A/N: This is based off the beginning of Thirteen, but slightly different layout. Also, the reason this update is ahead of schedule is because next week is going to be just a shade crazy.
As in, my baby brother is getting married and will probably need support and attention, crazy. Share my happiness!
Destiny Calls Part One
Haru was beyond silent as she forced herself down the familiar path. She knew; one sound, and the entire village would be awake and ready to stop her.
… Or perhaps not. Now that she was thinking about it, maybe she could have gone to one of the village elders and pled for sanctuary for the wedding. If enough villagers were upset that she wasn't going to be a bride the next day, she could have spent the last few hours garnering support instead.
Haru shook her head angrily. 'No. I want a future, and that would only delay the inevitable. My plan is for the best.'
It almost felt too soon when she reached the right shack. Since Haru had been inside it before, she carefully inched her way around to get closer to the window at the back.
She must have been noisier than she hoped, because that window flew open, revealing the young woman she should have hated. There was a thick stick in one hand like she was ready to defend herself, but she immediately relaxed at the sight of the intruder.
"Shh!" Haru begged barely above a whisper. "I want to keep this between us."
Sakura smiled at her and set the stick down. But then she took a closer look at the two heavy-looking satchels her friend was carrying, and her good mood disappeared. "Oh," she stated sadly, kneeling by the window so that only her beautiful face and arms could be seen. "Do I have any prayer of talking you out of it? People will blame me, you know."
"Order them to blame Kamiko. She's got two of Machida's friends picked out to force my attendance. No yelling," she reminded, reaching up quickly to take hold of Sakura's arm.
The bride was grinding her teeth angrily. "She doesn't get to boss you around if you're not the one joining her family!' she was just able to hiss between clenched teeth. "I'll talk to her in the morning."
"I'm still leaving," Haru insisted with a tired sigh. "Sakura… I want a future. There's no future for me here. I was going to leave at some point anyway, she just encouraged me to get on with it. I wanted to say goodbye to the one friend that won't rat me out or make a big stink over it."
Sakura was still mad, but her free arm rubbed the tears away. "I can't stop you without becoming a hypocrite. But what about your father?"
"I'd appreciate it if you and Hiromi would look after him. Perhaps not having me around will wake him up, but I know I can't stay. Tell both of them I do love them, but I need to do what's best for me as well."
The blonde nodded, gripping her friend's arm the way she'd normally embrace her. "See if you can linger by the Moon's Peak three days' walk from here. If I can't get Kamiko to repent, or Machida tries to justify her, I may be joining you."
Haru couldn't help but brighten up. The road would be long and lonely, and even with her dagger, there would be more comfort in a companion. Asking for such a distant meeting spot only assured that the wish was genuine. "I will linger," she promised, pressing her cheek against her friend's hand before releasing her. "No matter what, I hope you're happy."
"I know you'll find someone good," Sakura asserted with a tearful smile, forcing herself to take her hand back. "May this path lead you to happiness whether I'm there to witness it or not." She gave Haru the best bow she could manage.
Haru gave her one last formal bow before continuing her soft-footed journey out of the village's limits. Even though her entire world would change by daybreak, she couldn't help smiling ruefully.
When things became clear between Sakura and Machida, everyone expected her and Haru to become enemies. But it was their own callous behavior that made Haru befriend the newcomer just to keep the villagers from becoming openly hostile to Sakura and her aunt. The support was appreciated, even though the method was not.
… Right, her aunt Mai would likely be joining if Sakura did. Haru brushed the idea off, since even though she didn't say much to the aunt, she knew Mai appreciated that her niece was taken care of whether or not she was around to keep watch. Chances were good that their relationship would also improve if they all joined up at Moon's Peak.
Hiromi wouldn't be able to follow. Not with being married with a baby on the way, but maybe Haru would be able to return some day for at least a visit.
It took Haru longer to work through these thoughts than it did to leave her village's boundaries. It should have disturbed her that it took less than an hour to reach the end of the land she'd walked her entire life, but it also seemed to confirm that she was making the right decision. She turned once to see what the full moon had to make of the village.
It was all so familiar. Every tree, every bend of the hills, and even the patching on some of the roofs were more familiar to her than her own name. Her throat became swollen and dry at how little it would have taken for her to stay. She loved this little mountain village, and the people were good, though far from perfect.
"I want a family," she reminded herself, forcefully turning her back on the tiny world she knew and to start running.
