Hey, how is everyone?
Another chappie out, bit of a wait on this one I'm afraid... couldn't be avoided *sigh*
Thank you Karla44997, AmaneHikariUchiha, Jessica Cresta and Guest for reviewing, and to everyone who followed/favorited!
Enjoy! Please review and message! :)
xoxox
Tsume converses lightly with the Sanada Patriarch in a formal tea ceremony with refreshments.
Antipathy fogs up the room, thick and heavy, weighing down on everyone present. But even with the shogi doors drawn wide open in the ample-sized tea house, the air is no less stifling. Both clans sit rigid with apprehension, expecting the other to make a move against them at any given moment.
She senses Madara's desire to say something but she silences him with a glare. She wasn't about to risk him angering the Sanada leader any further than he already has.
He responds with a surly grimace, but takes the hint none the less and keeps his mouth shut.
Tsume prepares the tea and serves it first to Masayuki-sama.
She smiles politely and he accepts it gracefully. She sits back, taking the time to regard him as he sips the tea.
Her impression of him is that he is rather courteous for the head of a shinobi clan and is a refreshing change from other clan heads she has had to deal with. In fact, if she wasn't caught up in the middle of this ridiculous tug-of-war between him and her grandson, she would even say he was pleasant.
Masayuki Sanada is calm and controlled and his movements are honed and precise. He possesses a slowness, a carefulness, that comes with age and experience and his words are measured and polite. He speaks little, but wisdom resonates throughout his conversation, and he does not seem to be perturbed by Madara's chakra despite being seated right next to him. Though he avoids speaking to Madara, he is sincere in the (roundabout) way he acknowledges him for his skill and leadership; offering praise for the young Uchiha Leader's accomplishments.
This lightens the air in the room somewhat, but Tsume knows that Masayuki is being diplomatic and strategic. It would not serve him well to offend his hosts, and a clan of their size and calibre. However, this did not make the Sanada Leader any less dangerous. A fearsome opponent lay behind his affable demeanour and one false move could loose them a lot more than their target. Madara may have youth and unbridled power at his disposal, but knowledge and experience is a difficult adversary to be up against. Especially one whose line of succession was under threat.
Tsume takes in a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. There is no need to worry, she tells herself, there is still plenty of time.
She straightens up, and shifts her attention to the young woman sitting beside him.
Her expression unconsciously softens.
The resemblance between her and her grandfather is unmistakeable - there is not a shred of doubt that she is of his blood.
Her eyes hold the same style of intelligence, and her movements just as fluid and graceful as his, except in feminine form. Her voice is gentle but firm and she too, chooses her words with care and precision. She is the only person in the room who makes an effort to smile, though she is terribly anxious.
Tsume's lips quirk slightly upward.
She had to hand it to her grandson - Madara has chosen well. She was better than any of the options Tsume had considered for him and she outranked them all.
The other Sanada clan members make no effort to mirror their leader's diplomacy or their heiress' civility. The Sanada elders, two male and one female, regard the Uchiha (Madara in particular) with dislike and distrust, and their words are clipped and curt. It grates on Tsume's nerves, but clan elders were unhappy no matter the what the circumstance, and this is not the first hostile tea ceremony she had hosted. Nor will it be her last. Though, she does hope that this one goes well so she can attend ones in the future as a participant rather than the host once she is able to step down as the clan's Matriarch.
It was the job of a much younger woman, and Tsume is very tired.
On their way to the tea house, Madara had snapped at her for using 'that jutsu' on Aria. It was used to forcibly extract information from enemies, spies, and prisoners as a last resort interrogation tactic. It painful and invasive, and most certainly not to be used on loved ones.
But Tsume didn't have a choice. Time was of the essence, and she needed a form of instant verification before proceeding any further. Besides, the length of time she spent in the girl's memory was mere moments - not enough to cause harm, but just enough to find out what she needed.
Tsume flicked through the Sanada girl's memory like a book, and found that the young woman's memories confirmed her grandson's story.
Through Aria's eyes, Tsume witnesses an unconscious and very heavily injured Madara on a deserted lakeshore. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, and Tsume has to bite back a scream. He was as good as dead. If the Sanada girl hadn't found him when she did, he would have been. Decked in their clan's armour with their fan on the back, along with his signature scathe and warfan - his identity is discernible with ease. Tsume shuddered in horror if someone else were to have found him, and what they could have done to him. To his body. To his eyes.
