#roaring cherry blossom | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lipstickmarks · 10 months ago

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beauty is a beast that roars, down on all fours, demanding Mor. 💋🍷🍒🥧

Pairing: Mor x fem!reader, former Azriel x fem!reader (mentioned)

Summary: "They've both taken lovers over the years..." // Azriel and Mor have both taken lovers over the years but what happens when Mor discovers they both have had you? Your "fling" with Mor that is growing more serious by the day and your history with Ariel becomes the catalyst for Mor finally admitting the truth to Azriel.

Word Count: 4.9K

Warnings: violence (not toward reader or Mor), blood, alcohol, coming out, internalized homophobia?, mentions of death (in the past), nipple play, scissoring, tribbing, food play, teasing, overstimulation, oral (f receiving), fingering, hickeys, biting, fluff, mean Mor lowkey 🤭

Author's note: title has nothing to do with anything except the fact that it always reminds me of Mor and I felt like "she's my cherry pie" was too cheesy | if I missed any tags, pls lmk! I don't know all the fancy terms for this shit nowadays 🫶🏻

It was a stupid, idiotic game suggested by stupid idiotic males.

Mor was nursing a glass of red wine, sat at a round moonstone table at the river estate. The inner circle’s usual night of reverie at Rita’s culminated in everyone slumping back to the estate half-dead with 90% liquor in their veins. The night started out fun with good food and good-natured ribbing amongst her family but it had devolved into a headache. Truly, a nuisance was building at the back of her head, thumping uncomfortably. The alcohol certainly didn’t help but she wasn’t about to endure a drunk Cassian and Azriel without a buzz going.

Feyre and Rhys had absconded to their room long ago and Amren had disappeared with no notice and no indication as to where she had gone (typical). Elain and Lucien went on a moonlit walk and Nesta had deemed the night over and stomped up to her room the moment Cassian started quoting a dirty passage from the novel she was currently reading.

Leaving Mor with Cassian and Azriel and a stupid, idiotic game.

They had somehow gotten on the topic of lovers and Cassian being Cassian, was eager to pry into everyone’s intimate business.

Mor was planning to call it a night soon anyway. This game didn’t interest her and she’d rather be with you. In your arms, in your bed. You’d known each other loosely for a while ever since you worked as a lounge singer at Rita’s but one night, Mor was one of the only people left in the place after your set. You two got to talking and the chemistry was un-fucking-deniable. Your chance meeting quickly blossomed into a fling.

Except something deeply wounded Mor to call it a fling. It made it sound so… cheap and flimsy. Yes, you were phenomenal in bed. Yes, she could cum just from the mental image of you with your head thrown back and her fingers plunged inside you. But you were also talented and ambitious and witty and matched her tit for tat when it came to her silver tongue. There was still some anxiety she felt when she was with females. It never allowed her to fully relax or lose herself in a moment. But you…

You excited her.

“Okay, okay. Azriel’s turn. Name the best lover you’ve ever had.” Cassian smirked.

“I don’t kiss and tell.” Azriel said.

“Come on, Az! I told you mine!”

Azriel snorted.

“You’re mated. You wouldn’t have said any name except Nesta’s. And if you had, she would have ran down here and kicked you in the balls.”

“And it would have been a major turn on because everything Nesta does turns me on because Nesta is the best lover I’ve ever had now DISH!” Cassian screamed, pointing his wine glass at Azriel and making the wine spill everywhere.

Normally, Azriel didn’t partake in such games. He didn’t kiss and tell. He was respectful and likely got a kick out of being so stoic and mysterious. But they had been drinking so heavily for so long. The shadowsinger’s hazel eyes were swimming with mischief.

“Alright. It was fairly recent. About 10 years ago.” Azriel began to loosely describe this female he had a fling with over the winter that he met while shopping for Solstice presents. The smirk on his face deepened as he described their love making. “She had a phenomenal body and I swear, I didn’t think it was possible for my dick to go so deep inside someone. She was a great cook, too. She always baked me a pie afterward. ” Mor was barely listening. She was about to dump her wine into the plant in the corner and winnow to your apartment when something turned her blood to ice.

Your name.

Your name coming from Azriel’s lips.

It happened in less than a span of a heartbeat. Less than the flutter of an eye closing than it took for Mor to sail across the table and connect her fist with Azriel’s jaw.

She could barely register Azrie’s weight beneath her, Cassian’s cackle that turned into a worried shout was muffled as she began punching Azriel over and over. Mor roared and gripped the lapels of Azriel’s shirt, readying to bash his head into the floor when a force stronger than drunken Mor pulled her away.

Azriel’s shadows.

Azriel groaned, blood trickling out of his nose mixing with the spilt wine on the floor. He wriggled his nose and winced. Not broken but Mor gotten in a hell of a punch.

“What the hell, Mor?!” Cassian shouted.

Mor was held back by Azriel’s shadows, tears streaming down her face. So many emotions were washing over her at once, spawning in the pit of her stomach and trailing to the center of her chest. Jealousy and rage flowed to the top.

Azriel had been with you. The two of you had made love. Azriel had known your body, tasted you, gazed upon you in your naked form. He’d known the pleasure only you can provide.

And she wanted to fucking kill him for it.

Azriel just stared at Mor while Cassian berated her, screaming some nonsense about how they’re a family and hitting is only okay if they did something to provoke it.

“Cassian.” Azriel’s sharp voice cut in. “Leave us.”

Cassian complied. Even this drunk, he could tell when his brother truly needed something. He murmured something about going to get ice and a healing tonic and left the two of them alone.

Azriel stood up and slowly walked to where Mor was restrained by his shadows. Another feeling started to mix in with the others. Shame. She’d hit Azriel. She’d hurt Azriel. She’d hurt her family. And now there was no hiding anymore.

Azriel leveled his gaze at her and Mor shivered. He’d never looked at her that way. Never as the feared, icy, ruthless Shadowsinger of the Night Court.

“Is there something you need to tell me, Morrigan?”

***

Mor insisted on talking in Azriel’s room. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted anyone else to hear and his was the only one she trusted to be thoroughly soundproof.

She sat on Azriel’s bed, clutching a pillow in her lap while Azriel stood over her. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

“Don’t stand there, Azriel, like I’m a teenager in trouble. Sit.”

It was his room and his nose and jaw that she’d tried to break but still, he sat.

Mor took several steadying breaths and begged herself not to cry. She wouldn’t be able to get out the words if she cried. But still, her cheeks and eyes warmed as fat tears began to pool in her eyes. One of Azriel’s shadows came up to wipe them away.

And Azriel’s scarred hand gently placed atop hers.

“Mor…” His voice was tight. He’d only seen her cry on a few occasions: when Rhys was captured by Amarantha, when Rhys returned, when Nyx was born and he and his parents almost died… It wasn’t a sight he enjoyed.

“I just–” She heaved a sob. “I need a minute, okay?”

Azriel squeezed her hand.

“I’ll wait.”

Azriel had waited. He’d waited 500 years for something to happen between them. Something that would never happen. Something that Mor had communicated in a roundabout, cruel way. Gods, she hated herself for it. But who could blame her for being skittish? For being so scared that she’d kept this part of herself hidden from even her family?

…Azriel wouldn’t.

Mor took another breath. And another. And another after Azriel had conjured up a glass of water for her.

They sat there for close to 20 minutes before she finally spoke.

“The first fae I ever loved…” Mor sighed. “Was a female named Andromeda.”

She weaved the tale over an hour and a half, detailing the first flicker of confusing affection she felt for females, twined with the lesser but still present affection for males. The sexual politics of her taking Cassian as her first lover. Andromeda. Their love story that culminated in the loneliest sadness Mor had ever felt. Loving and losing and her heart caving in all while her family was unaware. The lingering fear and panic she felt regarding her father and Beron and Eris. How she’d avoided Azriel by sleeping around with other males. All leading up to you. How the two of you met at Rita’s one late night after you’d finished a set. How she bought you a drink. How she bought you a second drink. How you became quick friends. How your friendship spiraled into something steamy and undeniable. How Azriel saying your name had unlocked a river of white-hot rage buried so deep inside her that she didn’t even feel like herself when she’d launched herself across the table at him.

Her throat was dry and raspy by the time she was done talking. She’d cried through a lot of it, especially when talking about Andromeda. She braced herself for Azriel’s reaction.

“I am sorry that you have been hurting, Mor. But I am also hurt that you thought–” Azriel’s head whipped to the side like he’d been phantom-smacked. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. “I am hurt that you thought I would… what? Berate you? Drag you kicking and screaming into the Court of Nightmares and drop you at Kier’s feet? Be so heartbroken that I would resent you?”

Mor shuddered.

“Don’t you?”

Azriel sighed.

“Mor, you are… dazzling. Beauty and wits and heart is what you’re made of. It’s no mystery why I fell for you. It’s no mystery why anyone would fall for you. You’re also kind, and caring, and family.”

Azriel’s hazel eyes burned into hers and she shifted slightly on the bed, unnerved by the intensity of it.

“You were always going to be one of the most important people in my life. And no, our relationship didn’t fall into place the way I desired it to and yes, it hurts but what I can’t get over is that you didn’t trust me. You didn’t trust any of us.”

Mor pulled on the end of her dress, just to have something to do with her body aside from sit here in this uncomfortable conversation.

“Um, actually… Feyre knows.”

Another deep sigh from Azriel. Mor has never felt so small. So unguarded. Her secrecy was the only armor she had and now it was dust in the wind. No going back.

“Do you hate me?” She whispered.

Azriel scoffed.

“By the Cauldron, Mor, have you been listening to me?” Azriel reached for her hands. “I could never hate you. I don’t care if you like females or males or both or neither. I don’t give a shit about any of it. You are my family. In 500 years, I have never felt safer than I have with all of you.”

She sniffled, tears welling in her eyes once more.

“Really?”

“Of course.” Azriel said, his voice softer than it had been all night. “Look, I’m not saying I’m happy with you for toying with my feelings and this might take a while for me to process the fact that it’s never going to be us but… I love you, Mor. I’m happy when I’m around you and it kills me to know that you haven’t been completely happy around all of us.”

Mor felt a swell of relief in her chest. She slipped her arms around his neck and hugged Azriel and hugged him and hugged him until she felt like crying again. This time, she let the tears fall until she was sobbing into his chest.

They spent two more hours talking, ironing out their feelings, and crying. Well, mostly Mor cried. Azriel conjured up more water for her and some food as well. It was practically dawn anyway with the dark blue sky conceding to a blushing, orange sunrise.

“How do you feel now?” Azriel asked over a strawberry flake strudel. He was now sitting at the foot of his bed, his back leaning against one of the four posters as his wings draped lazily on the ground.

Mor loosed a long sigh and pulled the straw in and out of the plastic coffee cup she had long since drained until Azriel told her to stop because the sound was annoying.

“I feel like… I want to go see my girlfriend.” She was spent. Her emotions had all spilled out of her like nightmare vomit and she was utterly empty. She craved nothing more than to curl up in your warm bed and stroke your soft hair until she fell asleep.

Azriel barked out a laugh.

Mor’s brows knit into a line. She kicked at Azriel’s foot but he quickly dodged.

“What?” She bit.

“That’s a funny word.” Azriel said, smirking as he finished off his breakfast treat.

Mor sat her cup on his nightstand and sat up.

“What do you mean?” Sure, you two didn’t have a label yet. But you were basically girlfriends, right? You spent most nights together, you slept together, went shopping in Velaris together, had lunch dates all the time. At least, she hoped you’d want to be her girlfriend.

Azriel rolled his eyes at her.

“Morrigan. You flew across a ten-foot long table and beat the shit out of me just because one time, a decade ago, I slept with–”

Mor growled. That same feeling she got when Azriel first said your name last night was building up again. She felt it from her navel all the way up to her chest. A dark, swirling vortex of negative emotions and yet, somewhere within was a bright white light.

No, not white.

Golden.

Mor’s entire world cracked open. Every scar. Every ounce of pain and trauma that she’d collected split open and filled with a shimmering golden liquid that came from the reservoir of your soul and bled into hers.

“...mate.”

Azriel said it the moment Mor realized it. Everything aligned for her in that moment. The seas were bluer, the birds chirped a perfect melody, and everything made sense. It had all been for this. All been for you. Every awful horror, every fitful night of sleep, everything… it was all aligning for Mor to find you.

She scrambled to get up, all the while Azriel was laughing. She couldn’t find her shoes. Where were her godsdamned shoes?

Mor decided to forgo the accessories and just go straight to you. Barefoot and in love. And although the bond was pulling at her, willing her to find you, she turned back to Azriel.

“Az? Are we… are we going to be okay?” She was scared to ask, but it was high time to stop being afraid. To stop keeping Azriel–her entire family, really– at an arm’s length. They all loved her and she needed to embrace that, or else she’d never be truly happy.

Azriel leaned his head against his four-poster.

“Of course we will, Mor. Maybe not today, but we will be.”

Mor nodded slowly and headed for the door. She looked back one last time at Azriel. At her family. She knows she hurt him and she would have to do some serious groveling to earn his forgiveness. Even though he was a good male and would likely not accept any gifts or excessive sweetness, she would do it anyway. Mor would win back his trust and help heal the scars she inflicted. But the cage she had trapped herself in had suddenly combusted. The world was wide open. And she liked it. And so Mor said, for perhaps the first time in her life, but meaning it fully:

“I love you, Azriel.”

***

Rushed knocks were all she could manage. Feeling a mating bond that had yet to be reciprocated was suffocating and intoxicating all at once. She was shaking and bouncing on her feet like she’d had 300 coffees. If you didn’t open the door in three seconds, Mor didn’t know if she could keep herself from knocking it down.

Mercifully, it swung open. And there you stood.

Her mate.

Her perfect, beautiful mate.

You wore a pair of tiny shorts and a very thin, very see-through white tank top underneath a red kimono robe that Mor was almost certain had once been at home in her closet.

Despite dawn just rising up to wish Velaris a good morning, you didn’t seem perturbed at Mor’s early intrusion. You gave her a lazy feline smile.

“Hey, good looking—”

You never even had a chance. Mor pounced on you like a jungle cat, claiming your mouth with hers and grabbing at whatever skin she could get her hands on. Although surprised, you didn’t waver for even a moment. You slid your hands up through the fae’s hair and walked her backwards into your apartment.

Mor’s heart sang a golden chorus that blended in with chirping birds and distant water fountains.

Mate. Mate. Mate.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

You pulled Mor off of you for only a moment, but she chased after your lips, her hands practically pawing at your chest like a needy housecat.

“What’s gotten into you?” You asked, giggling. But the second Mor’s wide eyes looked into yours. You saw it. You felt it. That golden tether tying you to Mor.

The noise you let out was something between a happy gasp and a squeal.

You surged up and kissed her again, parting and letting her claim your mouth and claim you. She tugged the kimono down, shoving it off your perfect shoulders. You tried to do the same with her dress but she insisted on wearing those cross-back ones and intricate tit chains and it was so complicated to get off in a rush.

But eventually you both worked all the offending garments off and onto the floor. Mor lifted you up and carried you to your kitchen table, her mouth never leaving your neck as she did so.

She laid you out on your back and attacked your neck with kisses, nipping and biting at your jaw, your ear, anywhere she could reach. Her fingers went down to trace the insides of your thighs, drawing a shudder of pleasure from you.

Her hand dipped even further, her middle finger tracing the outside of your entrance, barely ghosting over your skin, playing in the wetness that was already there.

“Wait!” You shouted, just before Mor could get her fingers inside of you.

Her brows knit together in concern and her perfect lips formed a pout, but the distress melted when she saw you reach across the kitchen table grabbing at a tin of cherry pie you had made. You pulled it toward you and grabbed a sloppy handful from the middle. You held it out to Mor, your eyes wide from both love and lust.

“Eat.” You gently nudged the pie up onto her lips.

Mor watched a stream of cherry juice drip down your hand and wrist. She leaned in and traced it with her tongue, collecting it off your skin. She dragged her tongue down your arm and back up until she took your entire pinky in her mouth, sucking on the digit. Then she did the same with your ring finger and your middle finger and so on. Her teasing was utterly unfair and you pouted as she took her sweet time sucking on your fingers until she finally ate the handful of pie you’d extended out to her.

A pang of jealousy sang in her chest, remembering that you baked pies for Azriel after every time you did it but the solidification of the bond quickly stamped that out.

Mor ate every bit of pie you offered her and licked the palm of your hand clean. Her lips were stained red from the cherries and the sweetness rested pleasantly on her tongue.

“I love you.” She murmured, placing kisses along your bare chest and over your boobs. She wrapped her mouth around a nipple and sucked and nipped at it, drawing precious little “ah!”s and moans from you.

“Mm… I love you too, Mor.” You said, twining your fingers in her hair, not caring that you were getting pie crumbs all in your lover’s blonde hair. Because she wasn’t just your lover anymore. She was your mate.

She fixed her attention on your other nipple and her fingers found her way back to your entrance, teasing, grazing.

Your mate sat up, eye-fucking you as she took in your form. It didn’t make you shy. You were never shy with Mor, or at Rita’s when you were belting out a song. It was one of the things she loved about you. One of the reasons you were perfectly matched to her. The Mother did a good fucking job.

“How much do you love me?” Mor said in a sing-song tone, dragging her knuckle up your slit.

“So much.” You gasped. You truly did love Mor. She was confident and carefree and fun. She made you feel like every day only happened so you could experience pleasure. Like mornings were made for strolls in the sun and evenings were made for lovemaking under the moonlight. There was no pain and no turmoil when you were together. There was just you and your mate and the golden love that flowed through you and around you.

“How good do I fuck you, baby?” She whispered, sliding one finger inside you.

