"Kanami stop pulling me my arm is going to fall off," Hiyori complains bust she doesn't resist as the Minoseki Toji continues to pull her along.
"But if we don't hurry we are going to miss it," Kanami tells her just before they arrive in a small opening. "What do you think?"
Kanami lets go of Hiyori, and she watches the Heijou Toji step into the clearing. A soft sea breeze gently strokes Hiyori's skin perfectly compensating for the heat of the sun. The view alone takes Hiyori's breath away. From where she stands Hiyori can see the sea, the city and the colourful hot air balloons beginning to take flight on their charity cruise across Japan. But it's what on the ground that makes Hiyori smile as sitting there waiting for them is a picnic blanket and basket. Turning back to Kanami, Hiyori finds the Minoseki girl smiling as well.
"Kanami it's… I don't have the words to describe it," Hiyori tells her.
"Do you like it?" Kanami asks, stepping forward and joining Hiyori in the clearing.
"Yes," Hiyori nods. "It's perfect."
"That's all I need to hear," Kanami tells her, and Hiyori watches as Minoseki Toji step towards her before pulling her in for a hug. "I'm glad you like it."
"I'm surprised that you can do something like this," Hiyori smiles as Kanami releases her and the two take their places on the picnic blanket.
"I can be romantic when I need to be," Kanami replies before quietly adding. "And when I listen to Mai's advice."
"Be sure to thank her for me," Hiyori says.
Ten minutes pass then thirty in a blink of an eye as the two young girls laugh and talk and Hiyori finds that feeling of joy she feels in no one else's presence other then Kanami's. But all too soon their date is brought to an end as Kanami's phone rings. Grunting Kanami picks it up to see her schools president on the phone.
"I'm sorry I have to take this," Kanami bows her head.
"It's okay," Hiyori smiles before Kanami answers the call.
Getting up and walking towards takes a few steps closer to the city in the distance, leaving Kanami to talk on the phone while she enjoys the view and weather. Closing her eyes, Hiyori feels the soft sea breeze wash over before she jumps when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she sees Kanami with a look of frustration and sorrow on her face.
"Kanami?" Hiyori asks sensing something has happened.
"I'm sorry, Hiyori," Kanami tells her. "I have to go. There's been an emergence, and I can't have to return to my school."
"It's okay," Hiyori sighs as she feels the universe conspires against her once again in her short life.
"I'm sorry I made sure I had the day off and now this," Kanami continues, but Hiyori stops her.
"It's okay Kanami I'm not upset with you," Hiyori gently tells her. "Unfortunately, we have to end our date, but you have a duty to fulfil as a Toji Kanami."
"I'm sorry," Kanami repeats himself as she reaches into her pocket and pulls something out. "But before I go I got you something." Kanami hands her a silver locket leaving the former Toji speechless once again. "A gift for your retirement and a promise I won't keep trying to get you to change your mind."
"Kanami I…" Hiyori can feel her eyes water as she tightly holds the locket in her hands.
"Take a look inside," Kanami tells her.
"Kanami…" Hiyori gasps as she opens it up and sees her mother on one side and her and Kanami on the other. "How did you…?"
"I have my ways," Kanami slyly answers with a smile.
"Kanami," Hiyori cries in her bed holding the locket to her heart as she remembers the days that will never come again. Huddled up under her sheets Hiyori hasn't found herself crying like this since her mother's death where she would cry herself asleep hugging the clothes her mother wore finding her scent remaining behind on the fabric. "Kanami."
Meanwhile, in the dorms of Minoseki Academy Kanami sits in her room along with two other Toji's of the school the rich, full chested Mai Yanase and the easily distracted Mihono Asakura. At the same time, a fourth girl, the shy Kiyoka Musumi is connected by her phone all the way from the Heijou Institute. All girls silently wait as Mai fills them in on the things she knows about Koide while Kiyoka adds her own stories of the things she has seen or heard of the man doing. Despite being told about this early from Mai, Kanami still finds herself clenching her fists while picturing punching Koide in the face.
"Don't worry Kanami we will not let him harm her," Mihono assures her taking one of Kanami's hands in her own.
"That way we have to stop this meeting," Mai ends her list of Koide's crimes by saying that before she starts to pitch her own ideas. "We should protest to president Hashima," Mai suggests. "We could ask around, and I'm sure other students will agree with us, and when she sees the support we have, she would have no choice but to pass it along to Yukari herself."
"I don't think that will be enough," Kanami sighs. "I already made it clear how I felt about this wedding, and although president Hashima seemed to agree with me, there was nothing she was able to do. I don't think protesting will be enough to change Yukari's mind on this marriage."