She had to be as far from this place as possible by morning if she had any chance at avoiding watching the man of her dreams marry another.
Haru had to alternate between walking and running to preserve her strength, but she was still pleased with the amount of distance she'd put between herself and the village by the time the sun started coloring the sky. She was exhausted by then, but at least satisfied. She travelled off the beaten path and started hunting for a good place to sleep while sating her stomach with a few mouthfuls of bread and a long sip from her waterskin. The longer the food she brought lasted, the better.
After a while, she settled for a pile of rocks that were trying to imitate a cave but wasn't much deeper than what her body would be able to curl into. She couldn't help feeling like a chick inside of an egg with how tight of a squeeze it was, but at the same time, she enjoyed the sensation. Other than her two friends, it had been too long since she'd enjoyed an embrace. She was even able to drift off with a smile of contentment on her lips.
ooOoo
"Hey, get up," a harsh voice ordered, making her eyes snap awake and look over.
A man in a fancier uniform than she had ever seen was glaring at her, judging her for being asleep at such a late hour of the afternoon.
Although her father had many tales of soldiers being nothing but trouble, Haru knew the best course of action was to crawl out of the rocks and give a proper bow.
"You are familiar with this land?" he asked directly.
"Yes, sir," Haru answered while rubbing her eyes, knowing he wouldn't have patience for more of an answer than that.
"Good. My master has some questions. Answer well, and he'll reward you."
Haru looked over her shoulder to the road, where it looked like a company was taking a break for a midday meal. One man was sitting under a small pavilion, and his clothes seemed to be finer than the others.
Haru gulped before leaving her bags at the rocks and following the soldier.
The man was about middle-aged and worn, but his dark eyes seemed to grow wider as the girl approached.
"This local says she can help us," the soldier introduced flippantly.
Since it was clear that the master was of noble standing, Haru decided to forego bowing in exchange for her best curtsy.
Perhaps that wasn't the right thing to do? A few of the soldiers gasped when she did so, making her hurriedly stand straight again, but stay silent.
The man regained his senses before pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You! You are Naoko's daughter, don't deny it!"
Haru's mouth couldn't resist falling open with surprise. "You knew her?" she asked with disbelief. 'Surely her master wouldn't come to fetch her, not after all this time!'
"Well, that was easy," one soldier murmured as the master came to his senses.
"Why were you sleeping under a rock?" he asked sternly.
"I left to seek my fortune last night. To make sure that villagers with no say over my life wouldn't force me to stay, I traveled until the sun rose," Haru explained, hoping he wouldn't force her to give more specifics about her timing.
"Your mother, is she alive?" he pressed.
"No. A sickness through the village claimed her seven years ago," Haru admitted sadly. "Father's alive, but an empty shell now. I have friends looking out for him."
"Isn't it a daughter's duty to nurse her father when he's ill?" he asked with disapproval.
"He isn't sick," Haru reiterated stubbornly. "He just doesn't pay attention to anything that isn't related to bagmaking. He probably will take a week to even notice that I left."
He hummed at that. "What about brothers and sisters?"
"I'm an only child," Haru clarified with regret. "If I wasn't, they would be here with me so that Father couldn't neglect them too."
The man nodded before turning to a soldier that was dressed slightly more finely than the others. "Continue to her village and deliver the chest to her father. Neglectful or not, our lord will have our heads if anyone can say Hasho wasn't treated fairly in the exchange."
Haru couldn't resist taking a nervous step back but noticed that soldiers had formed up behind her to prevent an escape during her talk with the strange man. "What exchange?" she asked while trying to keep the tremor out of her tone.
"I work for your grandfather, Lord Iwa. He says it is time for Naoko and her children to come home," he explained as if it was the most rational thing in the world.
In spite of herself, Haru couldn't resist slapping her forehead in disgust. "A servant to a rich family," she grated in a near mockery of what her parents had always told her.
The master couldn't resist a short chuckle. "You couldn't really have believed that, not with how prettily you curtsy."
"Mother told me she had ambitions before she met Father," Haru clarified, feeling enraged that her parents had lied to her over something so…
No. Her mother wanted her to be like the other children in the village. But why teach her table manners and such if she wanted Haru to blend in?
"Well, it's time we're off," the man announced, standing up from his chair and reaching to take Haru's arm, as if to escort her into the carriage. "We'll make it back to the last inn in time for supper if we leave-"
Haru stepped away, even though she bumped against one of the soldiers cutting off her escape. "I'm not a child," she stated firmly. "It's been what, at least nineteen years since Mother left? If my grandfather wanted us back, clearly finding us wasn't the problem."