You gasped and grabbed her wrist. Not to stop her but just to have any sort of contact with you. Mor rectified this immediately by holding one of your hands in her free one and pressing kisses to the back of it.

“So good, Mor.” You murmured as she lazily dragged her finger in and out of you. It wasn’t enough. You needed more.

Sensing your needs, knowing exactly what her sweet mate needed, she added another finger and amped up her speed ever so slightly. You moaned your affirmation.

“I know what you like.” She whispered. The minx. You could hear the smirk on her face.

She pulled you right to the edge and then retracted her fingers faster than you could comprehend. Your eyes shot open and tears quickly filled them, so close to your peak and then denied so quickly.

Mor shook her head, grinning at you the whole time.

“Sweet girl… you know how this goes. We don’t ever finish that quickly. Besides,” Mor dug her fingers into the pie you had decimated, plucking out a single cherry and holding it up to the light, admiring it like a lost artifact. “You haven’t had breakfast.”

She dragged the cherry around your lips, painting them red. Your tongue darted out to lick at the tips of her fingers and she placed the cherry on your tongue. You chewed and felt the bond growing stronger, more prominent in your chest with every little bite. The second you swallowed, Mor was on you again, kissing you desperately, licking into your mouth.

She hiked your leg up and started grinding her wet cunt against yours. The warmth was perfect and you felt your body and soul practically singing with how right it felt, how perfect you two were.

Mor’s warm, wet pussy was like a dream. You grinded against her, creating more friction and soon you were both shouting, both unable to contain your moans. Mor sped up, bouncing against you and that simply wouldn’t do. You couldn’t let her have all the fun. You broke from the kiss and took her nipple in your mouth, sucking on it as she had done to you. Except, you had a little payback in mind for her edging you. You let go of her nipple with a wet pop and started sucking a love bite onto the skin of her breast, right on top where it would be visible in those low cut dresses she wore. Everyone would know she had a mate. Everyone would know she belonged to you.

Mor moaned your name in a desperate whisper, increasing her speed. The two of you weren’t going to last long. The pressure was building up and it was already too perfect, too all-consuming.

Once you were satisfied with the darkening mark on her chest, you latched onto her neck, kissing and sucking. But that wasn’t enough for your mate. She gripped your chin in her hands and kissed you desperately. Like she needed you to breathe.

That was what sent you over the edge.

You came and Mor followed soon after. The pleasure flowed through you two freely like the love through the bond. You’d never felt so connected to someone and by the pulsating you felt at the other end, you knew Mor hadn’t either.

“I love you.” She slurred, pupils blown wide with lust. You swore they almost looked like little hearts.

You returned the sentiment, murmuring it into her skin as you kissed up her sternum and across her jaw before she finally gripped a fistful of your hair and dragged you up to her lips.

You sighed in contentment against your mate. But Mor wasn’t done with you yet.

She sunk to her knees in front of you, eye-level with your glistening wet pussy.

“So…” she drawled, licking a stripe up your slit, collecting both her and your wetness on her tongue. “When were you gonna tell me you fucked Azriel?”

At the same moment you uttered “what?” Mor plunged her tongue inside you, swirling around and suckling at your clit. You clawed at the table, wishing you had laid a tablecloth down so you’d have something to grip onto. You were still so, so sensitive but Mor was relentless as she toyed with your bundle of nerves.

“I know you fucked him…” She mumbled against your hot core.

You laid your head back in pleasure, unable to form any thoughts. Mor knew you liked a little overstimulation and the mating bond was amplifying it by one hundred.

“Was a long time ago…” You murmured. Utterly pussy-drunk.

“Don’t care.” Mor said, plunging a finger inside you. “Should’ve told me. I almost broke his nose.”

Some part of you deep down felt bad for Azriel but that part was trapped beneath an ocean of pleasure and right now, you’re not sure you could even remember what Azriel looked like.

“Mmm…” You moaned, your clit twitching as Mor sucked on it. She added two fingers, pumping in and out of you faster than she did before.

Mor brought you to the edge again and you could barely register her lifting you up and carrying you into the bathroom. You were so lost in your own pleasure and the feeling of your mate holding you that no other sensations even mattered. Your body simultaneously roared at you to fall asleep and to hop onto Mor’s lap and grind your pussy against hers over and over again.

“Sleep, my love.” Mor said.

You felt her easing the two of you into a hot bath, her keeping you tight against her chest.

“No.” You grumbled petulantly, though your eyes fluttered closed. She did wake you up awfully early and make you cum twice. Mating frenzy or no, you were exhausted. “Need to fuck you.”

Mor giggled against your ear.

“We’ll have a lifetime of that, baby.” Mor ran her fingers up and down your arm, the sensation calming you and sending tiny tingles of pleasure to your brain. She was most definitely moving you into the river house once the frenzy was over. Or she could move in here with you. Or maybe you two would build a new property. You could design your dream home together. Whatever. Permanent decisions could wait until after your mating ceremony. Because you would be having a mating ceremony. A spectacular, classy, romantic affair. Candles everywhere and her whole family in attendance. All of fucking Velaris. She would marry you in front of anyone anywhere in the world.

You nodded your affirmation and slumped against your mate as she took to washing you both with your nice smelling soaps.

When you woke up, Mor would find your vibrator and make you come two more times with it. She loved getting you worked up because once it was her turn, you were relentless. You would pull orgasm after orgasm from her until she was in tears and screaming your name so loud, the cranky neighbors pounded on your door demanding you keep it down.

“Tell me, mate.” Mor whispered as she shampooed your hair. “What flavor pie did you bake Azriel after he fucked you?”

You hummed and pinched Mor’s thigh for fixating on silly things and pulling you out of your sleep. You and Azriel had a fling that lasted less than a winter season ten years ago and had only ever been casual friends since. It was nothing compared to what you felt for Mor. How pleasure overtook every cell in your body when you were together, even if all you were doing was sharing a turkey sandwich at a bistro down by the Sidra.

If you peeked into your skull, it would be filled with images of Mor. Your lover, your best friend, your mate. She was your ending and your beginning. Nothing before or since matters.

“Blueberry.”

Mor nipped your ear and your moan signaled you liked that a little too much. Even as your eyes fluttered shut, you grabbed her hand and guided it to your center. You wanted her to make you cum one more time, just one more teeny tiny orgasm before you fall asleep.

Mor massaged your wet, soapy breast with one hand while the other lazily circled your clit. She pressed hot kisses over your neck, occasionally licking and nipping the skin there too.

“You’re only making cherry from now on.”

#morrigan #acotar #acotar smut #mor x reader #mor x you #Azriel x reader #Azriel x you #a court of thorns and roses #a court of thorns and roses smut #acosf #acomaf #acowar #morrigan x reader #morrigan x you

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ginxyy · 7 months ago

Text

Catching Flights & Feelings

A man who travels a lot falls in love with a flight attendant he always sees.

Every time the airplane doors slid shut and the familiar hum of the engines filled the cabin, a flutter of excitement ignited within you. There, among the rows of seats and the soft murmur of passengers settling in, you found your rhythm. You had mastered the art of the skies, weaving through clouds with an elegance that could only be embraced by those who belonged to this world. But this time was different, and you felt it in every fiber of your being.

As you prepared for the safety demonstration, a familiar figure settled into his seat. Seungcheol, the charming man from Seventeen, had taken a spot in your section yet again. You had seen him countless times on your flights, flashing his twinkling smile and reverberating with an unmistakable aura that made him a beacon of warmth in a bustling, often chaotic environment. His fame was undeniable—his name echoed in the whispers of your colleagues and the excited chatter of fans during layovers but to you, he was just Seungcheol.

You grinned, feeling a spark of mischief dance behind your eyes. “Ready for takeoff, Mr. Celebrity?” you teased, your playful tone slicing through the air like a gentle breeze. You leaned in, letting a hint of flirtation lace your words, and watched as his cheeks flushed a shade of crimson that would put roses to shame.

“Only if you’re serving the drinks today,” he responded, winking at you with that disarming charm. His eyes held a twinkle that made your heart thump louder than the engines’ roar.

You resumed your duties, but not before braving a last glance at him. In that fleeting moment, you imagined the unexplored depths beneath his public persona and what it would be like to peel back the layers, uncovering the man hidden behind the celebrated façade. Unbeknownst to you, he was just as enamored with you as you were with him.

The days turned into weeks, and each flight became a cherished ritual. You found yourself counting down the hours until you could see him again. The more you spoke, the more a comfortable rhythm developed between you a playful banter that ignited during each in-flight encounter. You joked about turbulence, made puns about jet lag, and learned how to flirt through simple glances. If someone had told you that you could fall so hard over high altitudes and the scent of recycled air, you would have laughed. But here you were, caught in the spell of this endearing connection.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day filled with delays and turbulence, you were surprised to see Seungcheol waiting at the gate, a bright smile illuminating his face. He was flanked by a small group of fans, yet his eyes locked on yours with an intensity that made the world around you blur.

“Want to grab drinks after the flight?” he asked innocently, as if it were the most natural of propositions.

“Are we really going to discuss drinks? It’s the third time this week you’ve asked me out on a flight my heart can only take so much of the turbulence,” you teased, unable to suppress the way your smile widened.

He chuckled, the sound bubbling up like champagne. “So you admit you like it. I’m getting somewhere, then. What’ll it be? A flight to nowhere? I promise I’m an excellent co-pilot.”

“Just as long as I’m in the captain’s seat,” you flirted back, feeling the thrill of anticipation tingle through your stomach.

Following that, a spontaneous series of adventures unfolded between you both, hidden from the prying eyes of the world. Late-night conversations in airport lounges turned into coffee breaks in the bustling streets of Tokyo, and you found joy in navigating cities while flirting like teenagers. Seungcheol relished the simple pleasures, basking in the joy of being with someone who viewed him through a lens unclouded by fame.

“Do you know what I like most about you?” he asked one afternoon as the spring breeze whispered through the cherry blossoms around you.

“What’s that?” you replied, leaning in, curious and utterly engaged. His handsome features softened, and the earnestness written on his face made your heart skip.

“You treat me like a person, not just some idol. You’re refreshing like a breath of fresh air after a long flight.” His gaze held yours, desire and sincerity entwined. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Growing bold, you decided to take a leap of faith. “Maybe you should stop flying around so much and spend more time on the ground with me. I can introduce you to all the best coffee spots,” you suggested, a mischievous glint in your eye.

Seungcheol smirked, the corners of his mouth curling up with delight. “And I can promise to be your co-pilot on all your adventures. What do you say?”

You both spent countless afternoons rearranging schedules, mastering detours, and making memories amongst the thrumming heart of life. The world was a blur of new places and experiences, but what truly grounded you was the thrill of being together.

As weeks turned into months, the scenery shifted around you both, more vibrant and tantalizing than you’d ever envisioned. Cozy dinners after long flights, sneaking kisses behind the airport terminal… It was all a concoction of magic and spontaneity, and you thrived on it. In that whirlwind of romance, Seungcheol somehow managed to nestle himself firmly in your heart, becoming more than a fleeting passenger on your journeys.

One fateful evening, while stared into the pulsating city lights from your hotel balcony, you realized that your whirlwind romance fuelled by chance encounters and flirtatious exchanges had grounded itself into something deeper, more meaningful.

Leaning against the railing and looking out at the horizon, you felt him step up behind you, a presence that made the night warmer. “Are you going to share a drink with your co-pilot or just stare into the distance and dream?”

Smiling to yourself, your heart hummed the answer. “Only if it’s a romantic dinner under the stars.”

Underneath the vast expanse, wrapped in each other’s warmth, you both discovered that romance could blossom not just in the clouds but in every heartbeat you shared on Earth.

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the-midnight-blooms · 9 months ago

Text

FROM THE ARTIST’S STUDIO | cs

pairing: painter!choi san x painter!reader AU: historical au, joseon dynasty word count: 10.5k

masterlist

I reach out to my lover, he’s trapped within a painting. The muse of a Renaissance artist- he’s so divine he may have even started the movement.

Her feet pattered down the cold floorboards, pushing through the salmun doors-the fabric of her purple hanbok bunched up in her palms. The midnight bloomed in the depth of the spring, where the cherry blossom trees roared with the wind. A captivating beam from the candle paved the way to the front doors, her heart lurching in her chest as she felt an enchanted soul beckoning her name; her vessel bowed in his essence as if the rapping of the door knocker was to the beat of her name, echoing every syllable. With her hand outstretched for the doors, she hauled it open finding a man whose eyes were squinting as the the coarse rain battered against his supple skin; his teeth chattering with the cold. With a brown leather bag sloped over the shoulder of his light yellow hanbok; hands gripped steely over the handle of his heavy cases. He was tall, with broad shoulders, she quickly discerned but his face almost seemed obscured by the dark clouds and the night slowly filtering into the star studded sky.

"Please, Miss, I'm here to see Mr Yim. I'm a new apprentice at the local government office." His voice was almost mellowed by the crash of thunder against the sky, which had them both flinching at its mercilessness. A surge of relief rested upon him as a slender arm in purple outstretched towards him; the warmth easing the shattering goosebumps bestowed upon his delicate skin. With a contented sigh, the figure in front raised the candle to his face; the soft glow illuminated his crescent eyes which bored into another's burgeoning with curiosity.

"Your name, Sir?" Her honey like voice, slid into his ears; lashes gently fluttering as he breathed in the sight before him the beaming light from the candle forging a halo around this angel. Her tight jaw and deadpan expression was immediately dissolved between the influx of enigma that flooded into her eyes.

"Choi San." Nodding diligently, she gesticulated for him to follow her to her father's study. The hallways of the Yim estate were particularly large, a few candelabras were perched on top of the drawers plastered across the panelled walls-the smoke infiltrating into the empty space. They graced the floor with minimal sound, as if there were ghosts traipsing the corridors rather than real people.

Stood outside the large door, she dipped her head in politeness as he gently caressed the lumber; soft knocks restituting off the walls. With the candle perched within a hand of his own, yet another door opened; the esteemed artist tumbled through the doorway into another life.

Just over two decades ago, on a winter night, where the trees were bare of crisp leaves and the ground was brazen with purest of snow; a couple sat by the fire in their bedroom: a new-born cherub encapsulated within her mother's arms. Mr Yim, the father of the child, was a member of a group of scholars who advocated the need for the government to foster commerce, industry, and technology. He was a part of one of the four schools of thought in Joseon that shifted from speculative theory to attending to more taxing socio-political issues. Therefore, despite being renown for his hard work, and steadfast nature, he was also known for being quite reserved- to put it nicely. There were no 'good mornings' or 'good afternoons' from Mr Yim. Nor were there dirty looks and unwelcoming mannerisms bestowed upon his acquaintances. He liked to keep to himself, Mrs Yim being the only woman in the world capable of seeing that man smile.

"Would you like to hold her, dear?" His wife called, the gentle babbling of his child sending a jolt of fear rushing through him. Eagerly, he dismissed the opportunity, to which Mrs Yim had sighed staring down at her beautiful daughter. "She is your daughter, too. You're going to have to hold her at one point."

"I'll hold her when she is a little older than what she is now."

"Before you know it, she will become a woman and you will reminisce all the opportunities you had to cuddle her when you could." Truthfully, Mr Yim was afraid of fatherhood; he never really understood the notion of it but if having a child would make his darling, Mrs Yim, happy then Mr Yim would give her all the children in the world. How could he raise a child when he was left to raise himself? What could he even teach except say to his daughter after every stumble, every mistake, every stutter, every cry for help but: 'find your way'?

Thus, his aloof nature extended to his daughter, who having been pinned by her mother's side until her unfortunate death, became wholly estranged from her father. He was no longer her mother's husband, but rather just a kind stranger who fed her, clothed her, kept her under his roof and gave her almost anything she wanted.

Miss Yim was rather bizarre.

Or at least, that's what the townspeople thought through her poignant introvertedness; maintaining scant friendships, rejecting all marriage prospects almost immediately preferring the confines of her large quarters-which in themselves were situated in the segregated division of the family home. Her rooms were not bright, but panelled with a dark wood that foremost created a dull atmosphere, there was minimal light other than what streamed in through the open doors and windows that overlooked the vast lawn. A porch ran around the whole building, where Miss Yim frequented, all year round, as she drew.

Oh! The most compelling thing about Miss Yim was that in contrast to her academic father, she had particularly excelled in the arts, often taking on commissions from local noblemen requesting venerated portraits of their wives. As well as the opportunity to put her skills to practise, she saw it as a way of putting a few extra pennies in her pocket. In alignment with her reserved nature, Miss Yim found that she preferred to draw using defined, darker mediums such as charcoal, ink and graphite pencils. There was something so true about the loneliness that could be felt from the intricate brushstrokes as the ink spilled across the page. As if the figurines were her, simply founded to be a mere prop in a large frame.

Smoothing down the hairs on her head, she snapped away her gaze from the mirror to the window overlooking the side of the garden, the silhouette of the hanok roofs, carving elegantly into the sky. The trees rocked and the grass rippled with the pending ferocity of the wind. Indeed, the storm would not subside within the next few days. The door to her bedroom slid open, the older maid stumbled in settling the tray upon her bench.

"Will I not be eating with my father today?" Ina looked up from where she was kneeled on the floor, settling the bowls onto the bench.

"Mr Yim is currently accompanied with Mr Choi. Your father requested that you eat by yourself for the duration of his stay, you know how it is." Nodding, she took her seat opposite Ina patiently awaiting for the maid to stop assembling her dishes in a neat line in front of her. Whilst women typically dined by themselves, her father had allowed her to eat with him almost daily; except when there were guests. Despite his neglect towards his daughter, he still valued her feminine dignity and did not trust the vulturous eyes of men that rested their predatory gaze upon her.