In the memory, Aria shrieks and rushes to him at once. She does not recognise who he is, or where he comes from. Nor does she care.
She checks him all over and discovers that his injuries are severe. She screams out for help but there is no one in the vicinity.
Desperately, she tries to wake him, but he is unconscious and unresponsive. She checks his pulse and finds it faint. Dwindling.
Aria panics, she does not know what to do.
The sun is beginning to set, and she wonders aloud if she should take him home? Or should she leave him there and go find someone else who is better equipped to take care of him? But if she does leave him, he might not make it.
She paces, conflicted with the decision until her conscience wins and she hoists his bloodied arm over her shoulder. Aria trudges him home along with her, but she is so much smaller than he is and struggles the whole way carrying his dead weight. Once home, she tends to him devotedly, not leaving his side until he wakes up few days later.
Tsume's heart swells with gratitude, she owes this young woman a great debt regardless of how this all plays out. She had inadvertently saved the Uchiha from ruin at great cost to herself. She rescued a strange man, a shinobi, and took him home, where she, a young civilian woman, lived alone.
There was no one else around for miles.
What a find for a man of ill character...!
But Madara was raised well, and he behaves with honour and respect during his stay. Just as Tsume would expect of him.
Nothing untoward happens between them, and Aria is a wonderful nurse and caregiver and the pair get along well despite Aria chatting his ears off. She is careful to maintain her distance and does not touch him unless absolutely necessary, and Tsume is surprised to find he spends most of his wakeful hours talking to her. Willingly. He even initiates the conversation.
The Uchiha are not particularly verbose, preferring to communicate in succinct sentences, and yet, Madara speaks to her more than Tsume ever thought him capable. He is relaxed in her presence, happy even, and Tsume tries to recall the last time she had seen him smile, however faint it was.
And steadily, he falls.
The young woman does not register it at all - he hides it very well - but there is no mistaking it, for Tsume knows those dark eyes very well too.
The ones that had their light of innocence taken far too early,
The ones that have seen more than any pair of eyes should,
The ones that buried his siblings, parents, and comrades,
The ones made their foes cower in fear.
For once, they reflect something other than hatred, anger, or pain - something Tsume never dared to dream, let alone thought possible.
The days pass by, and Madara eventually recovers and leaves. Tsume notes the reluctance in his form as he retreats, the hesitance in his steps as he walks away, and longing in the way he turns back to look at the young woman waving him off goodbye.
They don't see each other again until months later, in Fuma, setting off the chain of reactions that led them to where they are today.
Once Tsume had finished serving the Leaders and Elders their tea, it is Aria's turn. She finds herself taking extra care with hers, whisking the matcha for a longer period of time than the others so that it is extra smooth and fluffy. Their fingers brush briefly as she hands over the bowl, and the young woman accepts it with shaky hands and a small smile.
She is nervous, but she needn't be.
Tsume's mind was made up the moment she laid eyes on her.
Her heart pounded as she watched them, and though she disapproved of thier 'interaction' (for which she would reprimand her grandson in private later), seeing them together felt right.
Perhaps now, the chips will fall into place.
The girl finishes her tea and hands back the bowl with a smile, and Tsume's gaze falls on her plate.
The Sanada Heiress had eaten all the sweets on the plate and barely touched the other items.
It draws from her lips an inadvertent smile. Hinako had a sweet tooth too...
Izuna and Nene decide to hang back after the tea ceremony, while Baa-chan and Madara lead the Sanada to the Guest Residence so they could freshen up and relax before the formal dinner that evening.
"Damn, he's got it bad."
"Oh yeah. He's fucked."
The Uchiha cousins catch each others eyes and snigger.
"So much for keeping a low profile." Snorts Nene, "Just couldn't hold himself back, could he?"
"Can you blame him?" Izuna retorts, "I'm not sure what I would have done in his place. It's not like they parted willingly."
"I guess not...," Nene concedes, noting the tartness in Izuna's voice. Izuna was very territorial of the people he loved, possibly more so than Madara-nii, and it would appear that it extended to Aria too. "A heads up would have been appreciated. We were so ...worried."
Izuna's face blanks. "Huh? Why? I told you that she was nice."
Nene bites her lip, and averts her gaze. "You said that once about Katsumi too."
Izuna grumbles out an apology, but Nene doesn't acknowledge it.
She and Baa-chan had spent countless hours wondering what the Sanada Heiress would be like. Men were clueless when it came to the wiles of women. All they saw was the object of their desire and paid little heed to anything else, and as always, men made the decisions and left their women to suffer through them.
