjoy your time"
"Bye, then" With that Rukawa gave her small peck and got out of the room.
Ayako sighed, a small smile tagged on her face. It was a well-known thing to the villagers of Shohoku that Rukawa is a cold person, but a few people know that his coldness was only at the surface just like a lake in the winter. Under the ice was a warm heart and innocent nature. And no one is allowed to see it, except for her, Ryota and now Sendoh. Ayako sighed again remembering what had happened just now. //yes// Ayako told herself //as long as he is happy…I'm willing to do anything//
"Aya" Miyagi's voice cut off her thoughts "what? Daydreaming about your little Kaede again?"
Ayako rolled her eyes "RYOTA, stop mocking about my brother"
Miyagi chuckled "OK…OK…I'm sorry dear, but we have to hurry up and get ready or we'll miss the ceremony"
Ayako smiled "OK…let's go" with that the two left the room.
***
Three miles away from the other side of the forest, sounds of swords could be heard coming from a big summer castle.
In the large garden of the castle two young men were having a fighting practice. One of them has bright red hair and was known as lord Sakuragi Hanamichi, a member of the royal nobility and a cousin of lord Akagi. The other man was known as Youhei Mito, Sakuragi's best friend and loyal companion. Near the two swordsmen sat three young men watching the two young men as they continued their match.
"10 gold coins on Sakuragi" one of the three with blonde hair said.
"Naah…I say Youhei will win this time" another with a moustache said.
"I agree with Sauichiro" the third one said, "Youhei is a great swordsman"
"But Sakuragi …" Yuji couldn't finish his words.
"GUYS…WATCH OUT"
Three men looked towards the two swordsmen to see a flying sword was making its way towards them. Without any hesitance they jerked away from its path.
"What do you think you were doing, Youhei?" Yuji asked angrily "Throwing your sword on us like that?"
"It wasn't my sword, Yuji" Youhei answered, "It's Sakuragi's"
"WHAT?" Yuji exclaimed, "You mean you actually won this time"
"That's because I let him win" Sakuragi said, trying to hide the irritation in his voice "If I wanted to, I could separate his head from his body right now"
"Yeah…we know all you could, Sakuragi" Sauichiro chuckled "And your flying sword is great proof"
Sakuragi ignored Sauichiro's remark and sat on the grass huffing.
"So what we will do next?" Youhei asked as he sat near Sakuragi.
"I have no idea" Sauichiro shrugged. "Yuji?"
"No…No idea at all"
"I know" Anozumi said abruptly "let's go to watch the wedding"
"Wedding?" Sakuragi, who was silent all the time, asked. His eyes were sparkling strangely "you said WEDDING?"
Anozumi nodded his head "yeah…in Shohoku village just across the forest"
"Well…well" Sakuragi rubbed his chin thoughtfully "seems like the Tensai will get some company tonight".
"No…Sakuragi" Yuji grinned "Not this time"
"Yeah, Sakuragi" Sauichiro laughed "You won't get any company this time"
"THE TENSAI ALWAYS GETS WHAT HE WANTS" Sakuragi gave the two men one of his famous head butts.
"Calm down, Sakuragi" Youhei tried to calm Sakuragi's anger "the reason why they had said that is there is no bride in this wedding"//THANKS GOD//
Sakuragi raised an eye brow "No bride…how come? …Youhei are you trying to fool me or what?"
Youhei shook his head "No Sakuragi…I'm not trying to fool you. There is NO bride. You see…the couple is gay couple…they are both men"
"Gay couple?!!" Sakuragi repeated "both men?!!"
"Yeah…both men" Sauichiro said after he had recovered from Sakuragi's head butt "Though one of them is beautiful just like a girl"
"You mean the pale one with messy hair?" Anozumi asked "I agree…he would make a beautiful bride…hehehehehehehehehe"
"What you guys are talking about?" Sakuragi asked.
"They're talking about the gay couple" Youhei answered "we saw them in marketplace, when we went to the village yesterday"
"You said that one of them is beautiful like a girl, huh?" Sakuragi asked curiously
"Yeah…he has snow-white skin" Yuji said, "midnight-black hair, soft features though they were expressionless and beautiful almond icy blue eyes"
"Snow-white skin?" Sakuragi snorted, "Aren't you overstating here, Yuji? Peasants don't have white skins…they all have very tented dirty skins from farming and so on"
"Not that guy, Sakuragi" Yuji corrected, "The guy's skin is so white as if the sun hadn't touched once"
"Even his boyfriend wasn't that tented, Yuji" Sauichiro said, "He was fine and very handsome"
"Yeah," Anozumi chuckled "They fit each other perfectly"
"I see" Sakuragi rubbed his chin thoughtfully; a strange expression appeared on his face. "Well…men or not" he suddenly stood up "the Tensai will GET what he wants… and what I want is that guy with those almond blue eyes"
Everyone dropped their jaws in surprise.
"But Sakuragi" Youhei said, not really believing what Sakuragi has just said "I didn't know that you are interested in men"
"My dear Youhei" Sakuragi smirked evilly "I'm interested in beauty wherever it comes from"
"B…But…Lord Akagi won't allow it" Youhei tried to stop his friend "You know he had forbidden the first night law in Ryonan"
"Youhei" Sakuragi said sharply "You're ignoring the fact that Akagi has put me in charge to rule Ryonan while he's visiting his majesty…besides, Gori's orders DO NOT implement on me …I have a right as a member of the nobility class and no one will take it away from me, understood?" with that Sakuragi took his sword from the ground and walked away followed by Sauichiro, Yuji and Anozumi.
Youhei sighed to himself "If only I could change his mind before he does something, makes lord Akagi mad at him…and those two lovers, what's their crime to be hurt this way and in their wedding night*sigh*I wish Anozumi hasn't mentioned anything about the wedding…I've always hated this when Sakuragi used this right…it only causes pain to others*sigh* and no one can imagine how much lovers-among all the people- suffer when they separated forcedly, right Youhei?*sigh* maybe I should try to stop him…yes, I must at least try to change his mind " and so he followed his friends, determined to try changing Sakuragi's mind.
***
T.B.C.