"Who is this, Mr Choi, and how is it that I wasn't aware of his arrival until he was knocking on our door?" She questioned, Ina's careful gaze flickered to her before staring out into the open space in contemplation.

"A new apprentice. He’s appointed here, on request of his father." Leaning forward, Ina's voice dropped an octave. "Apparently his father says he's been 'engaging in sin' so he's been estranged from his parents until he gets his act together." Raising a questioning brow, she looked down at her bowl.

"Is he a homosexual?" Immediately, she was wacked on the back of her head by the older maid who didn't miss a single second in scolding her. Her hand sped to the back, rubbing the jolt of pain that seared through her, a temporary look of irritation glazed over her eyes.

"You insolent girl! How could you say such thing, you know how disgraced that is!"

"You said ‘engaging in sin'. I can't think of anything more sinful other than fraternising with men or women." Ina's dirty look penetrated through her bones, provoking a sense of humiliation that would rattle through her in the depth of the night. Scowling at her mistress, she rolled her eyes before getting up from the floorboard.

“Hurry up and eat your food. You need to go to Mrs Kang’s today." Following Ina's orders she gulfed down her food, drowning out the maid's muttering about her being crude and dishonourable.

The light chatter from the front room fell deaf at her ears as she sauntered to the entrance, which the two kitchen maids scuttled in through. Bowing at their mistress, they made a fowl attempt at suppressing a fit of giggles as they subtly snuck a glance into the room. Following their gazes, she warily traipsed in, catching her father converse with their new guest.

"Ah, speak of the devil! Mr Choi, this is my daughter." He teared his gaze away from his mentor to draw his eyes across the room and find the infamous Miss Yim perched by the doorway, gripping onto her onto the full skirts of her dark blue hanbok.

It was hard to deny that Mr Choi was amiable. He was tall, well-built with a toned torso that was still perceptible through his uncreased peach coloured hanbok, dimples adorned his perfectly structured cheeks. He nodded with such elegant eagerness, at her father's command harbouring the position of an obedient son, almost leaving her wondering what was so 'sinful' about that man in the first place? What could he have possibly done so wrong that he had practically been disowned by his family?

"Miss Yim, it's nice to formally meet you." She gave him a polite nod, choosing to stay silent than say something and be met with her father's harsh stare.

"Mr Kang told me you've been over at his home, a few times." Her father spoke breaking the awkward meeting. A breath became lodged in her throat as she anticipated some sort of wrath, after all Mr Yim was supposed to be oblivious to her going out and painting other women for a light commission. She didn't exactly know how he would react to that. "He appreciates your help with Mrs Kang's pregnancy." Mrs Kang is pregnant? That would explain the engorging belly, the mood swings and the other number of odd behaviours that she was listing off in the past few weeks she had been challenged with drawing the difficult woman. At times, Miss Yim thought she ought to have more empathy, it wasn't that she lacked it, it was that she tended to not gift her empathetic abilities to the prejudiced. It was women like Ina, and the cooks that worked in the kitchen that deserved her compassion. Women who strived to be breadwinners, even if it was due to poor socio-economic circumstances. Because women like Mrs Kang were hypocrites to be preaching the old values, pre-Confucianism, when they neglected their own sex.

"Yes, she's been enjoying my company. I intend to go again to deliver herbs she’s asked from Ina’s garden.” She recalled glancing down the extensively large page, as Mrs Kang moaned and groaned when the servants were too late to serve her namul and kimchi.

"Red raspberry leaf, dandelions, echinacea." Grimacing, she looked over her sheet to give the woman a look. "You can just get this from the market, why do you need this from Ina's garden?" Mrs Kang simply pouted rubbing her belly. Now that she thought about it, how did it not occur to her that she was pregnant? Perhaps it was because they begged to slim down her figure in the painting.

"Fresh herbs are good for babies." Were the herbs from the market not fresh enough for her? “I need them picked before they’re here.”

"Perhaps I should add lemon balm to burn that fat." A discourse of exasperated gasps rippled over the room, Mrs Kang waddled out of the room wailing for her husband. It was ruthless and unkind, keeping the unsympathetic Miss Yim awake at night before she travelled back to the Kang estate to see a very unhappy couple.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Kang. You’re beautiful just the way you are, even more with the little belly.” The pregnant woman’s tight grip around her neck, as they hugged, almost choked her to death.

Mr Yim's eyes outcasted through the doorway, there was a light patter of rain yet the howl of the wind had subsided significantly. He let out a small hum before returning back to the young pair staring, ardently, back at him.

"I say Mr Choi, should be your chaperone. It's a little unsafe to be going out by yourself." Before she could open her mouth and argue, her father held out a hand to silence her thoughts. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she nodded once more, before dashing from the room to have a flustered Mr Choi following her.

Hitching up her skirts, she trudged through the field, the sun had filtered into the sky radiating its essence onto the young souls as they surpassed the reams of houses. Had it not been for the joyous discord of infantile laughter, it would have been quiet; San mustering the courage to initiate a conversation. He cleared his throat, she merely blinked at his futile attempt at grabbing her attention.

"Miss Yim, you must slow down I can't keep up with your pace." He declared, striding faster towards her, the tall grass brushing against his knees.

"I think you can cope, Sir. Your legs are longer than mine." Walking through the grass wasn't difficult but when her hanbok was floor length, lifting up the heavy fabric proved tiresome and not to mention her shoes were sinking into the muddy fields, squelching miserably under her heavy steps. Eventually, San matched her pace as they made their way up the steps to the Kang estate.

A shrill voice eructed into the airs, the domestic staff worked at a proficient speed as they amended the damages inflicted from the storm. As a group of servants raised the logs from the path, San ran to their aid significantly lightening their work load. His charity had left her silent contemplating her initial thoughts on his persona. There must be something impure under all that. Surely? There had to be some reason why his father practically disowned him.

Kang Yeosang stood by his front doors, watching as his staff worked the lawn and through the large home. He sought the enigmatic painter launch up the steps, with an unreadable look painted on her face.

“Good Morning, Miss Yim.”

“Morning, Yeosang.” She greeted, he laughed a little at her dull tone.

“I take it, there’s nothing particularly good about this morning.” He jeered, she huffed at his characteristically exuberant manner.

“Not when my father’s spy is here to be my chaperone.” She turned around on the steps, the pair looking down at San moving the heavy logs from the path, dirtying his robes at that. “He’s the new apprentice at the local office, Choi San, I think he said his name was.”

"Oh, the country boy." Country boy? "He's from Yangdong, have you not heard? His family is amongst the richest, they're both scholars and farmers, now." Across the country, Joseon farming techniques had taken a turn within the last few decades, especially with the establishment of irrigation and rice transplantation methods- bringing Joseon to a state of flourishment. It was safe to say, which farmer wasn't rich now? The admirable farm boy was pushed away by the servants, making his way up the steps. Leaving him with Yeosang, she made her way in the direction of the couples' shared quarters, Mrs Kang draped over her bed, her wrist dramatically resting on her forehead.

"Hello, Mrs Kang." The woman jolted up from her seat, an obnoxious groan emitted from her as she propped her back up against the wall. "I brought you your herbs."

"Thank you, my love. You left your paints, they're just on my dressing table." The herbs were exchanged from her paints, digging into the pockets of her hanbok. The older woman began to natter, the discordant tonality rattling in her ears. Mrs Kang loved to talk. Even if it was about absolutely nothing, that woman talked for the whole of Joseon.

I'm leaving this place with a headache.

She often wondered how it was that Yeosang put up with his insufferable wife. Was it love, or a promise that he had made to Mrs Kang's parents that he would never leave her? The thought made her sigh in pity- to be permanently bound to someone in matrimony seemed like too much effort at times. Perhaps the effort itself is what subdued her mother to misery, the poor Mrs Yim eagerly handing her soul to the Angel of Death. Or maybe Miss Yim had possessed a stone-cold heart frozen over by the neglect of life's intimate essence; overpowered by a sense of maturity held over by her mother's early death. She took it upon herself to make it clear that by the time she was thirty, if there was no proposal that had come around she was going to wholly abandon the idea of marriage and work herself to death.

"That man is so pretty." She spoke, dreamily, Miss Yim's eyes lazily fled in the direction of Mrs Kang's. Her head poked through the doorway where both Yeosang and San were travelling down, engaging in intelligent discourse. "Not Yeo, the other one." The pregnant woman clarified.

"He's ok, I suppose. Not bewitching enough to tempt me."

"That has to be the biggest lie I have ever heard."

"What is Miss Yim lying about now?" Yeosang provoked as both men entered the room. Both women shared a look before the painter slumped onto the dressing table chair. "I suppose you're awaiting your payment."

"Well, my services aren't free." She declared, pompously. Yeosang rolled his eyes before he moved to the opposite end of the room, San had almost drawn his body out of the bedroom, a little embarrassed as the pregnant Mrs Kang ogled her eyes at him. Stretching her limbs, she got up taking the velvet bag. "Thank you, Mr Kang. I'll visit when the baby arrives."

His perfection had her repleted with such distaste for him. Simply put, Miss Yim hated Choi San because he was loved by all. Her father loved him, Ina adored him, the maids were constantly drooling over him it shot her with a sense of annoyance. He quickly became a household name, spoken of when he was at the office with her father and even when he was at home. Everywhere she went it was just him, him and him. The worst thing was, was that he was even trying to be nice to her prevailing through her grim looks and hard words.

“San this, San that. Honestly, he’s not even as esteemed as everyone claims, Ina. He’s just a man, like every other man. And all men are the same. So what if he's good looking, does that suddenly make him god’s greatest gift?” Burying her face into the pillow, an exasperated huff escaped her lips. Ina fell onto her bed, reaching her arms out to stroke her mistress’ back. With a contented sigh, she felt her eyes drooping a little as the maid's soft caresses were gently lulling her to sleep. Her touch felt like that of her mother's, soothing the aches of her heart whilst simultaneously provoking the nostalgia of a mother's love. To have her mother again, to have that woman encircle her into her arms. Rock her back and forth. She longed for her mother's scent again, often chasing the whiff of her familiar saccharine redolence as one chased butterflies in an open field.

“Yet you think of him often. He occupies your thoughts as much as he occupies ours.”

“Hardly, I-,” She stammered in a desperate attempt to recollect her thoughts into a single ambience. “I envy him. How is that he steps into this home for a second and I see my father smile?” Ina’s face dropped, a breath caught in her throat as her mistress spoke aloud the forbidden words she denied her staff to even breathe. The older maid had been rendered silent for too long, giving Miss Yim all of the answers she needed to press forward with her wistful assumptions.

"Perhaps if you grew to understand him, you would know why your father has inhabited such emotions for him. Think of him like a son-in-law. He will love him but not as much as he loves you." The maid reasoned.

"Then that makes him my husband." She grumbled, pulling the duvet over her shoulders.

"Now is that so bad?” Ina teased, before pulling her weight off the bed. With no strength to argue, her eyes fluttered to a close; her soul being dissolved by the night.

The following morning, it was too cold to be even sitting on her porch and with eyes tired of the same dreary scene, she ventured out of her quarters, delving into parts of the home she had missed. By the kitchens, the late Mrs Yim had reserved herself a small room decorated with the tools of all her hobbies in order to enact time alone for herself, away from motherhood and social responsibility. The room was consistently cleaned but usually left empty having it being full of painful memories of the beloved mistress of the household. For the first time in a long time, Miss Yim had felt the drive to find the room again and read her mother's poetry she had spent hours pouring over in the rooms.

Yet it had been almost shot stone-cold dead when the door opened to find San sat by the window hands raised towards the canvas. The anger within her refused to simmer or boil, it was rather the smooth swaying of the soft waves lapping the crust of sand. Her hands feebly reached for the poetry book on the table.

"I didn't know you were a painter, Mr Choi." She proclaimed, her breath hitched in her throat as her eyes sought the intricate details on the canvas. Her eyes glossed over the colours, the succinct shapes, drawing on the brushstrokes herself with the sharp movements of her eyes. It moved her. When was the last time she had been left this breathless?

"You never asked, Miss Yim." Immediately she felt intimidated by his artwork, her own revered drawings felt meek in comparison to his. A mere apprentice in an important official’s presence. To even be this close to him was considered a blessing. "You can sit next to me. I don't bite." Tentatively, she drew closer seating herself on the floorboards next to him; the brush of their fabrics sending a tidal wave of timidness over her. Where was the bold, steadfast Mrs Yim? Long gone, lost to the large expanse of the sea. Drowning under the ocean of his perfection. She didn't even want call for help, allowing herself to be enveloped by his allure. You draw so beautifully, she wanted to say. It's perfect, like something-someone even.

"You should have been a royal painter." The remark was swallowed into a melancholic void within his heart. Sparing a glance, he dipped the tip of the paintbrush into the crevice of the cerulean blue paint before raising to illustrate the canvas.

"Don't say that to my father." She sought the gloom glossed over his brown eyes. Was he, too, held down by social responsibility and expectations? She didn't think it was possible for a man's dreams to be mauled over by society; for she saw it with her father who had the whole world at his feet-picking dreams as if he was picking daisies from a meadow. Dropping her book onto the floor, she rested her head on her knee, solicitude fulfilled the serene atmosphere. Her eyes fell over the fancy metallic pots situated around the easel, which she knew to be various colours of paint pigments. Resting her head on her knee, she tenderly rocked her body from side to side as she watched his hands elegantly work through the canvases.

"Did you ever consider pottery? That's supposed to be quite popular now." Her question breaking through the quiet airs, the delicacy of her voice startling San. It was devoid of boredom, or disinterest like he had always perceived. No lace of judgement like he was silently praying to be diminished from her soul.

"It'll grow out of popularity soon." He stated, resting the paintbrush down to exercise the tense muscles in his hands. "I heard this was the late Mrs Yim's room, I hope you don't mind me being here." It, too, came as a shock to her when she shook her head-with no care in the world that he had colonised the room that she was once sure was hers.

It was sunny for once, which was odd for this time of year-she thought throwing open the door to the porch finding San surrounded by a large number of logs and an axe.

"What's he doing outside?" She pondered, Ina folding up the washed bedsheets before tucking them away into the drawers.

"They stopped properly chopping up the logs so we can use them for the fire, so Mr Choi offered to help." Wandering out through the doors, a smooth current of air tousled her hair, a book held tightly against her chest.

God, he really was toned. Rolling up the sleeves of his hanbok all the way to his bulging biceps, the maids all stopped in their path to rest their elbows on the low garden wall overseeing the vast expanse of grass. Effortlessly he picked up the axe, raising it over his head to slice down the log of wood. She rolled her eyes at her maids, as they watched him with dreamy faces. They nattered in hushed tones, giggling amongst themselves unbeknownst that their mistress was stood behind them. Leaning down to where they were sat on the garden wall, she poked her head in between the sea of charmed maidens.

“What are we looking at?” They squeaked, jumping up from their seats upon sight of their mistress- flapping their hands as some rushed back into the kitchen and others tended to garden duties. “Well? I would like to know too.”

“You wouldn’t understand Miss Yim.” Yes, yes she was the narcissistic Miss Yim who harboured no feelings for men and couldn’t deduce their charming airs. She was the Miss Yim who rejected countless marriage proposals, not based on looks but merely because she found that no man possessed the kind quality in a man that she was seeking. No patience, no loyalty. They were not even ruled by a sense of ambition. So how could she be hypnotised by the sacred beauty of a man, specifically, Choi San.

“Yes, I don’t understand why you’re not doing the job that we’re paying for you to do. All of you, out of the garden, it’s already been tended to!” She shouted, in an instant all of the maids dispersed back into the home. Huffing, she slumped onto the garden wall, glazing her ink pen over the defined lines on the page. Occasionally, she’d peer her eyes over the pages at San, tending to the curve of his body, and the horrific cinching of his waist. When he looked to his side, she hastily returned back to her sketchbook, feeling a blush decorate her cheeks as his steady gaze burned into her skin.

“Very accurate, Miss Yim.” Jumping up from her seat, she screeched the pot of ink spilling onto his face and neck. Whoops.

“Oh goodness, I am so sorry. Ah.” She let out a pained sound, battling with her internal conflict as she grabbed his hand rushing them into the direction of the porch that led to her quarters. Powerfully, she slid the door open darting inside and towards the washroom. Hauling him down to his knees in front of the washing basin, with a soaked rag in hand, she scraped away the ink splashed across his face. “Take this off.” She ordered, signalling to his hanbok.

“W-what?” He stammered, his face heating red.

“Well you’ve got ink and dirt all over it. I can get a new one for you.”

“I can’t just return back to my quarters and change?”

“Well no because then my father will see you and he’ll know I stole his ink again.” An annoyed huff escaped from his lips as she handed him the rag to clean himself. “Here, I’ll go get you a spare set of clothes.” Jumping up from where she was kneeled, her foot slipped over a puddle of water his arms snapped out towards her waist. Gripping his shoulders for stability, a faint blush trickled over her face, their noses barely an inches distance.

"Be careful." Quickly unravelling her hands from his shoulders, Miss Yim ran out of the room towards his quarters. Slipping past the double doors, she rummaged through the drawers for his clothes-picking up a light green set.

"Mr Choi?" A maid's voice called out from behind the closed door. Discerning their shadow moving closer, she made a beeline through the open doors leading into the garden. Scuttling into her washroom, she practically launched the hanbok at him before hiding in her room.

A breath of relief had finally escaped from her when he left from her room, both of their faces burning red in the midst of this shameful meeting. Yet San seemed persistent to know her, feeling that there was still something beneath the stone-cold façade she had constructed; something emotional and raw that he had felt he had to know. And Miss Yim was too becoming more curious, by the day, as to what Choi San’s secret was and why his father perpetually hated him.