For as long as Nene could remember, Madara-nii had no desire to marry or take a lover, and he certainly didn't want children. He was very ambitious and he didn't want anything to stand in the way of his goals. A woman and child would hold him back, he told her once, and end up becoming targets for his enemies.
So naturally, Nene was very intrigued by this Sanada girl for whom he had changed his mind.
In the days that followed, she had pestered her older cousin enough to drive the man crazy. Madara-nii responded with either one-word answers or not at all, and Izuna was not particularly helpful either. It was infuriating! Her cousins could produce field report with such detail and accuracy that a blind man would be able to find location with ease, and yet, they couldn't find the words to describe one tiny woman.
Did they not understand? It was incredibly nerve-racking (and scary) to meet the woman who could potentially become the mistress of their clan.
What if she was wrong for them?
The women of his past were not worthy of such a title, and Baa-chan disliked many of the eligible young women from within their own clan. She found their haughtiness ugly, and there was no telling what would happen if power fell into the wrong hands.
What if she was like them?
What if she was worse?!
Nene struggled to breathe and her chakra grew more erratic as the Sanada approached. Her mind raced, playing out a million worse-case scenario's in her head, when at last, the Sanada Heiress stood before them and was introduced.
Their eyes caught, and Nene froze.
Aria Sanada was beautiful.
Her eyes were kind.
Her smile was gentle.
Her countenance was pleasant.
Her chakra was warm.
Nene clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp of delight. Of relief.
Glancing over, Baa-chan was equally overtaken and wasted no time getting to her. She complimented her openly, something the Uchiha Matriarch was not known to do, and there was no way it could have gone down well with the clan.
"Do you think we should warn her?" She asks carefully, recalling the way the Sanada female was glowered at.
Izuna takes a moment to ponder over it. Aria was willing to leave Aniki simply because she thought she wasn't good enough for him. They were never officially a 'couple', and thier clans opposed each other. Adding the threat of jealous Uchiha kunoichi to the mix would make Aria run for the hills.
"Nah, let's not scare her off. If she catches a whiff of competition, she might decide not to play."
"She deserves to know what she's in for. What she is up against."
"We can't risk it."
"Then we need to make a move. And fast."
Izuna nods in the affirmative. "I know, but we need to lay down the necessary groundwork first. It has to come through as a by-product of the negotiation, otherwise the clan will become suspicious."
"Well, that ship has sailed." Nene remarks, dead-panned. "There was nothing ambiguous about that display."
Izuna pales. "Uhh... Yeah, that was not ideal. But Mitsuki could have mauled her to death! Aniki was just protecting her!"
Nene shoots him a dry look. "What do you take me for? He did it on purpose."
Izuna sighs defeatedly. "Fuck it, you're right. I wouldn't put it past him."
Nene and Izuna share a laugh.
"But seriously, did he have to do it in front of everyone though?!"
"Subtlety is not a quality Aniki possesses, you know that." Smirks Izuna, "Besides, he always like to make his stance known upfront."
Nene frowns. "We are not on a battlefield Izuna! That tactic won't work. Diplomacy needs to be applied here, which might I add that he's blown right out of the water. I swear Masayuki-sama looked like he was ready to decapitate him, and Baa-chan went so red that I was thought she might do the job herself!"
Izuna laughs heartily. "An excellent story for their children!"
Nene flushes red, and hits Izuna on his shoulder. "Baka!"
The young male yelps in pain, "Ow! what the hell Nene?!"
"Care to say that any louder?" She hisses, "I'm not sure if the whole compound heard you!"
Izuna rubs his arm. Nene may be tiny but she had mean right hook.
"Relax. We've got this in the bag," He replies with a wink, "You'll see."
"Really? How so? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and we have neither."
"No. But Aniki always finds a way of getting what he wants." Izuna says. "And if we help him, he will give us what we want."
"It's not that simple Izuna. She belongs to another clan and we don't know what their plans are for her.
His eyes harden. "In four days, it won't matter."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Izuna shakes his head, "Don't you worry about it. Now tell me, what do you think of her?"
Nene places a hand on her chin in thought. "Well, she's not quite what I expected... and who would have thought Madara-nii liked them blonde?"
Izuna chuckles. "I didn't think she was his type either, but who are we to judge? Personally, I like mine with a bit more bite."
"Ugh," groans Nene, "Feisty kunoichi are so overrated. Who needs that drama?"
