Kiku yawned as he sat up in his bed. He looked outside to see the sun rising over the garden wall. Smiling to himself, he climbed out of bed and went to his wardrobe. It was another day. As he wondered what it would hold, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Kiku, dear, are you up yet?" It was his maid calling for him.

"Yes ma'am." He called, "But I have yet to dress myself, please wait a moment."

"Certainly." She responded. She continued to speak, though her voice had become soft and hard to make out. She must have been talking to someone in the hall with her. Kiku was able to make out the words "Such a silly girl."

That's right. Every day he was reminded that he wasn't allowed to be a boy. Kiku had to be a woman, at least for the time being.

He grabbed a blue kimono with a light blue and white floral pattern on the sleeves and bottom. He carefully wrapped it around himself and tied it in place before calling to his maid, "You can enter."

"Alright, dear." The maid responded as she entered. She was an older woman, but one full of grace and pride. Her name was Nao. Kiku often thought, if he had to be a woman, he wanted to be one like her. She sat him down at his vanity and began brushing his raven hair. "I don't know why you insist on keeping your hair so short." She fussed, but her smile didn't break.

"It's easier to manage this way." Kiku explained. He was quiet a moment, letting the topic fade before speaking again, "Perhaps today we should tend to the garden?" Though the words were a statement, they were presented like a question.

"We could. But don't get dirty, you have a guest later."

"Oh? Who might that be?" Normally, a 'guest' meant some other royal family. Kiku's father often used Kiku's womanly disguise to bait their princes. If things ever got too serious though, Kiku would worm his way out of marriage by behaving in various manners the princes found unsightly for a lady.

"He's a solider from a far away land."

"A soldier?" The news caught Kiku off guard.

"Yes... Though, I really shouldn't be the one to tell you this."

"Tell me what?" Kiku put his hand up to stop Nao from continuing to brush his hair.

Nao looked at him quietly for a moment. She frowned but sighed in defeat and sat on the edge of Kiku's bed. "Your father is afraid a war is coming." She said, "The soldier is from an allied country. To assure our bond with them remains sealed, they've offered to make a trade."

"What sort of trade?" Kiku hung on every word, anxious about what this all meant.

"A soldier from each country is trading places to act as a guard for the royal heirs. One of our men is leaving to guard their prince, and one of theirs is coming to guard you."

Kiku frowned. To take such measures meant that his father was worried for the worst. "Does this mean father is afraid he may have to leave himself? To go fight? He can't do that..." His voice trembled with emotion.

"If this turns into a full scale war, he will have to be there for his troops." She gently reached her hand out and cupped Kiku's cheek. "I know he's all you have left, but he has a duty to his country."

"What about the duty towards his family?" Kiku demanded, tears building in his eyes. "What about his daughter? I can't loose him... Not like mother."

Falling silent, Nao mourned the loss of her queen. "I shouldn't have told you... But your father isn't the best with words. This isn't easy news." Kiku nodded, wiping his eyes with his kimono sleeve.

"Shall we go to the garden?" Nao asked, standing up and offering her arm to Kiku.

Nodding again, Kiku wrapped his arm around hers, giving a small smile as Nao patted it. She had a way with unspoken words that could make him smile, even in depressing times like this. There was also a connection through sorrow. Kiku was not shouldering the pain alone.

Entering the garden, the two spotted a white snake laying under a bundle of poppy flowers.

"That's good luck." Nao said.

"Is it?" Kiku questioned.

"There's an old Chinese story that tells of a man who fell in love with a woman, not knowing she was a white snake." Nao explained.

Kiku stayed in silence, waiting for the story to continue, but when it didn't, he outwardly asked, "What happened?"

"They were together a long time without the man having a clue." She began the story, "But one day heaven came to his door and told him of his forbidden love. At first he was in shock, horrified that he'd been tricked. But when he confronted his love, she assured him her love was true. Their long bond helped him see that she was telling the truth, and so he ignored heaven's warning. The two eventually wed. Heaven once again stepped in, ready to punish them, but they warned that even heaven itself couldn't stop them. They would go to the ends of the earth if only for the chance to be together. Heaven was so moved that it offered to turn the snake into a real woman. The man was first to decline, claiming he wanted to be with the woman he fell in love with, and no different. So Heaven left them be, and the two lived happily for the rest of their lives."

"I've heard that story..." Kiku frowned, "But I heard the snake was evil, and heaven punished the man for disobeying their rules."

"There are many versions of folk tails. You can take or leave whichever versions you like. The morals one seeks to share often play a part in how they're told. In one story, the moral can be that true love conquers all. In another, it could be that you should obey the law, otherwise you'll end up hurt."

Kiku was silent in thought, looking at the snake. After a moment he tilted his head, "So... Where does the good luck come in?"