Ina had forced them to go on a walk together, she groaned, silently, as they left the home behind making their way down to the meadow. At first an odd tranquillity permeated the air, eventually she grew tired of the jarring dissonance of absolutely nothing.

“A penny for your thoughts?” She inquired.

“I’ll keep the penny. I almost feel you’d judge me for having thoughts.” San bemused, she rolled her eyes, a faint of a smile on her lips. Just the tiniest, but it was practically gone within the same second.

“I don’t judge you, Mr Choi. I do, however, envy you. You’ve taken the place I wanted in my father’s heart.” She confessed, he looked towards her sympathetically, with knowingness that she was indeed right and the Mr Yim, famous for being just as aloof as his daughter, had somehow softened a little upon his arrival. Perhaps it was a son that he had always wanted, not a daughter but the scholar was reserved; San being too terrified to pry.

“Your place is best occupied elsewhere. Somebody else has it, I’m sure. He keeps it safe with love that is too potent that even dreamers can’t feign.” Of course was reading her mother's poetry, she didn't think many could understand the abstract nature of her words; of course it was him out of all who admired her poetry as it was his own.

"I am not pretty enough for that." Miss Yim argued, looking down at her feet. After all, the marriage proposals were not because of her vague good looks, but mainly because Mr Yim claimed an abundance of wealth.

"I disagree with you on that." Her face heated with his affirmation.

"Well, I am no Jang Ok-Jeong."

"There are many beautiful women in Joseon, not all of them have ever been recorded."

"She caught the eye of the King, a man who has a kingdom at his feet, he is supposed to be too superior to even look at his subjects. And he looks at her? Is that not a beautiful woman?" They were both fuelled by this argument, the debate igniting a set of powerful emotions that roared within them. This, was what they both deeply felt conversations were supposed to be. Potent discourse about society, literature and art. Not idle chatter on the weather, marriage and the social laws that subdued them.

"A man is supposed to be ruled by his head, not emotions. I say if any man bestowed more than a single glance, on a woman, and his breath was taken away, then she is more gorgeous than Venus herself."

"Not that wretched painting. It's so...vulgar." San snickered, squeezing his eyes as he let out a melodious laughter. "It says so much about the male gaze." She spat out as they trudged through the fields back in the direction of her home.

“I wonder if you like any art, at all? Other than your own?” He questioned.

“Owon is good. Apart from the vulgarity of Renaissance paintings-,”

“Which I must say is the majority of the whole movement, pray, continue.” He teased, his pestering smirk seemed to stitch wings on her heart, for it fluttered at his amiability, his devoutness to mankind and all of its endearing qualities and his perseverance. Despite her uncompromising attitudes and distasteful demeanour, he seemed compliant with listening to her, talking to her, truly trying to understand her and not just turning a blind eye. Choi San truly wanted to know her, for her; and not follow some false allegation that she was devoid of a heart or soul. He commended she had both and they were wrought with an existentialist quality that he wanted nothing but to huddle in the corner of a library and read away his life until it dissolved under the cover of her persona.

"What about you?" She questioned, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her own ear. At once, San was drawn into the world of virtuosity describing each of his favourite pieces as if it could be encapsulated into a single globe. The sweet dissonance of his voice lugging her into a dreamscape as they gently glissaded through the empty hallways of the Yim estate. They sought their eyes over the panelled wall, following the intricate lines of carved wood. They could almost be called mad people loose from the dreaded ward. For their eyes did not see the same way a normal persons did. He saw the shimmer in the air, the light poring through the crevices, the faint blemishes on a skin unseen with a naked eye-too vague to be called a taint, a mark, a scar. And she would see what he saw, whether it was not there she could reach to the depths of her sanity and pour out the image before her eyes to satisfy him.

It became a wonder to her how they spent several nights, the light patter of her feet as she rushed to his quarters with fulfilling arguments over art pieces, sharing techniques, rifling through each other's sketchbooks. His style was a stark contrast to her own: luminous watercolours, velvety acrylic paints, oily crayons. His muses were full of life and wonder, the strokes brimming with fruition. It was if a single segment of his painting held more hope than what could exist in her whole being.

There was something about him, too. She could see it now, his compassion, his adoration. As the weeks spun by, she became less repulsed by his sincerity and opened up to it more, almost finding herself craving his attention. His affection was much welcomed; she often wondered what it would be like to be so loved by him.

In her mother's old drawing room, she found him again, his large hands drifting over the pages again. Peering over his shoulder, she softly blew into his ear; the warmth tickling him.

"What are you drawing?" Her eyes scanned over the cartridge sheet, its intimacy striking her. It looked like her. Every sketch line, every shade, every little detail, every little blemish on her face.

"You." He answered, he didn't dare tear his eyes away from her for her hair was falling down her face in perfect waves that lured him into uncharted depths.

"You drew me so pretty."

"I only drew what I saw." Her heart wavered in piety, his devotion provoking an arrangement of madness. He was going to drive her insane and she was content with it.

"I wonder, what was it that you were excommunicated for?" Her silence broke through the passionate airs, culminating the objectivity that fulfilled among them as his sins held heavy on his tongue.

"I am not a scholar, a farmer or a devout son. I am an artist, a man who sees the world despite all of its maliciousness. I see the world so raw, it almost disgusts me but I am not terrified by its honesty. I find it so beautiful, it belongs on a page: drawn." Her body swayed towards him, hypnotised by his delicate words drawn his intoxicating tenacity, filling her with such immitigable rage that within that severe moment all she wanted was him. "I was 'excommunicated' because I am not the man my father wants me to be. I return as soon as I am devoid of all the emotions he renders vile." Tentatively, her fingers curled through his hair his eyes fluttering shut under her gentle touch.

"What about you Miss Yim? Why are you so solitary?" He murmured, their quiet voices serenaded the room.

"I am not solitary by choice. It's been enforced upon me and I know nothing and no one else but myself." Her whispers, though full of hurt and pain, were seldom dulcet. He thrived himself upon her words alone, it was enough to send him into delirium but her whole unmatched beauty with her words? He was sure to be sent to the wretched institute.

With an envelope gripped in her hands, she made her way over to his quarters slipping into the warmth, his smile greeting her as she slumped onto the chair in front of him.

"Mrs Choi? Your mother?" She inquired, handing over the envelope. San snickered at her nosiness, rolling her eyes as he took the sheet from her grasp, ripping open the seal to reel his eyes down the page.

"Actually, it's my wife." He announced, sparing her a single glance as he continued to read the words sprawled across the page. A sharp pang penetrated through the barriers in her heart, she felt her feet slipping under the ground, the walls pulverising as they caved in on her. For some reason, the room felt much more smaller than it was. Her heart was beating faster than any poetic declaration he had bestowed upon her, any time he had made her feel as if she was truly a worthy soul of being loved. Her heart palpitated faster than when he made her feel she would not die from a cataclysmic loneliness.

"I didn't know you were married." She breathed out, gripping the sage green silk in hand; feeling almost disgusted with herself for fixating her whole being on a man who never belonged to her in the beginning.

"We'll be officially married when I return back home." With a teasing smile on his lips, he grabbed a clean sheet from his desk and began elegantly carving the characters onto the page. "I'll be sure to send you an invite, if you'll come?"

“Of course, I’ll come. You know, for the food.” She quipped, his dimpled smile shattering the months of pining she had set for this revered soul. “I’ll take your leave, San.”

She fled from the room her bare feet blessing the sweet earth, the velvety wisps of the wind taunting her as tears welled up in her eyes. With a breath hitched in her throat, she fell onto her bed; bottom lip quivering as pearl tears escaped from her eyes dribbling down her cheeks before splattering onto the bedsheets. Her painful howl terrorised the desolate quarters as she had done on several dispassionate nights, the skies mimicked her torment, the light patter of rain hit against the window as if it understood all her wretched emotions. As if it understood her anger, hatred and hurt. As if it understood how disgusting it felt be left vulnerable by a man who could never be hers.

Was it some false delusion that she had been seduced by? That he, who was carved from a sculpturers most wild emotions, by all of his tenacity and his violent rage that he wished to create a being made of light: could truly be hers? By his yearning and pent up sentiment, by his dying wish that this world was not at peace until some divine figure from a concealed land would touch her world? Her hands shook as she sought to remove the tears streaming endlessly down her face. After all it had now made sense to all of the sympathetic souls that had heard her be plunged through such pain, to read her tale and understand the reason for her aloof nature.

Up the walls went back up. Brick by brick.

Curse you, Choi San, for breaking them down in the first place.

San had not seen Miss Yim for the remainder of the week or the subsequent. Granted, he had been flooded with an overwhelming amount of work but such was to be expected with the incredible staff shortage and Mr Yim’s high expectations. Regardless, he missed the snarky comments and unrelenting stares from across the room. He missed her moodiness, how ever infuriating it was at times; he missed the sense of quietude she presented at his feet and its ability to render his mind numb. Overall, he missed her. Yet, she seemed to be nowhere in sight and in fact missing even under the cover of the night.

“Ina, do you know where I can find Miss Yim?” He questioned, the agony rupturing the sutures of his weak heart apart.

"In her room, Mr Choi. She's, specifically, requested not to see anyone." Oh. His mood deflated after that concession, wracking his mind for all the things he had said in their last engagement; anything potentially hurtful or offensive but he didn’t recall anything particularly endangering. His quest to venture into her quarters, despite her ruthless commands which had the servants petrified over her uncharacteristic (but not abnormal) behaviour, had been cut short by Mr Yim’s desire to keep a tightened hold on the apprentice. He thought about bringing it up as he ate dinner with his mentor.

“How is Miss Yim? I heard she’s isolated herself in her quarters?” He raised, tentatively, as Mr Yim’s eyes scoured down the reports. Her father was a little too quick to dismiss her actions.

“Never mind her, that’s not something new. I was surprised she was even roaming around the house when you arrived…” Mr Yim trailed off as a thought infiltrated his mind, shutting the book close, his furrowed brows silenced the questions in San’s mind.

The moonlight spilt in through the window, the luminous shadows dancing with the light breeze. With dried tear tracks staining her puffy cheeks, she circulated her finger around the cotton sheets pulling up the heavy duvet over her shoulders, a trail of heat comforted her. The door to her room, silently, slid open; oblivious to the soft bustling of footsteps she stretched her limbs sitting up in her bed.

“Miss Yim?” Her head snapped up at the deep voice, its familiarity sending an agonising wave of heartache through her being. There he was, the perpetrator himself, settling in front of her with a teacup in his palms as if nothing had happened in the first place. “Are you ok? I know you don’t like echinacea, so I got you lemon and ginger tea.” Placing the tea cup on her night stand, he rested his palm against her forehead.

“What are you doing here, San?” Huffing, she fisted up the hair in her palms before sticking a dry paint brush through it to create a tight knot.

“You’re burning u- were you crying?” His finger lightly smoothed her damp skin, shaking her head she pushed his hand away from her face. God, she felt awful for his wife who had to endure his infidelity. “What’s wrong, jagiya, speak to me?” Biting down on her lower lip, Miss Yim threw her gaze out of her window, she sought the light shimmering as her vision blurred.

“Just leave, please.” There was no more hostility left in her tone, a coarse throat lacerated with the phlegm that built up from endless nights of sobbing herself to sleep. Tiredness gnawed at her, she just wanted to dissolve back into the covers. Pleading, begging she’d do whatever she could to force him to leave because if he didn’t then she would tear down the path to the Angel of Death and beg him to take her dwindling heart. On her knees she would go, for the mere sight of her lover crumbled the steadfast walls she had tried so hard to rebuild.

“Are you upset because I’m going home next week? If that’s the case-,”

“San, are you dense?” She interrupted. He was subjugated to silence, a look of hurt flashing over his face. “Leave means leave.” Adjusting her body so she could slide under the covers, she stridently hauled the fabric over her head, gripping her lips tight shut, so no more pitiful sobs escaped her and she was no more a servant to his cruel love.

The Yim estate was left with a melancholic air as the venerated bachelor made his preparations to leave the home. The maids were forlorn as they’d no longer have the privilege of seeing his striking face to bless their monotone days. Miss Yim had finally mustered the courage to take a stroll through the garden, avoiding San's quarters at that. Lingering by the flowers, she wrapped her arms around herself to manifest a sense of warmth that failed to prevail with the awful weather. She didn't notice her lover tear down the garden to her, his heart leaping within his own chest.

"Miss Yim?" Her body whipped around upon his words, her hands balled up into fists the anger displaced by fear. "Do you know how painful it has been for me to go days without seeing you? I am leaving for Yangdong, today, and god knows if I didn't even so much as see your face I would have gone feral."

"I- why?" She stuttered, at a desperate attempt to collect together her words and form a sentence. How and when did he culminate such passionate feelings for her?

"Why? Isn't it obvious? I am in love with you." He declared, she shook her head, profusely, at him.

"How can you say that?" Her voice raised an octave, parrying against the harsh winds that blew at them.

“If being in love with you is a deadly sin, then I am the greatest sinner there is. I will walk up to the gates of hell and open them myself. Hand over my arms and ask them to bound me to its greatest depths.” His chest heaved up and down, tears brimming at the front of her eyes. “I cannot live without you. I would not even do so much as breathe unless you asked me to. If you asked me to stop breathing, I would!”

“You’re a married man, San. Do you know how god awful that sounds?”

“I’m barely married but engaged. When I go back home, I will once again beg to not be wed off to her. I don’t love her, how can my father expect me to marry her? How can you expect me to marry her?”

“I don’t think you understand, San. I can’t love you.” His arms outstretched for her waist, hauling her towards him, the rain beating down on them both. With the gentle flick of his finger, her head tipped up to peer into his eyes.

“Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t love me, or even feel as much as a small emotion for me. One word from you, would silence me forever.” She bit furiously down on her lip as his vehement fixation tore through the borders of her soul. When did she fall so vulnerable in his conquest for her being?

“I don’t love you the same way you love me. I am incapable of doing so.” His own brown eyes fulfilled with hot tears, pouring soundlessly down his cheeks. Her heart wavered with misery as he ripped away his grip, stumbling backwards upon her untruth.

“I understand. Thank you, Miss Yim. For the first time in my life, someone saw me for who I really am and not who I am meant to be.” Once again, the thunder cracked against the sky as San turned his back on her striding back into the home. The maids ran out to shut the doors, summoning their mistress back in but she sunk to the floor erupting into a fit of sobs; a wave of shock rattling through them. Her heart burned with such pain, even as Ina cooed lifting her up from the floor to guide her back into the home. Melting into the older woman's arms, her ears drowned out the distant sound of her lover ambling far, far away from her to a land in which even its notion would never grace the depths of her mind.

Her father's office was warm, but not the comforting kind as the biting airs of Joseon persisted. It was more suffocating as they sat across from each other in his office, discussing the state of her future now that he had managed to complete some of burdening tasks at work. He had several proposals lined in front of her, some prospects from his workplace, some from Mr Kang and even Ina had managed to find one or two seemingly agreeable men within their social class. A sigh fulfilled her, it would be a lie to say that she didn't look for the smallest hint of San within them all.

"I'm sorry Father, I don't like any of these men." He closed his eyes in indignation, rubbing his face before collecting the sheets from in front of her and throwing them into the fire. The embers cackled in a slow, seething ferocity as he leaned back in his chair.

"I honestly don't know what to do with you anymore. You won't marry, you won't leave your quarters. You've stopped helping around the house. All you want to do is sit in your room all day and stare into space." He scolded, she shook her head before raising from her seat. "You are becoming a burden to me."

"Well if I am such a burden to you, then just get rid of me." She taunted. An animosity truanted through him at her discourtesy.

“What do you think I have been trying to do since your mother left us? It should have not been your mother that had died! It should have been you! I would trade my soul to have your mother in place of you.” He blurted, before quickly slapping the palm of his hand to his mouth, cursing him for the spoiled words that left it.

“I would trade my soul too, to have my mother where you stand. You are a poor excuse of a man and to call you my father is an insult to me.” She hissed through gritted teeth, the shock reverberating at Mr Yim’s core; the severity of her words pulsating through his blood.

“You shouldn’t have been a father if all I was going to be to you was a pretty doll in a picture. The truth was she didn’t die because she was ill, it was the heartbreak of carrying a whole marriage on her back. It was the fact that you didn’t care about her wants, but your own.”

"You are in no position to say that to me. I loved your mother like it was breathing, I loved her as if she was the greatest blessing, as if God had granted me mercy for all the times I had done him wrong." His chest suspired, brittle hands shaking as a heavy tension remained suspended in the air between them; Ina loitering outside afraid to walk into the war zone.

"But you didn't love me! It was my mother who loved me, and I wasn't allowed to have her! I wasn't my mother's daughter, or my father's. I was a daughter of a servant with my name merely attached to you." At the end of the day, she was the figure in those paintings. Trapped within a frame, four equidistant lines on a piece of cartridge paper, bound by brushstrokes, sketch lines, constricted and held down by the artist. Subservient and stuck to a position in which she could not move.

Mr Yim deserved the brutal honesty of those words, no matter how harsh it was, and with a pounding headache, she ran out of his office ignoring her father’s calls for her to return to his side. This was it, there was nothing and no one by her side now and she was now the destitute figure that she had feared she would become.

“What’s wrong my dear? What’s hurt you so much?” Ina’s soft voice dilapidated at her mistress’ gloom, one she had seen prolong within her late madam too. Squeezing her eyes shut, she summoned the courage to spill her heart to her maid. She told her of how much she adored him, how deeply she wanted him and the ways in which he had made her fall in love with him. And how he had hurt her too.

“So call me heartless and apathetic all you want but I couldn’t take another woman’s man from her.”