"Ah but Nene-chan," He says, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, "Don't you enjoy the thrill of conquering a battle both on the field and off it?"
Nene makes a face. "Eww... And like I said, needless drama."
"Tch, you're no fun." He grumbles, "I told Baa-chan you needed man. You know, to help loosen you up!"
Nene's face drains of all colour. "You what?!"
"Nothing! It was just a joke, Nene!"
Nene's eyes narrow, and Izuna coughs awkwardly.
"Anyway, shall we go see how everyone is doing?"
Nene grins. "You mean check the damage, then cause some more?"
"Cousin!" Izuna remarks with a smirk, "...You know me too well."
Dusk had fallen quickly, leaving little time to rest between unpacking and getting ready.
The Uchiha Guest Residence was an impressive, two-storied building with self-contained living quarters that led out to a small private garden. The rooms were spacious and nicely furnished, and the kitchen was large and well stocked. Uchiha guards were posted in pairs at each of the entrances, presumably to keep the Sanada in and the Uchiha clansmen out. They were trained well, and their presence was unnoticeable.
The sound of feminine chatter wafts through the garden, immediately catching his attention, and he makes his way to its source.
He sighs. The night would be tranquil if it weren't for the circumstances. The air is fresh and crisp, and the crickets chirp softly in the background while the gentle breeze howls lazily though the trees.
He finds them with ease, seated on a bench overlooking a small koi pond.
"What are you two doing out here?"
He stands before the them, annoyed. They were still not dressed for dinner that was to take place shortly in the main hall.
"Yeah, yeah. We're coming..." Yuna responds, though she makes no attempt to move. "Fire country is so lovely and warm, isn't it Seiko? How nice to be able to sit outside without turning into a human icicle!"
Nights on the northern peninsula were always cold, even in the summer. But Seiko enjoyed it. Preferred it even. There was something hauntingly beautiful in the way the northerly as wrapped one in its glacial embrace, holding one there until they succumbed to its kiss of death.
"Just go and get ready. And don't make us late this time."
Yuna groans and grumbles, while Seiko's attention drifts to their heiress.
She is iridescent under the moonlight and his gaze lingers upon her longer than necessary, but she does not seem to notice. She never does.
She makes no attempt to acknowledge his presence, and instead rises from her seat.
"I'll see you inside, Yuna." There is a gentle urgency in her tone. "Please don't take too long."
Yuna smiles sweetly. "Okay, I'll be there soon!"
They watch Aria leave. As soon as the young heiress is out of sight, Yuna turns to Seiko with a pointed glare.
"All you had to do was be nice to her."
Seiko swallows uneasily, knowing the direction this conversation was headed. It was always bad sign when his cheery, free spirited sister became serious.
"All you had to do was be a gentleman." She repeats, "Be her friend. Listen to her. Let her cry on your shoulder, maybe give her a cuddle if the timing was right. It was so easy." His lips purse into a thin line as Yuna continues, "With that Uchiha out of the picture and no else one to turn to, she would have walked straight into your lap and cemented our futures within the clan."
His jaw tightens as his sister's words hit home.
"But no. You had to go and fuck it up!"
"Yuna, I -"
"Just shut up Seiko!" Yuna hisses, her chest heaving with anger. "You threw away a diamond, you put our family in jeopardy, you lost us our standing and position, and if you had just did what needed to be done, we wouldn't need to be here."
Seiko bites his tongue. He does not try to refute it.
But Yuna is not done. "Did you know that Mama and Asuka-sama were best friends?" Her voice cracks. "Mama cried when she found out that Masayuki-sama had not put your name forward as a match for Ari-chan."
Yuna's eyes begin to water. She had grown quite attached to their new heiress, and the clan was beginning to warm up to her too despite her parent's betrayal. Aria had reluctantly accepted her position as heir and agreed to marry, but so far, she was yet to accept anyone's suit. Was it because of him?
"He is really something else, isn't he? Madara Uchiha." Yuna sneers, daring to say the taboo name aloud. "Feels weird to finally meet him in person."
That Uchiha's name had been mentioned briefly in passing when Aria came to live with them, but Masayuki-sama wanted the matter buried and never spoken of again.
"Who cares? Masayuki-sama will not allow it."
Yuna laughs mirthlessly.
"Won't he? Masayuki-sama was meant to finalise a husband for Ari-chan weeks ago. But after receiving the Uchiha's invitation, he hasn't."
