The next day I saw Kaen outside hanging laundry. I helped her, as well as doing my own clothes. "So you saw Nakago as well as almost having sex with the emperor. I told you you should have sneaked out of here as quickly as you could." Kaen advised to me again.
"I know," I started to say, "but I can't believe that guy Nakago is part of the Hin tribe. I don't remember ever hearing his name though."
"How did you end up here?" Kaen asked.
"I really don't want to talk about it..." Ending the unwanted subject as fast as I could, "How did you end up in a brothel?"
She gave me a coy smile, "I don't want to talk about it." It was one of things this. You tell me your story, I'll tell you mine. But neither of us would budge. Both of us were in deep thought when she blurted it all out.
"I don't even know why I'm going to tell you this. But...I love Nakago! I've always loved him, ever since he saved me once at the brothel. I never dreamt that I'd ever see him again. But each time I gave myself to a man I kept my heart pure for him. He hasn't returned my feelings but I believe he still cares." Kaen smiled warmly, I smiled back. I had never been in love. So I couldn't truely know what she was feeling.
"That's great Kaen. But I was wondering, who was the man who got you out of the brothel? What was his name?" I picked up my basket of laundry.
"His name is Eichuu. He's Nakago's rival for the rank of shogun." Kaen went back to finishing up the rest of the laundry. I walked back inside the palace.
With the amount of laundry in the basket, it was a little hard to see where I was going. I was half way down the hall when I bumped into someone and the basket fell from my hands. Before I even was on the ground to pick up all the clothes, the man I ran into was already apologizing.
"I'm so sorry miss. I'm so very sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." He asked for forgiveness over and over.
"It's fine. Really, it's alright. I'm sorry; I should have taken more care in where I was going. I'll clean this up, thank you." I turned and looked up at him. He was quite handsome, with black hair and profoundly deep brown eyes. He was very considerate to be apologizing that many times to a servant girl or even at all for that matter. I continued to clean the mess up while he stopped and just stared at me.
"Miss, what is your name?" He asked.
"Suki," I was feeling bold from his kindness, so I proceeded to ask his name, "May I ask what your name is sir?"
He smiled and replied, "Its Tou Eichuu," he then said proudly, "I'm the vice-shogun Eichuu." My mouth dropped at the very fact that I had just literally ran into the vice-shogun.
"I'm so very sorry vice-shogun Eichuu." I bowed my head and continued to pick up the clothes. A solider came running down the hallway and yelled for Eichuu. The solider told Eichuu that the shogun wished to see him right away.
"Well Miss Suki, I hope we will see each other again soon." He bowed and left with the other man. I blushed at the fact that he bowed and said that.
Yes. Maybe we will. I thought to myself smiling.