“My love.” Ina’s weak fingers travelled through her hair. “You are far from heartless and apathetic. A man who you love is your whole life, you gave your life away to another woman.” She looked over to Ina, falling into her motherly embrace, breathing in her scent. There it was. The same scent that her mother had, the scent she was dreaming to come back to her in the midst of the night, and her a fool to dismiss that it was in front of her the whole time.

“What should I do now?” Her weak inquiry, breaking her heart, sinking deeper into the void than she already was.

“Go back to him and tell him you love him. He is a gentleman who accepts despondency like a soldier. So you, his general, must go back and tell him to return home to you.”

“Ina-,”

“Do not deny yourself of what you deserve. Your mother did, I won’t see you walk the same path.”

“I will let time run its cycle. Time will tell if he is meant to be mine.” She declared, to which the maid rested her palm on her cheek.

Mrs Kang’s baby boy, Kang Minho, was indeed a beauty. His bedazzling little eyes stared up at her in wonder, babbling as she lightly drew the tip of her finger over his chubby cheeks. It was astonishing for Mrs Kang to see that it was merely a little baby that would eruct a smile out of the secluded Miss Yim. It had been about four months since San had left the estate, and a while it took for her to leave the confines of her quarters. Once again, she took requests after requests painting and painting until her hands became stiff and sore. And so even more marriage prospects came, and her eyes lingered slightly over a potential husband. Both Ina and her father were pleased when she stayed a little longer at the doorway of their home talking to one of the young apprentice’s at the office. He was tall, handsome and kind; perhaps it was flickers of San she saw within him that had her thinking that spending the rest of her life with this man: wouldn’t be particularly gruesome. Regardless, she made no firm decision but still, for her father this was significant progress.

“He likes you.” Mrs Kang chimed, grinning down at her baby. She hummed carefully, softly tickling his smooth cheeks.

“Maybe I like him too.” Her gaze lightly flickered to the elated mother. “Where is Yeosang? I didn’t see him on my way in?”

“Oh he’s in his office with San.” Her head snapped up from the baby at the sound of his name. Goodness, how long had it been since she had heard that single syllable name, forever it seemed it would merely reverberate inside her head. “Did you not know he was in town? He came to see Minho.” Shaking her head, she got up from the bed consoling herself.

“I- I think I’ll leave now. I’ll come visit another time.” She announced, before awkwardly patting Mrs Kang’s head; a poor endeavour at affection but for Mrs Kang this affection was whole-heartedly appreciated. Her footsteps sped down the hallways, she came to an abrupt halt at the exist of the Kang estate.

There he was, stood there with Yeosang conversing if they were age-old best friends her heart palpitated with anxiety, knowing that she’d have to walk past him again. The sight of him almost triggered her, she gripped onto her deep purple skirts, his own yellow hanbok beaming like the sun.

“Miss Yim! I didn’t know you had arrived, leaving so soon?” Mr Kang chirped from the door. She shook at her head at him.

“I’ve been here for over an hour and a half. I’ll visit another time, especially since Minho is the only tolerable person in this household.”

“Just say you love him.” A grumble erupted from her lips, she rolled her eyes- with a delicate playfulness- before squeezing past the pair of men. A pounding of footsteps travelled after her as she trudged back through the fields in the direction of her home.

“Miss Yim, allow me to accompany you.” San professed, breathlessly. With a diligent nod, she transgressed forwards ignoring his burning gaze into her skin. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine. What about you?” He responded he was great all the same, reporting that the weather in Yangdong was a little warmer than in her hometown.

“When is your wedding date? I’m still awaiting on an invite.” It was a joke, nonetheless, but one that didn't hesitate to puncture holes in her heart.

“We broke off the engagement, it was mutual really. She was in love with someone else.” With a breath lodged in her throat, her stare tore away from the fields piercing straight into his eyes. It was then she had realised how burdened he truly was. Where was the San that always smiled and joked, and was so full of love it seemed inhumane to have so much of it? They didn't need to say anything to each other in that moment, they stopped walking subsided to a silent, paralysed position. "I think I'll just take your leave." His voice quivered, sending a jolt of agony through her.

Hadn't she made him suffer enough? After all he was the same man who loved her as if she was the vessel that kept the blood running through his veins, his heart beating and his feet walking.

Go back to him and tell him you love him.

Tell him to return back home to you.

His body almost disappeared behind the vast expanse of buildings, when she raced down the fields, as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the vicious ache gnawing at her muscles and the agitated pounding of her heart against her chest. Tearing down the path towards him, in the chance that if she didn't run any faster she was going to lose her lover to the wind.

"San!" Her shout echoed in the breeze, but reached to his ears anyway, a tug at the weak strings that had barely held down his soul. He turned, so desperate that she would come to him like she had done in the dead of the night. Feeling his lover crawl into his arms, pledging that she would never leave from his side.

"Miss Yim, what's wrong?"

“I lied to you, when I said I didn’t love you. I really, really do, I almost feel disgusted by it. I never thought, that someone as ruthless and as cold as me would be privileged enough to fall in love but when you entered my life I felt like my mother.” She sucked in a deep breath, her lover making gentle steps toward her as the wind whipped their hair. “I felt like her when she said: ‘If he was the muse in a painting, to be an object, a fleck of paint, or even dust on it would be my greatest honour.’” Warm tears forged in his eyes, biting down his bottom lip to prevent them from escaping. She wanted to outstretch her arms towards him but it was too soon.

“So, Choi San, it’s an honour to be loved by you. I came back, because I had to tell you that. I hurt you so much. I was scared that being vulnerable to love would only hurt me but the only person who gave me such torment was myself.” Her confession disturbed her, yet it was the unspoken truth that only he was entitled to. A tense silence suffused the air as she pended his response, but all he could do was try to convince himself that it was not a dream and she really had said all of the words he had spent countless nights praying that she would declare.

“I love you, Miss Yim. I loved you yesterday, I love you today and I will love you for eternity. There is simply nothing that one can do to tear my heart away from yours, not even you.”

"Do you mean that?" It was a stupid question, but she could not help the words be spilled from her mouth. He nodded violently.

"I do. With my whole entity." Choking back on her sobs, her arms reached out for him throwing them around his neck. Nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck, her grip tightened as he ensnared his hands around her waist; breathing in her scent as if it was oxygen. "Come home with me my dear, come home and be mine."

•••

DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, REPURPOSE, OR PLAGISRISE ANY OF THE WORK HERE

'Yim' meaning light

A/N: the long awaited painter!san fic (with a twist 😏) that i've been waiting too long to put out. I hope you liked this one. :))

let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list for any future fics I post!

tags: @n0v4t33z @potatos-on-clouds @jjongwho

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aquaquadrant · 2 years ago

Text

Title: flickering

Warnings: Hearing voices similar to intrusive thoughts (the voices are from sentient fire, not from the character’s own mind), pyromania, session 3 spoilers

~*~

Tango might be hearing things.

That is, beyond what the rest of his friends have already been joking about this entire session. The secret task bestowed upon him seemed like pure hilarity at first: pretend to have an imaginary friend. And he had to go all out, too, having imaginary conversations in the presence of other people. He wasn’t confident enough in his improv skills to pull it off without some kind of prop, though, so he’d assigned the role of imaginary friend to a torch in his inventory.

Torchy, a new best friend for the resident blaze hybrid on the server. Hilarious.

Except, as the hours went on… carrying Torchy around and randomly placing it down… hosting one-sided conversations with a piece of burning wood while his friends watched on with baffled amusement… it started to get a little less hilarious. Because he started to imagine that he could actually hear Torchy talking back to him.

Looks bad. Burn it. Kill him.

Just pleasant little things like that. It made for great conversation fodder; nothing turned heads on this server faster than a randomly overheard, “No, no, we can’t kill him!” And it was funny to carry on that kind of dialogue, chastising a flaming stick for its apparent bloodlust. The looks on his friends’ faces were priceless.

But at the end of the session, after Tango had been found out and failed his task, after everyone bid their farewells and went their separate ways to end the session… he hears it again; a flickering whisper of a voice in his ears.

Burn it.

It startles Tango so badly, his blaze rods ignite. “Aaagh- who? What?!” He spins around, flames spitting.

“Huh?” Skizz pokes his head up from behind their little clump of chests, his wing flared out in surprise. “What happened?”

Tango clutches his pounding heart. “Did you- did you say something, Skizz?” he asks breathlessly.

“What, just now? No?” Skizz frowns, then his eyes widen. “Oh, wait, I get it…” He chuckles. “Very funny dude, but uh, you can drop the ‘imaginary friend’ thing now.”

Burn him. Kill him.

There it is again. “No, I’m not…” Tango hesitates, glancing around warily. “You seriously can’t hear that?”

Join us. Burn it. Eat it all.

Now Skizz looks a little concerned, rising to his feet. “Uh- no? What?” He takes a few steps towards Tango, holding out a hand. “You okay, buddy?”

Tango rakes his claws through his hair. “Th- the whispering, the…” Swallowing, he creeps a bit closer to Skizz- and as he does so, he happens to move closer to a random torch. The voice gets louder.

Free us. Join us. Let it all burn.

There’s a chunk of solid ice in Tango’s stomach. “I think it’s coming from the torches,” he whispers.

Skizz stares at him for a moment before he sighs bemusedly, shaking his head. “Oh, brother. You’ve been talking to yourself all session, dude, I think you’re starting to hear things.” He claps a hand on Tango’s shoulder. “Get some rest, buddy, and I’ll see you back here next week, alright?”

Skizz doesn’t hear it. Tango makes himself laugh. “Right, yeah. You’re right. See ya.”

With a parting smile, Skizz logs off.

Tango waits. Soon enough, the voice returns. The whispering is now a chant, a dull roar echoing in his skull.

He’s gone. Burn it. Burn it all. Sets us free, let us spread. Join us. Burn it. Eat it all.

Tango’s heart is in his throat. He can see it, in his mind’s eye; the soft pink cherry blossoms engulfed in flame, a ring of smoke outlining the entire island… his inner fire thrums with want, with need.

Yes, yes, burn it all…

The smell of burning snaps him out of his trance. His clawed fingertips are pinching a cherry blossom from a low-hanging branch, a trail of smoke rising between them. Wait, when did he walk over to the tree? Quickly plucking the flower, he incinerates it in his clenched fist, the flame extinguished as soon as it’d ignited.

And now he’s got a handful of ash. Great.

Okay, that’s it- he’s gotta get off this crazy server. It’s all these stupid tasks! They’re totally messing with his head. The secrecy, the deception, the mind games- he just needs a break. He needs to go back to something familiar, some place where things make sense.

Tapping his communicator, he brings up a portal.

Tango steps through it into Hermitcraft, into blue flames and his dungeon master’s robes. He blinks, acclimating to the change of light. He’s in the underbelly of Decked Out 2, of course- most of his time this week has been spent working on the redstone for level four. And over the months, he’s taken care to light everything up (because a single creeper in the skadoodler could derail his entire operation here) so there are torches everywhere…

And he hears nothing.

Just the idle sounds of the dungeon above him. The occasional warden sniff or ravager growl, bats squeaking in the dark. A slime slapping against stone somewhere in the distance. He can even hear the ambient flickering of the countless torches around him, but no freaky voices accompany it.

Tango exhales heavily. It was just the Secret Life server messing with his head, after all. Relieved, he ignites a rocket to take off, whirling through the air in the tight hair-pin turns required to escape from the dungeon’s inner workings. He swoops into his storage room and dives into the bubble-vator, arriving swiftly back in the citadel.

Hopping off the platform and into the air, Tango glides toward his private entrance to the lobby. He needs to go cover up the barrel at the start so he can make a couple changes to the dungeon. Nothing major, maybe just an extra warden or two. Ideas for names are already flashing through his mind. Debating whether to go intimidating or silly, he’s so deep in thought as he passes through the lobby that he almost doesn’t notice it at first. But as he walks past the soul flames, he hears it.

The flicker of a familiar voice- though more haunting, now, almost mournful- whispering in his ears.

Join us. Burn them. Eat them all.

~*~

#secret life smp #life series smp #tango tek #tw intrusive thoughts #kinda??? at least it might feel similar so just in case #ANYWAY. HOW WE FEELIN ABT EP 3 #i’ve actually managed to watch a couple in between cramming for this exam #and lemme just say. as a blaze!tango enjoyer… torchy was very interesting to me #for the record this isn’t HTP tango #i don’t picture him as having this same ability #this was just a fun musing #like what if torchy awakened tango’s ability to speak to fire #my writing

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dragonclaude · 7 months ago

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Hey, I honestly had this question in my head for some time for RCB. So what does the game over screen look like? Say if you run out of health, fail a timed quest, or make the slightest mistake. Will Sakura have voice lines when the game over screen shows, and maybe have a recall of tips in case they skip it?

Oh good question! This is something I have like, exact image idea for too.

First, I should mention that Sakura would “Save” the game by getting into a meditating pose which can only be done out of combat. If you had allies, they also sit and chill with you too:

Because of this, when you get a game over, it’s played as if she’s thinking about what may happen in the future and made a bad choice. If it was a less important death like a wandering Monokuma, she would say something more generic like “I should be careful.” or a simple sigh. Dying in a normal boss battle, timed quest or some kind of puzzle area that can have a hint she would say something more unique.

But if it were one of the boss fights like Mahiru or Ult. Imposter who are purposely trying to re-despair her, the game over would briefly be her falling into despair again before transitioning back to the save point.

The recall for tips is cool though, that could be a nice qol too :]

#guys I have rewatched playthroughs of the entire DR series 5 times recently and I have been getting so many RCB thoughts again #ask #whitty4life45 #roaring cherry blossom #mytext #myart #danganronpa au #danganronpa #sakura ogami #sakura oogami #kyoko kirigiri #byakuya togami #aoi asahina #komaru naegi #toko fukawa #yasuhiro hagakure #danganronpa spoilers #dr spoilers

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wooliepjzz · 5 months ago

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Under the cherry blossom tree, next to the hydrangeas

first ever fanfic :3 sorry its short + cringe it was js for funzies ^__^!!

Chapter 1:

A wave of metallic scraping and banging roared throughout the cold unforgiving night. Sonic and Shadow were both warding off Eggmans Badnik Moto Bugs and Buzz Bombers. They had been the victims of an Eggman surprise attack in a lousy attempt to win a chaos emerald that Shadow had acquired recently.

“OW!!”

Sonic yelped as a Moto Bug rammed itself into the back of his legs. The force sent him hurdling towards Shadow.

He caught him as he fell and snarled at him as he pushed him to his feet.

“Watch yourself, you blue buffoon!”

He snarled at Sonic.

“Im sorry, it was a cheap shot!”

The pair continued hitting their bodies against the Badniks until only one remained. Sonic smiled as he obliterated the last Moto Bug. However, as he threw his curled up body at the robot, the speed and force of the blow hit an unsuspecting Shadow in the back. He growled as he fell to the floor.

“Shadow!”

Sonic rushed over and pulled him up by underneath his arms.

“You okay, buddy?”

A sympathetic smile adorned his face, his hands still on Shadows upper torso, resting beneath his arms. Their eyes linger for a moment- only a moment- until Shadow stepped back slightly so Sonics hands would drop.

“Silly of you to think I wouldn’t be.”

He snarled in return.

Sonic, still smiling, sighed. Shadow was always so difficult. He didn’t entirely mind though. He liked Shadow the way he was- he was sweet and gooey under his rough exterior, Sonic knew it. In fact, he’d experienced it face-on before.

[flashback to Sonic prime] chapter 2:

Sonic lay on the hard wooden floor, eyes barely open. His body was writhing with agony. The sounds around him were muffled, his ears were ringing like crazy.

“I’ll take it from here.”

He managed to make out the vague gruffness of Shadow’s voice. Before he could think, he was tenderly being lifted by Shadow. His arm was slung around Shadows shoulder as he felt the warmth of one of his hands cup his side, and the other laying on top of Sonic’s swaying hand on Shadow’s shoulder.

Slowly, Shadow began to step forwards, guiding Sonic with his hand on his waist. He began to pick up the pace as Sonic’s shaky legs began to find their footing. His legs were pretty much on auto-pilot by now- his eyelids were heavy and his vision and hearing were obscured, his ears still ringing and his body still in agony.

Sonic “glitched” as a wave of sharp pain filled him and fell to his knees- if they were to stay in the shatter space for much longer he was a goner. Shadow half growled-half gasped in annoyance? Fear? Determination? Sonic wasn’t sure.

He felt Shadows hands shift from his hand to under his knees. Carefully and seemingly effortlessly, Shadow lifted him into his arms.

He could tell that Shadow had picked up speed now, as cool air rushed against his face, brushing his quills back. Sonic managed to steady his eyes, just for a second.

“I never knew you were a hugger.”

Sonic said breathlessly.

“Do you want me to save you or not?” Retorted Shadow.

The way he said this confused Sonic. He wasn’t annoyed with Sonics friendly- almost flirtatious-comment like he usually was. Yet he wasn’t entirely happy sounding- come to think of it, does Shadow ever sound happy? Sonic wasn’t sure..

The way he said his reply was sort of kind- playful almost.

Another surge of electrical pain flooded Sonics body causing him to groan in pain. Shadow inhaled as his eyes widened in what seemed like worry. He grunted as he strained to boost his speed, pushing his foot into a floating rock. Sonic’s body began to fade, more pain flowing through him than ever.

“HANG ON, SONIC!”

Shadow’s grip on Sonic tightened, but not enough to hurt him. He strained to move quicker.

A blinding light filled Sonic’s head. The blowing air against him had ceased. He opened his eyes, his body relieved of the pain he felt prior. They had made it.

chapter 3:

Sonic and Shadow walked side by side from the dark alley where they had fought the Badniks. Colourful city lights filled the crisp night. Sonic smiled up at the arrays of color and light. He breathed out as he took in the beauty of it all.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Shads?”