Pale blue eyes widen in surprise. Masayuki-sama had stopped informing him of anything pertaining to Aria unless it was directly related to her training.
It irks him, but he shrugs it off. "He's a busy man Yun, he probably had other matters to attend to."
Yuna bites her lip, Masayuki-sama was nothing but swift in his decision making. The sudden halt in the announcement left everyone disappointed.
Masayuki-sama was her granduncle and she loved him dearly, but accepting to negotiate a treaty between the two clans felt like a slap of betrayal. There was no good that could come of this, so what exactly did Masayuki-sama aim to achieve by coming here? To the home of a prominent clan leader who just so happened to be his granddaughter's ex-lover? He should have declined the invitation on principle.
How could he do this to them?
How could he consider any man for Ari-chan other than a Sanada? In lieu of Seiko?!
How could he bypass the one person who has always stood by his side? Who looked up to him? Who had dedicated his life to serving him and their clan? The one who went above and beyond what was required of him? And the one who would put his head under a blade for him?
Seiko was very handsome, dutiful, and loyal. Why was he not an option? He was an excellent brother and son, and would be an excellent husband and father if given the opportunity.
Yuna moves in closer to her brother. With a sad smile, she tucks a strand of Seiko's blond hair behind his hair.
"I don't understand Seiko..." She says tenderly. "How has it come to this?"
A painful lump forms at the back of Seiko's throat. "..."
"Tell me, what is it about her that displeases you?"
"..."
"Is it the circumstances of her birth? Her parentage? Her legitimacy as heir?"
"..."
"Is it because she was raised outside of the clan? Because she is not a shinobi?"
"..."
"Do you think she is weak? Because she doesn't want to fight?"
"..."
Yuna feels her patience slip. "Is she not beautiful? Are you not attracted to her?"
Seiko turns away, suddenly flustered.
"THEN, WHAT THE HELL IS IT?!"
But the Sanada male shakes his head, not wanting to continue this conversation. "Just go inside Yuna."
Yuna is about to lash out at him (he always does this to her!) but is interrupted by their mother's voice booming through the corridor.
"Yuna?! Where is that girl of mine?!"
"Oh shit!" She gulps in fear, "I'm coming Mama!"
Yuna leaps to her feat, hurt and disappointment brewing within cyan eyes. "I just want you to be happy Seiko. You deserve to be happy."
With that, his sister scurries off, and Seiko lets out deep sigh.
"...The apple never falls far from the tree." He responds quietly to himself. "It is only a matter of time."
"We may have a problem."
Councillor Kaori steps inside her daughters bedroom and closes the door.
Katsumi snorts and does not look up, continuing to comb out her long chocolate hair.
"Did you see?"
Her mother's expression sours. "Everyone saw."
When the clan had been informed that the Sanada had been invited for a treaty and trade deal negotiation, Kaori's stomach had twisted uncomfortably in premonition. The main family had been on edge as of late; holding meetings late into the night, deploying their top espionage shinobi, re-assigning missions, and recalling some of their field shinobi back home. A week prior, the guest residence had been cleared out after a decade of no use, cleaned from top to bottom and refurnished.
Something was amiss.
Treaty negotiations usually took place offsite, at a neutral location and mediated by a third party. And so, hosting another clan within own walls with whom the Uchiha were neither allies or enemies, struck a different chord.
But unfortunately, the majority of the clan didn't see it that way. They were quite excited about the announcement and welcomed the opportunity to size up another clan. No one could recall the last time anyone had visited, and the children and elderly were especially interested since they were not permitted to leave the compound. The clan had been abuzz for days, counting down until their arrival and almost everyone had turned up to watch on the day.
Fair haired and coloured eyed, the Sanada carried swords unlike anyone had ever seen. One in particular stood out from the rest, a very pretty girl, and there was just something about her that made Kaori's insides twist.
Kaori takes the comb from her daughter's hand, and takes a seat on the bed. She runs it through luscious locks, long and free, just how the Uchiha liked it.
"They are all talking about her," Katsumi stammers out, "And that stupid bird likes her too."
Kaori stills. Tsume-sama had once proclaimed (in great frustration) that she would marry off Madara-sama to the first woman who managed to tame that blasted bird of his, no questions asked. Many Uchiha women took up the challenge and try their luck at such a feat (Katsumi included), but none prevailed to date. The bird was a downright menace, pecking and clawing at anyone that dared to get near her master. Madara-sama refused to put her in a cage, which allowed her to roam freely over the compound to terrorise the clan inhabitants as she pleased. Even Izuna, who had procured her in the first place, was not safe from Mitsuki's onslaught. Luckliy, this girl would have no knowledge about any of that.