"Oh, right." Nao laughed, "Well, though they could live together, the snake could not bare the man a child. They took a daring risk, and asked heaven what they could do. Heaven denied them their own child, but promised that in return they would grant a child to all of man. Their story would be passed down, and with it, generation upon generation of white snakes would bring good luck to man."

"So... It means fertility?"

Nao laughed, "To simplify it, I suppose so. Fertility, and love. No doubt finding this snake in your garden means it's a happy and healthy garden." She gave a cunning smile, "Or maybe it's here for you, to tell you you're going to fall in love soon."

"How bold for a maid to say!" Kiku said, blushing slightly.

"You're right. I'm terribly sorry." After a small pause, they both smiled, then began to laugh.

When they calmed down, Kiku asked, "Does the soldier... know?"

"No. It's best for you to keep up appearances at all times. Not that you don't already."

They both began to laugh again. There was no particular reason this time, other than the joy of sharing someone to laugh with.

"Well now, you sound happy." The two looked up upon hearing the sound of the king's voice.
"Father." Kiku said, bowing along with Nao.

The king nodded in response. "Kiku, come. I need to speak with you." Behind him was a man in a green suit, something strange to Kiku. The outfit was complete with black accessories, such as gloves, boots, and belts. His hair was dirty blonde, and his eyes a bright emerald. It was an exotic look for sure. It must be the soldier, Kiku guessed, with his stern face and precise posture and... Those... Eyebrows? It was rude to stare, so Kiku simply followed his father with his head bowed. They entered a conference room and all took seats around the table.

"Who is this sir?" Kiku asked, pretending to be unaware of the situation.

"His name is Arthur Kirkland."

"Pleased to meet you." The man spoke, bowing slightly. The motion was a bit awkward. It was likely the type of thing he did over in his home country.

"And you as well." Kiku bowed back, bowing lower than he had out of respect.

"This is my daughter, Kiku Honda." The king explained, "Kiku, I have a lot to tell you." He began to explain the situation Nao had already told Kiku about. It was a lot to take in, so it wasn't hard for Kiku to act surprised. "I sent Takashi to protect their prince. Arthur is here for you. This will be how things are while the powers of our countries are away."

"What do you mean while the powers of our countries are away? Father, are you?-" Kiku began to ask, wanting confirmation from the man himself about what was happening.

He simply nodded, cutting Kiku's words short, "I'm afraid so. Kiku... I may be heading off to war soon."

"Father..." It certainly wasn't hard to act shocked now. Kiku doubted he'd get over this idea, even if he heard it a thousand times. The tears building up again were real.

"I want to make sure you're safe." His father continued sternly, "And that is why I'm trusting this system. This way, if something happens to me-"

"No, nothing will happen to you father! Our country-" Kiku stopped as his father raised a hand for silence. He tried to maintain a serious face, but Kiku could tell he was hurt as well.

"If something happens to me, then the country of England will be there to help you get back on your feet. It would be a tough journey for you alone, but with this system, I know you'll have a strong ally to rely on."

"Sir, if I may." Arthur said. Kiku glared at him, making him cringe, "I want you to know that the queen will hear of this speech... I'm sure she'll be delighted to know how strongly you believe in our interrelations."

"How dare you." Kiku frowned, "We're talking about a man's life here, and all you care about is government relations?"

"Kiku, he is only trying to make a point of honor." Kiku's father said.

Kiku felt a hand on his shoulder. Nao had come in, hearing Kiku's distress. "Do forgive him, miss Kiku." She said, pleadingly, "He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a soldier. He'll no doubt be just as hard to talk as your father, but that doesn't make him heartless."

"Nao, mind your place." The king said, glaring slightly. Normally Nao was more open to speak, but to insult a guest was an overstep.

"Sorry, Akio." She bowed, but continued to speak anyway, "But you weren't going to make your daughter feel any more prepared for the situation."

Arthur blinked, "Um... Akio... sir?" The king's name was not Akio, as Nao had said, it was Akihiko. Nao however, called him with such familiarity, and spoke out of tongue, because they'd known each other for some time.

"Forgive that." Akihiko sighed, "Nao is my late wife's sister. And often forgets what situations are appropriate to use such language in."

Arthur opened his mouth in a silent "oh".

Kiku stood up, "Nao, may we return to the garden?"

Nao looked at Akihiko. When he gave no disapproval, she nodded. "Lets go." The two left, a small smile returning to Kiku's face.

"Men aren't so powerful." Nao smiled, winking at Kiku.

Kiku returned the smile, but frowned when he noticed something had changed in the garden, "The white snake is gone."

"It's not gone. It's simply moved on. A white snake only needs to be seen once to make its mark. Who knows, it could still be in the garden somewhere."

"I don't want to step on it." Kiku squeaked, lifting one leg to look under his Kimono.

"No, no." Nao laughed, "White snakes are very smart. It'll stay out of your path. Besides, snakes are sturdy. No harm done if you accidentally step on one."

"Is it bad luck?" Kiku asked, still with some concern.

"Not if it's an accident."