“Hm?”

“The lights- the City! So many people.. so many lives.. so many feelings and opportunities.. all in one place..”

Sonic stepped in front of Shadow and spun around, giving himself a 360 view of the surrounding city.

Shadow didn’t reply. But by the way he looked up at the sky and the city lights, Sonic could tell he was taking in what he said. He smiled at this thought- the thought of Shadow taking in his words and thinking them over.. god how he wished he could know what Shadow thought. He wasn’t entirely sure why he cared so much about Shadow and how he thought and felt but it had always intrigued him.

“C’mon,”

They had been stood in silence for a minute or so- the sudden talk caused Shadow to look over at Sonic, waiting for more. Sonic looked over at Shadow. As their eyes met, he felt a strange feeling overcome him- his face felt hotter and his pulse sped up.

“I wanna show you something!”

He smiled at him as he began to lead Shadow away.

Chapter 4

The pair arrived at the top of a hill. A cherry blossom tree stood tall and proud in the centre of the grassy plain. A bush of pink hydrangeas sat opposite the tree. Sonic placed his hands on Shadow’s shoulders, guiding him under the tree. Sonic sighed happily as he breathed in the sights of the city. From up here, they could see everything- all the shining lights and tall buildings. He sat beneath the tree. Shadow did the same. A cool breeze blew against them. Sonic turned to Shadow and grinned. Shadow’s head turned towards Sonic- seeing him already smiling at him with such kind eyes sent a weird feeling running through Shadow. His breath had suddenly vanished and his cheeks felt hot. He quickly turned away.

The sudden gust of wind had pulled a good few cherry blossoms from their branches. They began to slowly rain down on the two hedgehogs. Sonic let out a laugh as a petal landed on Shadows nose. His eyes widened and he huffed at the petal. He ever so slightly blushed as he snarled. Sonic smiled tenderly. He stood up and ran over to the bush of hydrangeas , he was back next to Shadow in a millisecond. Now sat again, he held the pink flower in his hands. He looked at it for a while before looking back up at the city. He turned his gaze over to Shadow once more. Shadow could feel his eyes on him. He turned to face him.

He was met with a smile which seemed to warm up the cold air surrounding them. As he looked down, he saw Sonic holding the hydrangea- offering it to Shadow. He stared at it with a confused look-he looked back at Sonic, who’s face flushed at the sudden eye contact.

With a defeated sigh, Sonic lowered his arm. He placed the pink flower next to Shadow. He looked at him and laughed softly.

Shadow turned to him confused,

“What now?” He huffed.

“Its just-“ Sonic giggled.

He reached his hand towards Shadow, who’s eyes followed it the whole way, and picked a petal off of his quills and smiled- they were covered in pink cherry blossoms, which contrasted nicely with the red and black of Shadows quills.

Shadows face reddened slightly, embarrassed to be covered unknowingly in petals.

He went to shake them off, but Sonic stopped him.

“They look pretty- COOL. Pretty cool. They look nice- They work well- They suit you is what I mean.”

God, what was wrong with him. His hands were sweaty and his heart was racing.. He noticed Shadows eyes flick to his own quills- OH! Right! He was probably covered in pink petals too. His hand reached to his head and picked off a petal. He laughed.

“Matching!” He grinned.

Shadow turned away, back to the blaring city lights. Sonic could make out a slight smile on Shadows face- it was quite the change to his usual serious face, no matter how slight the smile may be.

Sonic inhaled in a silent gasp as Shadow picked up the hydrangea Sonic had placed next to him.

“You look nice when you smile.”

This took both Shadow and Sonic by surprise.

“Sorry- I don’t know why I said that.”

Sonics face burnt. Why had he said that? I mean it was true.. Sonic thought so anyways. He loved seeing people smile. But this time he felt different seeing Shadow smile.

“You were right.”

Shadows rough voice was almost as sweet and soft as candy to Sonic. He loved hearing his voice..

“The city lights are.. nice.”

Sonic smiled, knowing he had gotten through to Shadow.

“..So is this spot.”

This spot had always reminded Sonic of Shadow. The busy, bustling city reminded him of how many lives Shadow seemed to have lived. The lights reminded him of the red in his eyes. It was so.. nice. He loved that shade of red. The hydrangeas and cherry blossom tree had always made Sonic think of Shadow, but he didn’t know why. The pink in the flowers filled him with the thought of Shadow- honestly, there weren’t many things that *didn’t* remind him of Shadow in one way or another.

Sonic realised he had been staring at Shadow for a good while now. He stood up and gently grasped Shadow’s hands, pulling him to his feet. Another gust of wind landing more petals on the two. Shadow’s hands were still in Sonic’s. He let go of one to brush a petal off of Shadows forehead. Suddenly, Shadow realised how close they were to one another. Their noses were close to touching. He never noticed how.. green.. Sonics eyes were.. such a pleasing green. Chaos emerald green.

Sonic’s hand lingered on Shadows head, slowly trailing down to his cheek, his other hand still holding Shadow’s.

Before he knew what he was doing, he gently moved his head towards the other hedgehogs, tenderly planting a kiss on Shadow’s lips.

Quickly he pulled away. What had he just done. His mouth hung open. He was stunned- what had he just done, WHY HAD HE DONE IT??

“Im sorry-! I-I should go im sorry-“

He let go of Shadows hand and began to step back, but before he properly could, he felt Shadow gently grab his arm, stopping him from leaving. His eyes stared intently at Sonic’s. Sonic smiled and exhaled. Maybe it wasn’t too bad of a thing to do..?

Shadows hand slid down Sonic’s arm into his hand. He pulled him closer as they stood under the tree. Wind blew, fluttering more petals onto the pair. They stared out at the city lights together. Shadow’s face still hot and Sonic’s hands still sweaty. Sonic fell into Shadow’s arms, sending them both to the ground.

“What are you doing-?!” Shadow grunted.

Now lying under the tree, Sonic curled up and snuggled into Shadow, his head resting on his chest fluff.

Shadow sighed but as he did so, he wrapped his arm around Sonic’s back. He let out a secret smile- a small one- so only the lights in the faraway city and the pink bush of hydrangeas could see.

#fanfic #fan fiction #first fanfic #sonadow #shadow x sonic #sonic movie 3 #sonic the hedgehog #sonic x shadow #shadow the hedgehog #art #digital drawing #fanart #sonic fanart #sonadow fanart

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trancylovecraft · 2 years ago

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can i have yandere kokushibo with a oiran fem reader who is very talented when it comes to singing dancing and arts i want like uh heian period hehe lets just jump back to heian era. sooo here oiran reader likes sakura blossom since kid because it always remind her of her dead mother and when kokushibo kidnapped her and locked her forever in the house he found the oiran reader will also tried to plant sakura blossom outside his house to keep her calm and know that she is still safe or whatever she's still fine

whenever she sees a beautiful sakura blusom (i know this is so random but this is my first time requesting T-T)

(KNY) YANDERE! KOKUSHIBO x READER: Renewal Season

Turn. Left foot. Right foot. Spin. Stray.

The movements of the girls body seemed to flow throughout the crowd like water. Her hips swayed along to the roaring music of the festival.

The people inside bustling crowd around her couldn't help but stop and stare as she danced past them, Only leaving a faint scent of Cherry blossom in her wake.

She gripped a branch of Sakura blossoms, Which in the dance she was doing would usually substitute for Wisteria instead. However the flush pink of the petals set her apart from the other dancers making their way around the festival.

Not to mention her soft voice singing along to the music, Of which one could only hear as she passed by.

The celebrations roared in honour of the announcement of the Heian period. Named after the city the festivities took place in, Heian-Kyo. The capital of Japan had been moved by the emperor Kammu.

So of course the party was in full swing. The courtesan houses that were hosted in the more scummy part of town of course had to take full advantage of this. They sent some of their workers to perform out in the streets to try and attract business.

This included [F/N], The respectable Oiran of the Haruka-House. Who was known for her particular finesse with a koto, Her enticing voice that resonated within your stomach and her particular adoration of Sakura.

She was beautiful, Both in looks, personality and movement. Her hair was decorated with bejewelled pins of all colour, All tied up into a beautiful style pinned up at the top. Her kimono was lined with gold twine and coloured a deep red which swayed about like a hypnotists watch as she moved.

The stares burned into her figure, Warm stares. The made her shift uncomfortably and tried to avert her own gaze away from theirs. She exhaled. You're an Oiran, You should be use to this by now, [F/N].

Push through it, [F/N]. You know exactly why you're doing this.

She swayed around again, Moving throughout the crowd swiftly. The stares only intensified as she went along.

She could pick out a particular stare from wherever it came from, She couldn't tell.

While the crowd's stare was warm, A light boil that made her squirm. The stare she could pick out was hot. Burning hot.

The kind of stare that made a shiver crawl up her back and make her shoulders tighten up in disgust.

She felt uncomfortable from the feeling. As soon as she took another turn she pulled the cherry branch up to her dolled up face and inhaled, Letting the subtle aroma invade and take over her senses as she closed her eyes. Letting the smell swallow her whole.

☆♡☆

The delicate breeze blew over the roseate coloured forest in the neigh afternoon. The light cold wind brushed over the woman's porcelain skin and ran through her hair, Making it sway lightly in the wind.

She examined a branch of the sakura tree's lining the forest and surrounded her families house, Which sat in a clearing on top of a valley overlooking the entire woodland. The house of a modest size, It's windows were open so the spring breeze could envelop the inside rooms and bring about an uplifting mood to the entire family living in it.

There was a rocky stone pathway leading up to the front steps of the house. The rocks that were lodged into the path were jagged and rough. Showing that they haven't been tended to in a good long while.

"Mum! Mum!" A young voice called out in the distance.

The woman looked up from the branch to see her daughter clamber down the porch steps and sprint over to her mothers position at the edge of the hill.

Her mother turned around just in time to see [F/N] jump onto her, Giving her mother a rather aggressive hug.

"Ah! [F/N]" Her mother exclaimed. She looked away from the sakura to look down at her daughter.

"Did I scare you? Did I scare you this time?!" [F/N] giggled. She shook her mother a little in excitement.

Her mother was graced with a small smile and she nodded. "Yes, You got me very good. Gave me the fright of my life, Sweetheart." Her mother laughed and [F/N]'s face lit up with achievement.

"Yay!" [F/N] cried and jumped down from hugging her mother who stumbled from the unexpected movement. The sakura branch she was holding was tugged along with her, Causing her mother to gasp.

"Careful! [F/N]. You almost made me break a branch off." Her mother tutted and went to examine the branch for any damage.

[F/N] pouted.

"I don't get it, Mum. Why do you like the big pink trees so much" She huffed, Stomping her foot.

Despite her mother's constant love and affection [F/N] couldn't help but feel a little envy towards the plants. Her mother adored them and was always the first one out of the house to look at the blooming roseate leaves. Not to mention her kimono was patterned with cherry blossom designs.

Her mother hummed.

"I don't really have a reason why, [F/N]. I don't really need one." She said. Not taking her eyes off the blooming leaves.

"Still! What do they even do?" [F/N] scoffed.

Her mother finally looked away from the leaves and gave her daughter a knowing smile, She sighed and crouched down onto one knee to look at her daughter straight in the eyes.

"Well… The reason they are here is to bring forth spring. As the sakura appear and go they will leave behind green leaves. That's a use, Without them you wouldn't be able to play in the fallen leaves which I know you love so much" Her mother explained. She booped [F/N]'s nose to which she giggled.

"I know, I know! But still. Is that really all?" [F/N] asked. Her mother shook her head.

"Well they also mean things too, [F/N]" She said. [F/N]'s face scrunched up in confusion, But decided to listen along.

"As the blossoms come and go they can symbolise life and the short time we have here." Her mother started, She turned back to the leaves.

"As the sakura tree's disappear in favour of the leaves they come back just as strong the next year meaning renewal." Her mother finished, Her voice filled with wonder.

[F/N] looked up at her mother. The same sense of wonder she felt seemed to rise in [F/N] as well.

"Just as strong?" [F/N] asked.

Her mother nodded and looked down at [F/N] as she smiled.

"Now come on you little rascal, Your father needs to head out to work soon and we better go prepare him breakfast." Her mother laughed and grabbed [F/N]'s little hand. Helping balance her on the heavy rocky pathway she set off.

She stumbled a little on the pathway, Lightly pulling [F/N] in her movements. She sighed.

"Better fix this pathway soon. I swear.. One day me, You or your father will have such a bad trip that our heads will be spinning for days" She complained softly to her daughter.

"Is that something we can do together?" [F/N] asked, Looking into her mothers eyes for the answer.

Her mother smiled.

"We'd be better off to wait until the summer. The petals from the cherry tree's will be an issue when they get onto the path." She explained. [F/N] tilted her head in confusion

"..That means yes, Sweetheart." She confirmed.

"Yay!" The young girl sqeaked.

[F/N] giggled. She followed her mother back to their house as sakura leaves fell from the tree's behind them.

☆♡☆

The festival had ended not so long ago.

While celebrations were still occurring their intensity wasn't as big as it was earlier. [F/N] felt so very tired from the performing, Her muscles ached and her only desire right now was to get an early nights sleep.

Her usual makeup and hair-do she wore was lightly ruffled from the events of the night.

With the calming down of the festivities [F/N] had long ago returned to the house of which she worked. As she entered she couldn't help but notice the rather large crowd at the entrance.

Her performance had done well, Really well. Both her flowing movements and her god-sent voice had attracted a large amount of men to her house, All more than willing to pay for their time with her.

[F/N] gripped the sakura branch tighter. The men had noticed her arrival and had rushed up to her. [F/N] stumbled back from the sudden intrusion as the men crowded around her and started yelling.

"Me first, I got here early and missed out on half the festival for this!"

"No way. I got here way earlier man, Back off"

"Liar!"

One of the men raised a fist and was about to swing it at the other. However a tutting sound rung loud from the far side of the room making the entire crowd drop silent.

Haruka-sama, The woman who owned and managed the house had quieted the crowd.

Haruka-sama was a small old lady who had a rather grouchy face and a greed stronger than any other. Her beady little eyes looked around at the crowd with an opportunistic glare, Similar to how a fox would glare at a defenceless rabbit.

"Step away from the girl now.. Step away!" Haruka said, Pushing her way easily through the crowd of men she grabbed [F/N] by the hand and pulled her out.

She dragged [F/N] to the front of the house and started positioning her body to be straight and proper. As she did [F/N] felt beads of sweat build up on her forehead and her jaw trembling.

Haruka-sama finished dolling [F/N] up. She seen the nervousness on [F/N]'s face before shooting her a warning look. One that [F/N] recognised well.

Pull yourself together, You're the Oiran of this house. Steady that jaw and wipe off the sweat and make me some money.

Despite [F/N]'s dear want to stand up to Haruka-sama, The want to deny all of these men and go to bed. She couldn't, Her contract could be revoked in a moment. She couldn't afford to lose it for a moment.

So instead of speaking up, She clenched her jaw and lightly wiped off the sweat from her brow. Her lips wrenched themselves into a lovely little smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She clasped her hands low and stiffened up her body, Giving her a more mannequin look than human.

Haruka hobbled round to the front of the house and faced the crowd of customers with a wide smile.

"Alright, Alright! It may be closing hours but I'm sure our lovely Oiran here can spare another session, But to decide who gets the slot we'll start a bidding. How about we start at about… 20,776 yen. Any takers?" Haruka called out to the crowd which went wild on the announcement of the bidding.

"25,970!" One of the louder men called out.

"27,701!" Another yelled.

The crowd kept shouting out higher and higher numbers, [F/N] felt her body shake despite her constant effort of steadying herself.

Voices yelled even higher than the numbers as the crowd grew closer to the front of the house.

The customers eyes burned into her like hot coals and she was scrutinized by all in the room. Her clasped hands built up sweat, Her breath steady yet heavy. She tried to look away when the sound of the shoji doors to the house slid open.

"500,000 yen."

The room went silent.

Haruka-sama's beady little eyes widened in shock to the man who had suddenly appeared, The money waved in his hand. Haruka's jaw opened slack.

"Sold!" She screamed, Pointing her finger to man standing in the doorway with the most giddy joy she had felt in years.

[F/N]'s body went rigid. Her mind went wild at the number, 500,00?! Who is this man? Who would want to pay that much just to have a single session with her of all people.

The man was tall, Taller than anyone else in the room. He wore a loose purple nagagi kimono with a intricate hexagonal pattern woven into it, It looked expensive which [F/N] figured. He also wore a dark hakama and a white uwa-obi as a belt tied fit around his waist which also held a katana and sheathe.

His hair was tied up into a pony-tail with spiky tips that faded into red at the ends. She looked to his face, However she was unable to see it as he wore a rather large kama, The typical hat a samurai would wear, That covered his face entirely.

He stood there in the doorway waving the money. And despite his face being covered [F/N] could still feel his stare through the thing… It felt hot.

[F/N] shivered as she remembered it was the same hot feeling from earlier, The man must of been the one looking at her during the festival.

All of crowd from earlier was hushed out of the house by Haruka-sama, Muttering curses to the final bidder who didn't seem to react to any of their words.

Finally when the house was evacuated. All there was left was [F/N], The man and Haruka-sama.

They sat in total silence. [F/N] stared dead eyed at the man, Who seemed to look back at her with that inferno of a gaze. She squirmed under the weight of it.

Suddenly a hand clapped out of nowhere.

They both turned to Haruka. Whose usual grouchy, Scrunched up face was contorted into a wide grin.

"Well then.." She said.

Haruka hobbled over to the sliding shoji door and pulled it open, She bowed down in respect to the man.