"Fear not. She is not from this clan, nor is she a shinobi. And we Uchiha hold on to our traditions."
Katsumi's nose starts to tingle. She wasn't so sure. Not when she had seen the way he he had rushed to her, or how he held her.
"I always thought he would come around... " She admits softly, "That if I worked hard enough, and became the strongest kunoichi in this clan, that he would notice and eventually accept me."
Kaori sighs. "Men are fools."
Katsumi had all the qualities required of an Uchiha bride. She was beautiful, a skilled kunoichi, and hailed from a high ranking family from within their clan. The Uchiha clan were in need of an heir, and Katsumi was the obvious choice. Except their stubborn leader refused to marry. He was now twenty-seven - an age by which he should have been married and produced at least two heirs.
"Have I not been patient?!" She seethes, "Have I not proven myself to this clan? Am I not worthy?!"
Katsumi had her heart set on becoming the Mistress of the Clan ever since Madara-sama had become it's leader. But year after year, there was no marriage proposal for her or anyone else. Katsumi was twenty-nine and her best childbearing years were almost over.
Hot tears pool at the corners of her eys. "Have I not tolerated him with other women? With my friends?!"
Madara and Katsumi grew up together, they shared a love for battle, and were both exceptional shinobi. They got together soon after he became the head of the clan and everyone thought the pair were a done deal, until one day, Madara-sama abruptly broke it off and no one knew why. He had been single ever since.
Kaori places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "A man in a position of power is never faithful, and the sooner you realise this the better. We women must overlook many things in order to have what we desire."
Katsumi sniffles, but finally nods in understanding.
"So let's have it then. Who is she?"
"The Sanada Heiress." Kaori replies stiffly. "The current leader, Masayuki-sama is her grandfather and she is his sole heir. Apparently, she stands to inherit a fortune."
"But of course!" Katsumi snarls sarcastically, "How old is she?"
"Twenty three."
"Is she married? Betrothed at least?!"
"No."
Katsumi screeches, and throws the comb across the room, hitting the wall and shattering into pieces.
Gossip spread like fire after the Sanada were lead away, and Katsumi couldn't shake off the remarks she had heard;
'Oka-chan, is she a princess?' / 'She's so pretty!'
'Damn, she's fine!' / 'Yeah!' / 'I wouldn't mind that redhead either'
'Do you think she has a boyfriend?'/ 'Why? It's not like you have chance'
'Che, I've never known Madara-sama to chat up women, but when he does, it's two in less than ten minutes' / 'Man, I wish I had those kinda moves'
Kaori purses her lips.
Tsume-sama had asked those very questions during the dinner, but in a different manner. Just how she managed to weave them into a conversation about the worsening political landscape of Fire Country was so slick that it caught everyone by surprise.
The nerve of that old crone. How bold of her to ask such questions in the presence of both clan heads, with all the main family members, elders and councillors!
Masayuki-sama choked on his sake, while the young woman had gone bright red, and awkwardness settled over the whole room.
Even worse was that no one objected, and rather attentive to the answer, but Kaori thought it best not to tell Katsumi that.
"Masayuki-sama is planning to retire. His heir is still in training and he expects that to take quite a few more years. He said marriage is not something he is considering for her at this point in time."
Katsumi's eyes narrow suspiciously. What a strange answer to give... Unless...
"They have someone lined up for her, don't they?"
"That would be my guess."
Her eyes lit up. "Then there's no need for us to worry, right?"
Her mother's face hardens. "Not quite."
Katsumi's face falls. "Huh?"
Kaori swallowed uneasily, "The whole dinner, he..."
"He what?!"
"He couldn't keep his eyes off her..."
Katsumi stiffens, and her eyes steel.
"I see..." She replies darkly. "Well, what's her name then? This Heiress?"
"Aria." Replies Kaori, "Sanada, Aria."
Katsumi's blood runs cold, recalling exactly where she had heard that name.
A/N: And the plot thickens. What will happen next?
- Aren't Izuna and Nene a cute pair? They seem rather mischievous though, lets hope they don't stir up too much trouble... ;)
- What of Yuna and Seiko? What's at stake for them?
- Poor Katsumi. How unfair! Isn't it?
I hope you enjoyed the chappie! As always, I'd love to hear what you think! :)