"Then how about we just convince Hiyori to say no?" Mihono asks, but Kiyoka quickly shoots down the idea.
"Hiyori already made it clear she is against this marriage," Kiyoka tells her. "When she turned in her Okatana Hiyori made it clear she didn't want to marry anyone when Yukari arrived and brought up the idea of marriage."
"That can't be right!" Mihono yells jumping up. "How can Yukari force Hiyori to marry someone against her will. Isn't there a law against that kind of thing?!"
"There is, but there is also another law that allows Yukari to arrange marriages when a Toji's bloodline that holds special powers is under threat of dying out," Mai says, shaking her head. "It hasn't bee used in a long time, but that law is still around meaning that Yukari has every legal right to force the marriage on Hiyroi."
Kanami meanwhile continues to remain quiet feeling powerless and useless to protect Hiyori from this forced engagement. "I promise to take on half your burdens Hiyroi," Kanami finds her own words coming back to haunt her. "No matter what happens, I will be by your side and keep you safe for the rest of my life." Kanami made Hiyori so many promises about stay by her side and keeping her safe from harm, but now she finds herself unable to fulfil a single one of those promises as Yukari drags Hiyori away from her and into the evil arms of Koide.
"How about running away?" Kanami looks up at Mihono's latest suggestion. "If Hiyori and Kanami runaway together to another then there's no way Yukari could enforce that law. I mean when the reports tell stories about how this marriage was forced onto her when word spreads of Hiyori going missing then I'm sure even someone like Yukari would struggle to enforce this law."
"That could work," Mai nods her head. "We could ask Ellen if there are any Mokusa safehouses we could use to hide Hiyori in." Looking to her friend Mai asks the one question that could make and break the plan. "Are you in on this plan Kanami?"
"Yes," Kanami finds herself smiling for the first time since she heard about the wedding.
"Good now then we just need to get word to Hiyori without anyone noticing," Mai pauses to think for a moment. "Koide you bring school work to Hiyori's home every day, right?"
"Yes," Koide's small voice confirms.
"Then could you slip a not in with that work to let Hiyroi know what we are planning?" Mai questions.
"I can," Koide replies, bring hope back to Kanami.
"I'm coming to save you Hiyori," Kanami thinks as the group starts planning out the scheme and Mai gets Ellen on the phone.
In the Origami mansion, Akane Origami hadn't found herself this nervous about seeing her sister since the time when Yukari was possessed by Tagitsuhime. Stood outside of the door to her sister's study, Akane finds herself taking deep breaths before she nervously knocks on the door. "I have to do this for Hiyori's sake," Akane tells herself, giving her the strength to do what she needs to do in order to spare that young girl.
"Enter!" Akane hears her sisters voice through the door. And although Yukari has become softer in recent months, her voice is still as cold and commanding as Akane remembers.
Stepping inside the study, Akane finds her sister sat at her desk behind several stacks of paperwork looking tired as she sets down her pen and a small smile slips on her lips for a brief moment as Yukari spots her little sister. Behind her, Yukari has two of her guards Suzuka Konohana and Maki Shidou. They barely respond to Akane's arrival; instead, they remain at attention alert for any threat that may approach the eldest Origami sister.
"Yukari you can't let this happen to Hiyori," Akane quickly tells her as she walks up to her sister who doesn't seem surprised by this turn of events. Sometimes Akane wonders if her sister somehow maintained Tagitsuhime's future sight with how little things manage to surprise Yukari. "You can't let Koide marry Hiyori."
"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't object to this marriage anymore," Yukari replies, sounding frustrating to be going over this argument again.
"That was before I found out who you were forcing Hiyori to marry," Akane states. "We both know what he's like, so why are you giving Hiyori to a man like Koide when there are so many other options out there?"
"It isn't as simple as that Akane," Yukari sighs shaking her head. "Koide wasn't my first choice, but his family provides too much for us that we can't afford to offend them. His father is one of the few people that stuck around to support the Bureau after what happened Tagitsuhime. You know as well as I do how hard we have to fight for supplies and funding these days. We can't afford to lose Koide's supplies."
"We can work something out," Akane pleas. "Please reconsider this Yukari."
"I can't," Yukari says sounding defeated shocking Akane to see her invincible older sister act that way. "I'm sorry, but my hands are tied."
One Year Earlier
The garden of the Konohana estate has always empressed everyone who lays their eyes on its beauty with award-winning flower beds, and the finest fountains and statue money could buy, but for Suzuka, the place has always been a place to relax. Inside the walls of her home, Suzuka had to be the perfect noble girl for her parents but outside she could be herself.