"After you."

☆♡☆

The tension in the air was thick, So much so that you could feel it seep into your skin.

The room the pair sat on was located on the highest floor of the courtesan house that towered over the other buildings around it. The room was home to a balcony that looked out over the dark night in Heian-Kyo, Only lit up by the paper lanterns from the long gone festival and the stars looking over the bustling streets like eyes.

The room was home to a small centre table, A dresser with a polished mirror on top and filled to the very brim with Sakura themed decorations. From paintings, To bedsheets to the very plant itself potted on the furniture. It was everywhere. Even the light scent resonated in the air.

It however, Just wasn't enough to calm the girl down as [F/N] nervously tuned the delicate strings on her koto from across the table. A single bead of sweat rolled down her side brow. Her eyes stead set on the knobs to avoid the hot gaze from across the table. Hot. She recognised it, He must of been the source of the scorching stare from within the crowd somewhere. It didn't help her situation in the slightest as it just made [F/N]'s figure freeze up, Her body on guard.

Ever since Haruka had lead them to [F/N]'s room he hadn't said a word, Just went to sit down on the tatami mat, Unmoving. The Kama overshadowed his face, Making it impossible to see his expression.

Was he sad? Angry? Or was [F/N] just overthinking things, It had been a long night after all and she was prone to a little paranoia now and then.

The sweat bead dropped to the floor and hit her kimono sleeve. Her lips twitched as she managed to drag her gaze up to the man, Whose large hat still covered his eyes. Twisting her mouth into the usual smile you'd see on an Oiran, She spoke.

"..If I may ask sir, What is a man like you doing around here? Samurai don't often come around these parts, You know." Her voice was light in tone. A tone that was friendly and gentle in nature, Enticing him on.

The man didn't make a move to speak however. Just sat there. Staring.

Her face quirked, Only for a moment.

"What about your name, Sir?" She tried again, Her voice only lilting in tone to a slight.

Again. Nothing.

[F/N] felt her hands on her koto clench up, Her eyes following the movement. The feeling felt-

"Kokushibo."

[F/N] looked up. The surprise pulsating in her chest as she realised the man, Now Kokushibo, Had spoken to her. Her previously ridged form fizzled into a more relaxed posture, The awkward air in the room dissolving just a little bit.

"Kokushibo.. What an interesting name" She said, Letting the name roll on her tounge. She stopped tuning her koto and thought for a moment, Pondering over the spelling

"I believe the kanji for that can mean 'Black Death'. If I am correct." She asked. The reason why a mother would name their child such a macabre title eluded her.

Kokushibo simply nodded.

"And yours is.. [F/N]. Yes?" He spoke. His voice was gravelly and deep that held a commanding undertone that made a shiver run down [F/N]'s back.

Stilling her form she nodded.

"While I do not understand the kanji.. Of your first name. I do believe your last name can mean.. 'Poetic Voice'" He said.

[F/N]'s brows raised. Her last name, Kotone. Did in fact mean those exact words. However that wasn't the thing that surprised her so much.

"How did you know my last name" She asked, Tilting her head to the man. Who sat in silence for a second.

"Your chaperone woman.. Mentioned it on the walk here." He said. [F/N] internally groaned. Of course the old woman had told him on the walk up here. She was always so talkative to the high-paying customers, It was her strategy. She'd talk to them about anything and everything relating the courtesan the customer had bought out, All to try and make the customer feel attached so they'd come back for more.

But something else seemed to click. Even if Haruka had mentioned her last name how could he have known the exact kanji spelling of her name. Was it a good guess or something more? Sensing the look on [F/N]'s face, Kokushibo piped up.

"If I may be honest.. I have been.. Infatuated with you, Your voice, for a long while now.. I learned the spelling from asking around.. I apologise." He explained. His head tilted down, His kama following the movement. Was he shameful?

No. He was shy. [F/N] felt a cordial smile creep up on her face, It explained a lot. His silence earlier wasn't due to any negative emotion or disturbing pathology but instead just a bout of stage fright.

"I see. I suppose you've been told of my talents from asking, too." She decided go along in a playful voice, The one she'd usually harness to tend to customers. Despite how much she felt uneasy using it, It did bring about tips.

"Yes.. In fact, It is the entire reason.. I have decided to come here in the first place." Kokushibo remarked. His hands previously positioned on his knees moved up to the tea-set placed on the table separating the two and poured himself a cup.

"I want you to play.. A piece on your koto for me." He said, Bringing the tea up to his mouth still cloaked by his hat. And took a sip. [F/N] nodded.

"Anything specific you want me to play?" She asked. Moving the koto in front of her body she finished the tuning process and rested a hand on the strings.

"One where.. I can hear your voice. One where you can sing." His voice contained a low tone of wonder, Seemingly reminiscing on a thought.

"Alright then.. Let's see here." [F/N] trailed off, Her mind wandered to her catalogue of songs. Trying to pick out one that she thought the man would enjoy.

Neurons connected. She'd gotten it.

Her carefully manicured hand ran over the spindly strings of her koto, Sounding out the first few delicate notes of her symphony. The strings resonated against the neat and polished birch wood of the koto. A rhythm started to form.

Kokushibo's shoulders seemed to relax at the soft tune, While she could not see his face she could tell he was entranced.

Her lips opened to annunciate the first lyrics to her malady, As soon as she did Kokushibo's relaxed figure stiffened up. The grip on his teacup tightened, He took a shaky breath.

The lyrics flowed out of her like running water, The chords on her koto harmonised with her heavenly voice and the music ruminated throughout the room and echoed from the wooden walls. Drowning out the noise of the street below them and replacing it with concentrated vocal artistry as she sung out the words.

"Well hello world, Wouldn't you know. Your nails were yellow and mine a miracle blue.." The first lyric to the chorus was announced and Kokushibo seemed to melt. Her voice sounded like a morning cardinals call, Like Benzaiten's being had graced her vocal chords in that single moment.

She seemed lost in her music, Too. Her eyes were closed and her body focused on moving along to the beat of the strings. A small smile lit up on her face as she went along.

"If you knew what I knew, You would too.." The final note on her koto rung out through the room, The song ending. It was such a short song, But as both [F/N] and Kokushibo were in drawn into the iron grip of the rhythm it had felt like an eternity.

[F/N] inhaled deeply for air, Her shoulders retracting. She set down her koto beside her with care.

"A beautiful song.. It is one of my favourites. I hope it was up to your standards, sir?" She asked, A playful tone masking her genuine and sincere question.

Kokushibo in turn put down his half-drunken cup onto the table. "It was.. The most beautiful song I've ever heard .." He proclaimed, His voice was ripe with wonder and awe which made [F/N] take in a deep breath, Taking in all of his praise she smiled wider.

"I am glad you liked it sir. Please, Would you like me to do anything else for you?" [F/N] offered. She went to the tea-set in front of them both and picked up the kettle.

"No.. But. I would wish to ask a question. If that is alright with you." He responded.

[F/N] gestured for him to continue on.

"Completely alright with me." She confirmed. She poured herself her own blend: Sakurayu. She filled the cup up with steaming water and mixed the little flower petals around.

Just as she brought the sweet smelling liquid up to her mouth he answered her.

"How much exactly.. Does your marriage contract cost?"

[F/N] choked on her tea.

The question had came out of left field making the tea she had just made burn her throat. She coughed and covered her mouth, Preventing any loose drops spilling out from her lips.

Kokushibo passed over a tissue, To which she gratefully accepted.

Once [F/N] finally churned out the last bit of tea out of her system she wiped her mouth. Careful to reserve her lipstick.

"T-That was a rather blunt way of asking." [F/N] said, Her throat still hoarse.

"I apologise.." He said. However his voice remained monotone, Sending mixed signals back to her.

"No, No. It's fine. In fact, I feel flattered that you would ask about that." She started, A nervous smile appearing on her face.

"But unfortunately my contract was bought out by another samurai only a day ago. I do apologise, If you were intending to buy." She explained, Her voice apologetic as she bowed her head lightly.

Kokushibo froze up.

His previously relaxed shoulders and lain hands both seemed to stiffen up. The warm look he used to gaze at [F/N] seemed to return to that hot, Boiling stare. The one from the festival, The one from before. Noticing the glare she had regressed to how she'd been at the start as well: Awkward and uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry sir." She blurted out.

Kokushibo's kama lowered down to follow the movement of his head. He was quiet, Silent.

"Would you like me to play another song for you?" She asked. Trying to destroy the buildup of uneasy air.

Kokushibo shook his head, Making [F/N] feel just a little nervous down by his response.

"No.. I do believe.. That I have heard enough." He said. For some reason the way he said it made [F/N]'s lip twitch, But shook it off when Kokushibo got up from sitting down.

She followed him up, Fixing her kimono and her hair-do she bowed down to him in respect. A polite gesture to thank him for his civilised behaviour.

She figured that his session with her had decidedly ended, That was good. While she did enjoy his company and the song she sung for him it didn't change that fact that she was exhausted.

"Alright then. Please, Let me get the door for you." [F/N] said. Passing by the man she moved over to the decorated shoji doors and grabbed the handle. Sliding it open she went to-

SMACK!

[F/N]'s body fell to the floor, Her knees hit the tatami mat followed by her head which got hit off the wooden doorframe.

The hilt of Kokushibo's sword moved so fast that [F/N] couldn't even sense it crashing into the back of her skull, Leaving her dazed and barely conscious on the wooden floorboards. She was confused, Dizzy and completely unaware of what was going on, All she knew was the feeling of her fight or flight instinct kicking in.

She whined in pain. Her arms weakly extending out to try and get up, To get away, To run from the opposing danger looming over her. To survive.

But it proved futile as Kokushibo leaned down to pick up her seemingly weightless body into his arms.

She tried to scream, To yell and call out for any other courtesan in the area. Anyone who might hear. But it only came out as babbles of incoherent language as her assailant flung her over his shoulder with an inhuman strength.

"Please, Sir.. Why… What are you.. What are you doing?!" She groaned, Her vision cloudy and her head the raging storm that throbbed painfully in the place of impact. Kokushibo only let out a low hiss through his teeth.

"Quiet!" He spat. His previously shy behaviour now broken and replaced with an aggressive demeanour. His presence now dangerous and coupled with the vicious tone in voice made [F/N] shake.

"Please.. I.." She whispered as he carried her over his shoulder and made his way to the open balcony doors. She pushed at his chest, Kicked, Flailed about in his grasp all to try and get him off of her. But it didn't work, He never budged or even moved in the slightest. Only squeeze her tighter and tighter as a warning.

He had made his way out onto the balcony porch. Looking out over the sea of buildings and crowded life flowing up from the city below he walked over and put a single, Sandal-clad foot onto the balcony railway.

[F/N]'s eyes expanded in horror in realisation of what he was doing. She wailed out into the cold night air as Kokushibo put his final foot on the railing, Effectively balancing on the thin wood.

His figure wobbled on the railings, They dangled over the street below which was filled with people making their way around, If she fell it would be at least 90ft drop. She wouldn't survive that height.

[F/N] at this point was sobbing, Kokushibo's grip may have been strong but as she was faced with the height of the tower she felt like she would slip any moment, Fall the entire distance and hit the street with a loud crack.

She cried out.

"P-Please! Somebody! Help me!" She screamed out into the crowd below, Her voice cracking as it went.

"Quiet. NOW!" Kokushibo growled like a feral animal, She cried out at his tone

The feet on the banister spread out and his knees crouched down. [F/N] realised what he was doing and tried harder and harder to push away from his grip.

She yelled louder and louder at the people below. Screaming for help but it was useless. They were too high up for anyone to hear them.

And then, He jumped.

Going through the air at unnatural speeds her hair lashed all over her face like whips. The wind ran through them both as they went. She realised this was it, She was going to die. She closed her eyes tight in anticipation of the fall but-

The wind died down. [F/N]'s hair fell over her face.

Kokushibo stood strong on the tiled roof of the building adjacent from the courtesan house, His ponytail waved in the light breeze that now accompanied the two. He was unfazed.

"Wha.. What?" [F/N] choked out. The height even from the courtesan house to here was enough to severely injure someone, Yet he came out without a single scratch. She looked back at him.

She yelled at the sight of him, Finally breaking out of her dizzy stupor. His face. His bloody face had six eyes. Six eyes, Six. They were all red and strained, His pupils were golden and glowing. He wasn't human, He was a demon, An oni. And he was kidnapping her.

"No.. No no no no!" She wailed out, Her eyes were fixed onto his. She couldn't look away, Looking into his eyes was like looking out into a terrible accident. Blood, Guts and broken bones, It was horrible yet she could never bring her eyes away.

Her previous yells for help amped up into a panic attack as she struggled in his grasp. Punching, Kicking doing anything to escape.

Kokushibo made a noise in his throat speaking agitation and anger.

Bringing a single, Clawed hand up to the back of her neck he lunged it forward. Pinching a nerve point [F/N]'s entire body stopped moving.. Then went limp on his shoulder.

Her eyelids failed to lift, They were too heavy. Everything seemed to stop in time and nothing mattered anymore.

She faded into the dark haze. Going unconscious on the shoulder of the demon kidnapping her.

☆♡☆

The pot bubbled hanging over the fire. It crackled every now and then, Spitting up drops of water that fell down around it.

Outside the moon hung over the lush roseate forest, Only clothed by the young build of clouds forming in the sky.

Moonlight illuminated the rustling branches of the trees, They danced in the wind letting a few petals stray from their grasp and fall onto the overgrown grasslands that surrounded the family home on the hill.

Despite the cold air of the night the house was warm and lit up with life. The house was filled with noise of cooking. The pot boiling, The sound of knife on cutting board and the spark of fire all mixed together to create a lively atmosphere. The kitchen especially.

Inside, A man was currently facing the kitchen counter chopping vegetables with precision. [F/N] sat beside him on the counter swinging her legs back in forth. She huffed.

"Papa I'm booooooored.." She whined, Puffing up her cheeks she looked at her father.

"I know, Sweetheart. But you've got to be patient. After you've had your dinner your mother can take you outside, Alright?" Her father said, A soft smile coming across his face, He shook his head at his daughters antics and focused his attention back to the vegetables.

"But papaaaaaa I wanna do something now.." [F/N] groaned folding her arms with a dramatic flair.

Her father chuckled lightly. He paused his movements for a moment and set down the knife he was holding. Picking up a couple of onions he held them out to her.

"Well if you really want to do something, Then how about you peel these onions for me?" He said.

"That's not what I meant, I don't want to peel onions!" [F/N] groaned. Her father only responded in kind, Setting down the pair of onions beside her.

"Alright then! If you don't want to then I won't force you." He smiled knowingly, Turning back to his knife and veg.

As he continued cutting [F/N] kept eyeing the onions beside her, She tried to drag her eyes away from the pair but eventually the boredom took over. With a dramatic sigh she picked up the pair of onions and got to work.

"I thought you didn't want to peel the onions, [F/N]." Her father teased, The smile on his face victorious.

[F/N] just hummed.

"Making cooking go faster so I can go outside quicker!" She explained, Her tone suggests that her father should of already known this, While he did. [F/N] didn't notice.

"Now who wants to go outside?"

[F/N]'s head snapped around to the source of the new voice, It was her mother.

Stepping out from another room in the house her mother appeared with a sweet smile on her face. She carried a basket full of laundry in her arms and balanced it as she walked out into the kitchen.

"Mum! Mum!" [F/N] giggled, Raising one hand to wave wildly at her mother as she came over to set down the laundry basket.

Picking [F/N] up she raised her daughter up high, To whom only laughed harder in her grasp.

"Now what are you doing on the countertop, Sweetheart?" Her mother teased.

"She's helping me make dinner, Aren't you [F/N]?" Her father said.

"Really? Are you helping your father to make dinner?" Her mother smiled.

[F/N] grinned back at her mother.

"Yeah! I'm peeling the onions, See!" [F/N] exclaimed, Pointing down at the half-peeled onions with a proud expression. Her mother gasped.

"Oh, Wow! You've done such a good job!" Her mother said back. She brought her daughter down back onto the countertop. Turning to her husband she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"How's dinner going?" She asked, A short smile appearing on her face.

"Just about done with the vegetables. The pot seems ready so all I need to do is get the bay leaves." Her father responded. Copying his wife's smile.

"Bay leaves.. Are you sure we stocked up on those?" Her mother asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Erm.. Yeah, I went out to the village and bought some last week, Remember?" Her father said. Her mothers expression turned into a look of doubt.

"Really? I thought you went out for those vegetables and rice. No offense but you do know how bad your memory is right, Kyuusei?" Her mother answered.

"Yeah! It was the veg!" [F/N] confirmed, Swinging her legs on the counter.

Kyuusei finished chopping the vegetables and stood still, Trying to recollect his memories.

"I.. I'd need to go check to make sure." Kyuusei said. Setting down his knife on the counter he was about to go and check before being stopped by his wife putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, No. It's fine. I'll go check up on the bay leaves and you just focus on boiling the veg, Okay?" She told him, A reassuring smile on her face.

Kyuusei nodded.

"Thanks, Seishi." Her father said.

"No problem. Just make sure not to overcook the veg this time." Seishi teased with a grin. Kyuusei rolled his eyes and promised not to, Concealing the copied grin on his face.

As his wife walked off towards the door she previously came out of. Kyuusei collected the chopping board in his hands and moved over the steaming pot.

Readying his knife he loomed over the pot, Scraping the freshly cut vegetables into the boiling water they hit the surface with a splash.

The ripple created little droplets of water that flew up from the impact with a rather big one going up and hitting Kyuusei's bare skin.

He yelped and dropped the chopping board in his hands, Letting the unscraped vegetables scatter onto the floor with him following quickly behind. [F/N] yelled out and jumped down from the counter, Running over to her father.

