Keiko didn't want to wake up. She could feel the nausea in her stomach from the herbs used to knock her out, and her body felt cold. She fought waking and instead, dreamed.

She dreamed of a girl with long lavender hair. The girl, Kouran, had two friends, both boys, that she cared for more than any others in her village. Houjun, the younger of the two, she especially liked. He was quiet and soft spoken where the other boy, Hikou, could be brash and reckless.

As Keiko watched, the three children grew up and things began to change between them.Hikou noticed it first. He would find his two friends staring at each other, sharing warm smiles. Though they never left him out, he now felt like an outsider in the group. Hikou smiled and congratulated both of his friends on the day that Houjun asked Kouran to marry him, but Keiko saw the pain in his eyes. He too loved Kouran.

Suddenly the dream changed and Keiko felt herself playing the part of Kouran. She sat at a table with Hikou and her mother.

"I brought you a gift," Hikou said.

He passed a small, silk wrapped object across the table to her.

Keiko smiled. "You are always so thoughtful Hikou-kun."

She picked up the object and unwrapped it. A beautiful hair comb was nestled in the folds of silk. It was carved of ivory in the shape of a pink flower with four green leaves behind it and a pearl at the center of the flower. Another pearl dangled from a silken cord at the base of the flower.

"Hikou-kun, it's lovely," Keiko breathed.

Hikou smiled. "I am glad that you like it. It's not much, but it's my wedding present to you."

A servant entered the room and bowed.

"Oku-sama," the girl said, addressing Keiko's mother, "there is a young man at the door who requests to see you in private."

The older woman nodded and rose.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said, before following the servant.

The tension level in the room suddenly rose and an uncomfortable silence settled over the two for a long moment. Keiko looked at Hikou and gave him a shy smile. He stared back at her with unreadable eyes. She swallowed nervously and rose to her feet.

"Perhaps it is Houjun come to visit," she said. "I will go prepare some tea."

She started toward the door, only to find herself grabbed from behind.

"Hikou, no!" Keiko shouted, twisting free of his arms.

She shrank back from him, not knowing what to do. Hikou had never acted this way before.

"I love you," Hikou said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I love you so much it hurts."

"Please Hikou, don't do this," Keiko pleaded. "I love Houjun."

The dark-haired man moved forward and grabbed her arms.

"Did you ever notice me?" Hikou asked in a soft voice. "I can do everything that Houjun can, and most of it I can do better. Or do you love him because he's a warrior of Suzaku?"

"I love Houjun for who he is," Keiko said, tears streaming down her face, "not for the symbol he carries. Please Hikou, let me go."

She put her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away, but he crushed her to him, trapping her arms between their bodies. His mouth descended toward hers, and though she tried to avoid him, he caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Keiko let out a moan of despair and sagged in defeat against Hikou. A moment later, Hikou pulled away, a dazed look on his face. He let Keiko go and she sank to the ground sobbing. Hikou staggered back a step and collapsed to his knees.

"What have I done?" he asked quietly. He stared at Keiko with a growing look of horror on his face. "Oh Suzaku! What have I done?"

He covered his face with shaking hands and wept. Voices alerted him that Keiko's mother was returning and he rose to his feet, wiping the tears from his face. He walked swiftly to the sliding door and opened it with enough force to knock it out of it's track. He strode past Keiko's mother with barely a nod, heading for the main door.

"Hikou?"

Houjun's voice stopped Hikou in his tracks. He turned to his friend with a look of shame on his face.

"I've ruined everything," Hikou choked out before bolting out of the house.

Houjun turned and ran past Keiko's mother into the room that Hikou had left. He found Keiko still crying in the middle of the room.

"Beloved?" he called gently, as he moved toward her.

Keiko looked at him for a moment before burying her face in her hands again.

"I can't marry you," she sobbed.

Houjun stopped and stared at her. Hikou's words hit him.

"Hikou? You love Hikou?" he asked.

Lightning flashed and deafening thunder drown out all sound. Anger like he'd never felt before welled up within him.

"I trusted you both!" he shouted.

Keiko sobbed harder and Houjun turned and fled the room. Torrential rain began falling, beating an oppressive rhythm on the roof tiles. Her mother entered, rushing to her side and enfolding her in an embrace, attempting to comfort her. After a time, Keiko's sobs quieted. Her mother tried to find out what had happened, but Keiko only stared with sad eyes at the comb lying on the table.

"Perhaps you should go to bed and rest," her mother said.

The older woman pressed something into Keiko's hands.

"Houjun wanted to give this to you," she said before leaving Keiko alone.

For a long time, Keiko sat and stared at nothing. Then, like a dreamer waking, she blinked and focused on the object in her hands. It was wrapped in violet silk. Gently, Keiko unwrapped a hair comb identical to the one that Hikou had given her. A sad smile touched her lips.

"Even in this thing, their thinking is similar."

Keiko rose and walked to the table where Hikou's gift lay. She picked it up and placed it in her hair. The other comb, Houjun's, she clasped to her heart as she made her way down the hall and out into the storm, heading for the river.