Shoshun - Early Spring
"The cherry blossoms will be beautiful this year." A silken obi was being wrapped firmly about the waist of the young girl who had once chased her father through the busy marketplace. She had grown as beautiful as the sakura themselves, her skin as fair as their petals and equally soft. Her form was petite, her hands thin and graceful. She was the jewel of her father's eye, and even though he would have no son to carry on his family name, he believed that she would keep it in full remembrance of any who saw her. She would be known always as the daughter of Kagami Touji.
Her father had become a member of the Shinsengumi, the sharp sword of the Tokugawa Shogunate who kept the peace in the city-states. She was glowingly proud of her father and the wisdom and power that he held. He was glowingly proud of her beauty and strong mind.
"None will match the beauty of my otome...they wilt to nothing at her appearance." His strong voice carried through the room as he stepped through the thin door, his shoes discarded outside. His blades were pulled carefully from his obi and set aside as well as his daughter approached him, followed closely by her handmaids as they bound her thick obi. "You flatter me far too much, jifu. I hope they will not wilt at my approach, then I could not enjoy them with you."
"Aijou...gomen nasai..." The father looked regretful instantly as he paused in taking his overcoat off. "I won't be able to join you for the festival this year." He seemed loath to inform her, and the reason was apparent when her dark eyes drew slightly, her smile disappearing. "Papa...but...we always attend the festival together...why must it change now?" Her handmaids disappeared as soon as their task was finished. It was not their place to be present when father and daughter were speaking intimately with one another.
His large hand enclosed hers, pulling gently as he sat down on the tatami quietly, pulling her against him, holding her as he always had. "I know that it disappoints you, and you must know it is difficult for me as well.especially when this is such an important year for you." His roughened fingertips brushed against her soft cheek into her silken hair. "I have so many new responsibilities myself, and a danger is approaching day by day."
"Danger?" The thought scared her instantly. Thoughts of losing him raced through her mind a split second before his fingers again awakened her, cupping her cheek as his lips brushed her forehead. "Worry not, my aijou. It's another simple uprising...it will be over soon. We will return to life as normal in no time at all. Peace will reign in the land for many thousands of years. You will marry and bear children and live a calm life as you should be able to. I am proud of your strength and courage...never forget."
"I will never forget, Papa..." His lips touched to both of her cheeks, his arms circling her in a firm hug before helping her stand again. "Come, we will travel to the marketplace together. Bind your hair." He smiled to her, his fingers cupping her shoulder and offering an affectionate squeeze before he retreated to prepare himself, carrying his swords with him.
She had never grown tired of this marketplace, even if she grew to know possibly every single person here. By proper upbringing, she never directly spoke to the men, unless they had greeted her father first and then spoken to her. Even then she was quiet and demure, as a woman should be, sticking close to her father.
"How were you able to escape patrol today, Papa? You've got the sharpest eyes of the group." The words were said with grand pride that she couldn't hide even if she wished to. Her father released a hearty, happy laugh. "My eyesight isn't quite what it used to be. Hajime is with the unit today. He's quite good himself."
She knew a great deal of the Shinsengumi, the contact even going so far as to having her father invite them to his home for dinner. They were always polite and friendly to her, and because of her insistence to her father, she often trained with them, learning the art of the sword and gaining a better respect for herself, and for what her father did.
She still hadn't been able to defeat her father in a duel, but she continued with the determination that she would one day best him. She knew her growing ability would make him feel better about the lack of a son in his family. The only drawback was that she would never be able to battle in the Shinsengumi or in an army in the style that she was learning.
In any case, it didn't matter. He was proud of her and her skill. He remembered that as a child she would often mimic him with sticks or branches when she would watch him practice in their small gardens. Her dark eyes would flicker back and forth between him and her own "sword", in an attempt to memorize and copy every movement he would make. The thought still made him smile to that very day...the image of her, with her beautiful hair bound tightly in a ribbon, battling the air for supremacy.
And now, she was grown, ready in all respects to become the beautiful and obedient wife to a suitable and honorable man. He knew it would break his heart to give her away. She reminded him very much of her mother. The way that she would look at her future husband would be the same way that her mother had looked at him...with an undying love and promise to be his strength and support. His train of thought made him unconsciously pull her closer.
Even with the protective squeeze of her father, she found her attention caught steadily by a young man wandering through the crowd of people. He was short, which meant that he was still young, possibly near her age...but he stood out inexorably because of his beautiful hair. Red hair that caught the sunlight in a way that made it seem as if fire were licking each and every silky strand. His face was smooth, his lips calm, and his eyes were just as brilliant as his hair, their irises a soft violet color. His body was toned and healthy, and the swords bound in his obi were the reason, no doubt.
The sight of him had stunned her, and she didn't wake from the trance until her father's hand waved in front of her face, his own leaning near hers to whisper to her. "Has the eye of my aijou been caught by another man?" His words made her cheeks dust pink, and then red. "I-iie! I was just...watching one of the merchants.." "Sou ka..." Her father smiled and continued on his way, leaving her to trail, her eyes wandering in attempt to find another trace of the man she had seen.