From where she stands Suzuka could see the tree she fell out of when she was five breaking her arm, the patch of grass she used to take naps on when she was still young enough for her parents to let her get away with such behaviour and on the far side of the garden Suzuka can see the small hole in the hedgerow that surround her home where Maki would leave her little love notes from time to time. To Suzuka, the garden was a place where she felt she belonged and the perfect escape. Something she needs right now. Behind her, she could still hear the party celebrating her fifteenth birthday and unvailing her into the noble society of Japan. The party though was suffocating, and Suzuka couldn't wait to escape it lading her back to her garden where she can take a break from being the perfect daughter of a noble household.
"Hey there,"
Suzuka jumps, hearing his voice behind her but reframes from lashing out despite every muscle and instinct in her body telling her to do so. Turning slowly around, Suzuka comes face to face with the one person she didn't want to see on the night of unvailing into noble society. His eyes never come anywhere near high enough to meet her own and the way his hand touches her shoulder gives Suzuka the creeps. The noro flowing through her veins cries out for blood, but Suzuka is able to control it and prevent her eyes from glowing orange.
"A young lady as beautiful as yourself shouldn't be alone on a night like this," Koide tells her trying to sound sweet but only succeeding in making Suzuka feel sick. "How about you and me find somewhere more private and get to know each other better?"
"I'm sorry I'm seeing someone already," Suzuka politely tells him and she tries to walk past him only for Koide's arm to shoot out and bar her way.
"I don't see him with you tonight," Koide points out. "What kind of man would leave a beauty like you unattended for even a second. If I were him, I would be afraid that someone would steal you away."
"A girl who trusts me completely," Suzuka replies, seeing the surprise in his eyes before it turns to rage.
"So your one of those confused little girls who needs a man to clear your head," He says, grabbing hold of her arm hard enough to make Suzuka wince. "Don't worry. I'll show you why girls who like other girls are only confused until like meet a real man like me."
"Let go of me," Suzuka growls only for Koide to slap her.
"Shut it," Koide tells her. "I'll teach you some manners as well as why men are better than girls in the bedroom."
Suzuka feels the noro in her blood cry out longer and can no longer contain it. Before Koide even knows what hit him, Suzuka uses the strength that noro gives her body to toss him ten feet across the garden, causing Koide to land in the fountain. Storming over to him Suzuka manages to hide the orange glow of her eyes before Koide notices but still the look on her face must be terrifying as Koide instantly starts to shake.
"I suggest you go home before you get hurt," Suzuka warns him before she walks over to the table where her parents are sat wishing that Maki could have had the night off as well so she could run into her girlfriend's arms.
"You don't know what you are missing you ungrateful little dyke," Suzuka hears Koide call out, but she doesn't give him the satisfaction of an answer or even looks back as she makes her way over to her parents.
Suzuka didn't tell her parent about what happened with Koide not only because she knows she would get in more trouble them him despite the fact she was only defending himself but also to keep the fact that she had injected herself with noro along with the rest of the elite guard by Yukari Origami's order. Secrecy was vital, or so she was told, so Suzuka kept her mouth shut. She got lucky that Koide was uneducated in Toji abilities so she could pass her strength off as a normal ability for a Toji to have with him but if she reported him someone would figure out that it wasn't normal for a Toji to be that strong, so she hides what happened that night from every. Everyone but Maki who she confided in over the phone later that night.
Present Time
"Hey, Maki can I ask you something," Suzuka asks as she snuggles up to the girl she loves feeling the muscles and warmth of her lover's naked body pressed tightly against her own bare flesh.
"Anything," Maki replies, wrapping her arms around Suzuka holding her close.
"If I were to do something… something that could jeopardise my position at Yukari's side, would you still love me?" Suzuka nervously asks.
Quickly Suzuka comes to regret her words as Maki quickly letters her go and sits up, forcing Suzuka to do the same. Looking into her girlfriend's eyes, Suzuka can see no signs of the happiness and love she loves seeing after the pair had slept together, but instead, Suzuka sees worry, fear and the slightest hints of anger. Looking down Suzuka wishes she could take those words back, but before she can she feels Maki's strong fingers gently cup her chin and her head raised to look her girlfriend in the eyes.
"What are you going to do Suzuka?" Maki asks.
"I can't let Hiyori marry a man like Koide," Suzuka tells her. "You remember what happened last year, right?" Maki nods looking down briefly to the spot on Suzuka's arm where he left a large bruise on her skin. "I don't want Hiyori to suffer at his hands so I can't sit by and do nothing well Koide is in a position to hurt her."
"How are you going to do that, Suzuka?" Maki asks. "I love you, and don't want you to do something that could lead to trouble."
"Well, I am…"
AN
What has Suzuka got planed and will Kanami be able to save her? Keep reading to find out.