He flinched but sighed. "I see you're Naoko's daughter in more ways than your face. Yes, there is a need for you, and I will be happy to explain the business on the way back." He snapped his fingers once, making the two closest soldiers grab one arm each of the girl.
"Always remember the difference between battles you can win, and ones that are not worth losing your dignity," her mother seemed to whisper in her ear, making her growl with frustration as she was more or less forced into the hastily opened carriage. "My two bags are by the rocks I was sleeping under. If I get them back, I'll stop fighting."
"Go get them," the man instructed the soldier that had first interacted with her.
It was amusing to watch the formerly arrogant man nearly stumble over his own feet to run for those rocks, like it was his first day of service despite his age.
The leader had both bags in one fist as he climbed into the carriage as well and shut the door firmly behind him. "There is enough in the chest for your father to retire comfortably, even if he decides to go back to the city," he assured her as the driver hurriedly began maneuvering both horse and carriage to turn the way they had come.
Haru cradled her only possessions protectively before setting them on the seat beside her. "Out with it. What's the real reason my grandfather decided I exist after all?" she asked without patience.
The man took a deep breath before breathing a long sigh. "It's time for the Iwa family to repay a debt that's older than you. We were saved from financial ruin thanks to a baron of Yrael while on his travels, and the price that was agreed upon was that a daughter of Iwa would marry his eldest son. The son in question is now of a proper age for marriage after completing his education and military service."
Haru glared at him. "And?"
"No, that's really it," he assured her, but the girl was uneducated, not stupid.
"If this promise was so important, it would have made more sense to fetch me as a child to make sure that I have all the training to not embarrass the Iwa family when I travel halfway across the world. Now tell the truth; there's been a recent death in the family, or there's something about this son that the favored granddaughter or grandniece isn't keen on." She added a glare to emphasize her point.
He gaped at her. "You are clever." But at least he had the grace to look guilty. "Very well, but keep in mind that I will fetch you if you try to run. When word reached us that it was time for the marriage, the baron was considerate enough to… mention a little mishap his son had in the war he fought."
"Missing a limb?" Haru guessed out of the blue. "Bad scars? Missing eye?"
"If only. The mishap was… magical in nature. He looks like a cat!" the man spat out like he couldn't handle keeping it in a second longer.
Haru blinked. "… You're joking."
"I'm not, I swear! The letter said, clear as day, that he's now cursed to look like a cat, and his father is hoping that marriage will help him take his mind off it. The son is very depressed about the matter, which is why the baron wanted to ensure that there would be no unpleasant first encounters. The servant that delivered the message confirmed that it was hardly a jest."
Haru mulled that information over. "Is he the same size as a cat or a man? Does he have paws or fingers?"
The man gaped at her. "… The letter didn't say. The servant would know."
"Interesting," Haru mused, actually giving the marriage more thought than before. The idea of spending the rest of her life with a cat had an unusual amount of appeal, if she could ignore the fact that she was very likely to be forced into going if she tried to fight the engagement. If the baron's son were more cat than man, no one could blame her if it was a childless marriage, and the mental image of sitting in front of a fireplace with at least a cat's head purring on her lap soothed her. The Baron clearly had nothing but the deepest love for his son and was considerate enough to give full disclosure. That alone set them above the Iwa family.
… She wanted a family. If she could approach the son as even a friend, the family would be likely to welcome her with open arms.
Making up her mind, Haru smiled at the man, who seemed even more unnerved that she wasn't upset. "How quickly can you get a message to my grandfather?"
He gave her a nervous look. "It should take my best man to reach him in a week and a half."
She straightened in her seat, the way her mother taught her to. "Then please forward this message to him; I agree to marry the baron's son. However, if the Iwa family doesn't plan on accepting me with open arms and hearts, then he needs to save time and send me to Yrael with a tutor and the servant in question without bothering with meetings. I already know a good deal of etiquette thanks to my mother, but I'm sure there's more things other than reading that I'll need to know. I can spend the time traveling to educate myself into a proper lady for the baron's son without any need for family drama or strife. Will he find this agreeable?" she asked pointedly.
The man was gaping at her. It actually took him a moment before he could force his brain into accepting her acceptance. "I think he will be open to such negotiations."