The next day, Leiko awoke when her father was pounding on the door to her room. She growled and yelled out to him. "Go away!" and she settled back down into her bed. Then the door flew open and Admiral Zhao stepped in. He snapped at her to get up again. "Just a few more minutes…" she groaned with her face in the pillow. Zhao opened the drapes to her window and let the bright rays of the sun shine in. She just pulled the covers over her head.

"Wake up you defiant little worm!" and he ripped the covers off of his daughter. She just scowled up at him. "General Kisho and his son Kilix will be here in an hour and you must be ready. We have to impress them to make sure you get wed off. I can't keep dealing with you." And he left. Leiko sat up with messy hair from her slumber and looked at Tila with fuzzy vision. She rubbed her eyes as Tila chirped from her perch next to her bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She said as she stood up. "I probably shouldn't have stayed up so late with my diary." And she opened her armoire and looked at all her dresses. Her father often attended important war meetings and with Leiko being trained to be a warrior and heir to his magnitude he required her to wear special dresses. This was a shame because she hated dresses, no matter how nice they were. "I don't really want to impress this guy, Tila. I don't want to marry him." Tila chirped again. Zhao entered the room again and tossed a new dress at her.

"Here, I bought this just for the occasion. Wear it!" he commanded. Leiko caught it and held it up to look at it. It was a pretty dress, almost too pretty for her taste. It was a deep red with a lighter shaded lace-up bosom and a long slit on the side to expose her left leg. And in the dress was a lighter red shirt that flared out at the elbows.

"But father…" she complained with her nose turned up.

"Wear it!" he barked again and slammed the door. Leiko sighed and went away from the window to change into it.

"I don't believe this." She hissed. "I have to wear this stupid dress." And after changing she walked out to Tila. She was having some trouble lacing up the front of the dress. She rolled her eyes; the size of her breasts had to have been the biggest burden. "Ugh, he didn't get the right size again!" and she sucked in a deep breath and wove the dress up tightly. She let out her breath and groaned as she grabbed herself. "This…is…way…too…tight!" Tila just tilted her head. "I…can't even…breathe!" and she quickly tugged on a lace to loosen it. "It'll have to stay like that." She decided and walked over to her mirror and took out her hair. Zhao walked back in.

"How does it fit?" he asked. Leiko turned to him and motioned toward her chest.

"In case you've forgotten father, I'm larger than most girls." She told him.

"You may not show any skin in that area, it is most ignorant!" he replied.

"Well, that would be your fault." She retorted. Zhao walked up to her and looked her in the eyes.

"I do suppose I forgot about your little problem didn't I?" he said as he poked her in her right breast.

"Hey!" she complained. Then he grabbed her lace and pulled it taught, knocking the air out of her before she could complain. She gasped as he quickly and roughly tied it.

"There!"

"Jerk…" she said as she tried to breathe.

"Now do your hair and come out here." And he left again. Leiko grabbed onto her dresser and clasped herself with one hand. She began to do her hair, while struggling to catch her breath. She put it in a bun on top her head and let two wisps hang free in front her face. Then she placed hair sticks in the bun and put in red dangly earrings.

"Might as well put makeup on." And she picked up her lipstick and powder and began to apply them. She turned to Tila, "What do you think about eyeliner and shadow?" Tila chirped again. "Yeah, red would do nicely." And she put on eyeliner and red shadow. She looked in the mirror and sighed. "There, how's that?" she asked Tila. Tila didn't reply. "Okay…blush?" and the bird blinked. She turned and quickly dabbed some blush onto her cheekbones. "Better?" the bird chirped and fluttered its tail. "Good. I hate makeup! I hate dresses! And I hate," she stopped when Zhao entered again.

"They're here. They came early. I like that." He said as he scratched his chin.

"Hopefully they'll leave early as well."

"What?"

"Nothing!" she stated with a grin. He placed his arm on her shoulder and led her out to the main room. Leiko had a cold look on her face the whole time.

"You need to smile! You can't impress them if you don't smile." Zhao reminded her.

"Good, I don't want to anyway." And he turned to his daughter.

"Either you go out there and do as I say," and he lifted a fist into her face, "Or I'll make you wish you'd never been born!" Leiko glared up at her father and walked out with him.

There were two men standing in the room. The shorter one was rather old with a long white beard and round in the middle. The other was tall and slim but had a built torso and a jet black hair and pale skin. He looked like a dream guy to any girl who was normal and looking to marry, but Leiko wasn't interested. The boy saw her and his eyes glimmered. Leiko just kept an unyielding glance on him but forced a smile. She wanted nothing more than to burn off his pretty boy face.

"General Kisho, Kilix," Zhao started with a smile, "This is my lovely daughter Leiko." He said and nudged Leiko forward. Leiko just bowed, remembering that it was rude to speak if not spoken to.

"What a lovely young lady." General Kisho complimented with a smile. "You must be very proud of her Admiral Zhao."

"Yes I am." He smiled.

"Liar." Leiko muttered under her breath and her father nudged her again.

"Please sit and help yourselves to some tea. We have a lot to discuss." Zhao offered as he looked deviously down at Leiko, who just looked away to hide the endless burning inside.