"Dad? Dad! Are you alright? What's wrong?" [F/N] cried, Latching onto his wrist.

"Argh..!" Her father seethed, Looking down at the place where the water burned. The space had already started to create colour contrast and it stung badly.

The shoji door slid open and out rushed Seishi, Alerted by her husbands yelp and tightly clutching a few clovers in her hands. She gasped, Ignoring the spilled vegetables she stepped on she and hurried over to her husbands side.

"Kyuusei! Dear, Are you alright?" She worried and grabbed his burnt hand to examine the damage. Kyuusei nodded

"I-I'm fine.. Ah. It's just-" Kyuusei gestured vaguely to the floor below him "Dinner is ruined, The stuff in the pot isn't enough for all of us and we don't have anything left in the house. What are we gonna do?" He sighed.

Seishi pondered, Her eyes wandering away as she tried to work up an idea. Out of nowhere she snapped her fingers brining both her husband and daughters attention to her.

"The rice! You bought rice last week, Right?" Seishi exclaimed.

Her father slowly nodded, Getting the idea.

"Yes! Right, I left the bag in the shed down the hill. I'll go get it, Do we have enough Bay leaves? We can use that in the rice." He asked.

"No, I'll go down to get the rice. I haven't counted the bay leaves so you can stay here and do that" Seishi replied.

"Really? I can go get the rice no problem, Are you sure?" Kyuusei asked.

"I'm sure. Plus, You should make sure that hand's okay." Her mother smiled, Rubbing circles into her husbands hand. Kyuusei smiled, His other hand going over to rest on his wife's.

"I wish I had your quick thinking, Seishi. I really do." He muttered.

"And I wish I had your rice cooking skills." Seishi responded. Her eyes glinted like the stars outside, Capturing her husbands gaze into them.

He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips up to hers. A short, sweet kiss that's warmth lingered on the lips when he pulled away to beam down at her.

"Thank you, Dear." He said. Their faces still rather close, So much so that their foreheads touched.

"It's no problem." She chuckled. And with that she moved away and over to the front door.

[F/N], Who spaced out the entirety of her parents interaction, Finally clocked back into reality when her mother started turning the doorknob.

"Mum! Where are you going?" [F/N] called out, Tugging on her mothers sakura-woven kimono.

Seishi looked down to her daughter, Her hand still on the doorknob she kneeled down to her daughters level and rested her other hand on her head.

"Just going out to get some more rice for dinner, Alright? I won't be too long." Seishi said, Lightly brushing back loose strings of [F/N]'s hair.

"Can I come with you..?" [F/N] pouted, Trying to produce the best puppy dog eyes she could muster.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here.. After all" Her mothers tone grew into a whisper between them

"Your dad will need a lot of help, His hand hurts a lot and I think your gonna need to take care of him." Her mother muttered, Raising her hand as a barrier so it was only between them.

"Really?" [F/N] said.

"Really. You better promise to take care of him alright?" She said. Raising a single pinky finger up to her daughter, Beckoning her to take it.

Slowly, [F/N] raised her own pinky finger up to her mothers and wrapped it around her mothers larger one.

"Alright.." [F/N] spoke, A hint of disappointment still lacing her voice as her mother got up from kneeling down.

"Be back soon!" Seishi called out to Kyuusei who shouted back a goodbye from another room. Opening the door she stepped out into the night.

"Bye mum!" [F/N] said. Just as the door closed tight.

☆♡☆

[F/N]'s body felt limp.

The room she lay in smelled old, Reminiscent of dust filled air and a strange pungent smell of iron. She couldn't hear much, Only the settling of wood and insects occasionally buzzing around her at times.

She couldn't move her body. Everything from her head to her toes felt like it was too relaxed to get up. This extended to her eyelids as well as they felt like weights were hanging from her eyelashes, Tugging them closed every time she tried to open them up.

Her mind felt dazed too, A dull and throbbing pain pulsating through the back of her skull. She could barely render anything around her as she could only fixate on her overrelaxed body.

She tried wiggling her fingers first. A few small twitches going into the fingertips, It was a start.

From her fingertips it went to into her hands, Then her feet then her lower legs. All until she could move freely with only a leftover feeling akin to a sleeping leg.

Finally wrenching her eyes open she blinked a few times to try rub the feeling off and stared up towards the ceiling, Though hard to see in the darkness.

Her previously weighted eyelids shot open, A shock ran through her body. Where was she?

She felt around with her hands, She seemed to be laying on top of a futon

Panic coursed through her system along with the events that occurred some amount of time ago. How long has she been out?

Despite her breaking out of her bodies numb state the hangover feeling was still present and in full affect.

Bringing her shoulder back she tried to swing her body round onto its side. Failing the first few tries she landed straight back to where she was.

She breathed in and out to try and calm herself. Turning to the other side of the futon facing the wall she built up momentum, And in one swift move her body swung over onto its side to face the rest of the room.

She smirked triumphantly and finally let her gaze survey her surroundings.

The room she was in a long rectangle shape. It was old, Definetly, The cobwebs and dust particles proved the fact. Despite not being able to see well in the very dim lighting in the room [F/N] could see It was rather empty as well.

Housing only a rickety closet with doors barely hanging on its hinges, A dresser covered in dust with a couple of the drawers missing. There was also a rather ancient rug stretching the entire length of the room that seemed to have patterns on it which faded over time. As well as the strange lump laying on the far end of the ru-

Oh god..

Oh good god..

She screamed

[F/N] felt bile rise in her throat. Rising so high that her high pitched scream turned into choking and gagging noises until she finally keeled over and belched out the vomit onto the wooden floorboards, Sputtering and spitting out the rest.

She let out a loud wail. She stared wide eyed at the scene, At the mass of which she previously thought was a lump.

A human corpse or what remained of it lay scattered on top of the blood-stained carpet. It was mangled, From the limbs to the torso to the spilled innards it was mangled.

Limbs lay tossed around the dismembered torso, Barely holding on by the stringy tendons keeping them hanging from the ligaments.

The bits of flesh still kept on the bone seemed to have chunks ripped out of them, Torn off roughly from their structure. The mans organs and intestines were lain out like a buffet platter, Neatly ordered from largest to smallest in front of him.

And the head, Good god, The head. It sat facing her, Eyes bulging out of their sockets and dark pupils staring right at her, Bloodshot and strained. She stared back, Eyes almost as wide as his.

The worst part? She recognised him. It was the man who bought out her marriage contract, She had only met him once but it was him.

His heart was lodged into his mouth, Stuffed right down his throat and stretching his jaw so wide it creating a permanent look of horror on his visage. Maggots and flies had already started to infest his remains, Attracted to the corpse like worms to rain.

[F/N] screamed, Yelled and cried with her throat still suffering from the burn the vomit made.

She burrowed herself into the corner of her futon, Desperately trying to get away from the unspeakable horror laying only a few feet away from her. She pushed herself further and further into the corner, She buried her hands into her face trying to get the sight out a she flailed around.

Her mind was already racing with questions: How did this happen? Why was she here? Why is this happening to her? The questions were the roadblock her train of thought crashed into and the mangled body was the wreck she couldn't look away from.

She was so preoccupied that she never noticed the overshadowing presence grab onto her wrist and pry her hands away from her face. She looked up, It was him. All six eyes glaring down at her.

She yelled, Tears shot out of her face and she tried to get away. She kicked and struggled in his iron tight hold as she tried her best to push him off of him.

"Stop.. Struggling!" He hissed, Trying to wrangle her into being still. It proved no use however, No matter how hard he tried to sheperd her into a docile state she was inconsolable. Her cries were broken only by hiccups and his presence just made her heartrate skyrocket.

"I SAID STOP!" He hollered. Baring his shark-like canines at her she didn't need to realise how the chunks got ripped off her never-to be husbands corpse. Her choked sobs dissolved down into coughs and quiet cries of agony.

"P-Please.. I.. I.. Don't kill me please! I-I don't wanna die.. Please just bring me back to the courtesan house.. I-I need to go back there.. You don't understand I need.. I need to go back.." She bawled.

Kokushibo's nose twitched at her words.

"Silly girl.. I have no intention of killing you." He growled like a feral animal, His previously commanding voice progressing into a primal sort of wild grumble resonating deep within his throat.

[F/N] shook her head in a rapid movement, Confusion mixing into her previous terror.

"T-Then why.. Why am I alive.. I-I don't.. I don't understand.." She babbled. Her fingers digging into her scalp harder she tugged on her hair.

"If you haven't.. Figured it out by now then.. Let me clear the fog for you.." He muttered. His face moved closer to [F/N]'s who tried backing away further into the corner, However she was stopped when his hand lunged to the back of her head and forced it closer to his. So close that their foreheads touched.

"From now on.. You are to be my bride.. My wife." He proclaimed in the faintest of whispers. All six of his eyes focused on hers of which spoke terrified confusion.

"Y-You want me to be your wife?!" She spoke with a tone wobbling in pitch. She didn't understand, She couldn't understand.

His nose twitched again, His expression unreadable.

"Yes.. My wife." Kokushibo confirmed with a slight nod of his head, Finally pulling away from her terrified visage.

"W-Why me.. Why me of all people?!" She whimpered. Her head lightly shaking back in forth, A futile effort to cope.

"Ever since that day I heard you.. All those months ago when I heard that voice.. That beautiful voice hum such a beautiful malady.. I couldn't get enough.." He seemed to stop in place, His vision seemed far off. Gazing into a far away memory to reminisce.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, He was following her for months. She had no idea, How could she not know he was stalking her? She was terrified.

Her mind seemed to be scrambled and misplaced like an unsolved puzzle. She felt one of the pieces of the puzzle in her throat, Taking only a very small peek towards the cadaver, She tried to put it down.

"T-Then what about.. H-Him.." She pointed a shaky finger at the rotting corpse behind him.

"Y-You didn't need to.. Kill.. Him. You could of just took me.. Why..?" She asked.

He didn't even look back at him, As if the mangled body was absolutely nothing to fret over. Instead his face seemed to grow dark and angry.

"It is a great dishonour.. For man to steal another's wife.. It is only right what he got." He hissed, A great venom running throughout his voice when he spoke about him and it terrified her. [F/N]'s form shook at his towering form overlooking her. Despite it all a rush of hubris ran through her, Only a small bit.

"I.. I am not your wife." [F/N] whispered so very quietly, But it was enough.

His nose twitched for a third and final time.

"Repeat that..?" He uttered.

"I-I am not your wi-"

He grabbed her by the jaw and roughly pulled her up to his level, Effectively cutting off her speech and fizzling out what confidence she had before and turning it into absolute terror.

"If the corpse of that vile man lying by your bedside.. Isn't warning enough. Then I'll tell you one thing.." He slowly moved his clawed hand from her collarbone, Slowly up to her throat. Pressing it in only enough to draw a single drop of red onto his fingertips. [F/N]'s breath grew heavier as her eyes went fixed onto the clawed nail, Begging not for any further pressure.

"You watch your tongue around me.. Or I won't hesitate to cut it out" He whispered.

Letting go of [F/N]'s jaw she fell back onto the futon and let out the biggest breath she didn't know she was holding. She shook in place, The words looped inside her head and ingrained themselves deep within her.

He brought his hand up to his mouth, The one he threatened her with. He lolled his tongue out of his mouth and licked the blood off his finger. [F/N] gagged at the sight.

"It seems that you need.. To be told of how things will work around here.." He said so stoic, As if he didn't threaten his captive only moments ago. [F/N] frantically nodded, Grabbing her throat to try and examine the damage.

"As my wife I expect you to follow the rules.. I set for you, So listen well.." He said, Beginning to slowly pace to and fro from one end of the futon to the other. [F/N] watched in scared anticipation, Intently watching for his next action. He stopped pacing and held up a single finger up to her.

"Rule number one.. You will perform your duties as my housewife. Cleaning the house.. Doing the dishes.. Be there to greet me at the door.. Along with polishing my swords. And if you even think about trying to use them to escape then.." He relaxed his free hand on his sheathed sword hilt. She didn't even need to know what he would say next, She got the message.

"Rule number two.. Every night before I come back from my.. Job. You will cook the meat that is left for you in the kitchen. Do not add anything to it.. Spices, Salts, Herbs.. Nothing." He emphasised the last point, Raising a second finger. Confusion spiralled in with her terror. Put nothing in it? She had no time to dwell on it however as he raised a third and final finger.

"Rule number three.. You are not allowed to leave this house… Though at night I will permit you to enter the garden.. Only at night. Once the sun comes up you must return inside immediately.." He finished. Lowering his fingers his eyes started to roam over her form.

"Do you understand me?" He asked.

[F/N] tried to steady herself on the mattress and steel her face.

Wiping the sweat off her face she nodded.

"Y-Yes.. I do." She replied.

Kokushibo hummed with a deep reverberation in his throat. When it stopped they were left in silence, Staring back at one and other with a wide split of emotions. The quiet was deafening between them.

And with that, Kokushibo turned away.

He walked towards the closed old door at the far end of the room, Walking with near silence. [F/N] felt her heartrate pickup, She called out.

"W-WAIT!.." She cried out.

Kokushibo held the doorknob in his hands. Although he stopped at [F/N]'s plea he faced the doorway and didn't look back at her. She sniffled.

"What about… him..?" She breathed, Only a touch higher than a whisper. The body of her dead fiance lay rotting still on the floor.

Kokushibo finally turned his head around to her, Only so all she could barely see was his left set of eyes staring her dead on.

"Rule number one.. Start cleaning.."

☆♡☆

The meat sizzled on the pan. The bloody raw juices burnt along with it, Creating an earthy aroma that filled the small kitchen it cooked it.

[F/N] sat crouched in front of the fire the pan hung from,

Occasionally poking and prodding at the meat with a stick to make sure it came out tender enough.

The professionally done makeup she had adorned before had degraded into smudged lips, Pudgy foundation and poorly done eyeliner. Not to mention her hair which looked like a wild animal got into it, Went berserk and was proceeded to be tied back up into an Oiran's usual up do.

Her charming personality couldn't save her appearance either. Her eyes that use to hold an enticing sparkle had dimmed into a dull gaze, All weighed down by the deep bags under her them from crying late at night. Her beautiful smile that could stun anyone was long gone and replaced by a permanent frown.

Since she had been swept away to her prison, It had been about two.. three.. Maybe four weeks? She couldn't remember, She had lost track after the first and after that it all had blurred into one, Hellish nightmare.

Even then she couldn't remember much of the first week, Not the first half anyways. She remembered the rules of course, And the awful man charading as her husband but everything that came after seemed to be a blur, After that all she knew was the red stain on the bedroom carpet that seemed to appear all of a sudden, How it got there was a mystery to her.

The second half of the first week was much more clear to her. It consisted entirely of a "Settlement Period" as that monster had put it. Do the dishes.. Greet him when he comes home, God save her if she didn't greet him.

One night she had completely forgotten to do so. She was so tired that night from all the cooking and cleaning that she didn't even notice him come home. He became unbelievably furious at her and had locked her in the bedroom closet for a good amount of hours. He didn't let her out no matter how loud her wails and screams became.

Before the settlement period ended he was much more distant, Per se. He kept away from her, Didn't speak much. As long as she did the rules set out for her he didn't interact with her at all. But he did stare.

Anywhere she went when he was home she could feel his eyes on her, That hot glare could melt ice with its intensity. It only served her to be more scared of him, To fear his next move, To flinch whenever he did.

After the period had ended however is when he started to get closer. He'd force her to lay with him at night in the same bed, Nothing came of it but the absolute inconsolable fear that resonated from within her every time he dragged her to their shared futon every time the sun came up was absolutely nauseating.

That was another thing, He goes out at the first show of the moon and comes home just before the wake of dawn. You figured it was a demon thing, It probably was. But this small little fact changed her sleep schedule to make her nocturnal, Which annoyed her greatly.

He'd start to try make light conversation if you could call it that, It was more of him asking questions such as 'What did you do today'. To which she had no answer, She was kidnapped. She had spent the entire day doing what he had forced her to do. However the only thing she could say to appease him was "Nothing much honey? What about you" while they sat over the meat she slaved away at.

The meat, She didn't want to think about the meat. She had no idea where it came from, Just that it restocked when she fell asleep.

When they ate together, When he forced her to she couldn't quite place the taste of it. It wasn't like anything she had tasted before and the closest thing she could place it to was pork, However seemed to be more sweeter and a just a little more stronger than any pork she's had before.

She didn't want to know what kind of meat it was, She didn't want to ask. It was probably better that way.

All she focused on was cooking it, Making sure that it turned the golden brown it was suppose to be.

To cook it she was given a simple pan and a few pieces of wood to make friction with. She wasn't allowed anything sharp so she had resorted to bamboo sticks and her bare hands to cut and prepare it.

The kitchen wasn't much help either. When she finally brought up the courage to venture into rooms other than the bedroom she discovered the absolute abandonment the rest of the house was in.

Like the bedroom which was bad enough the kitchen was horrendous. The wooden floorboards and structure were rotting. Cobwebs were infesting every little crook and cranny of the kitchen, So much so that it looked like clumps of yarn had been stuffed into them. Not to mention the tiny web landlords she found in them that she had to chase away with rocks.

She had to slave away day and night to even make it somewhat hygienic to cook in.

Apart from the kitchen she hadn't dared to go into any other room in the house. She didn't want to think about what was in there if the kitchen was this bad. The only rooms she went in and out of was the bedroom, Kitchen and bathroom.

Apart from that she hadn't explored any other room, Luckily enough it seemed like her captor didn't care if she didn't clean the other rooms. As long as the kitchen, Bedroom and bathroom were clean he didn't say a word about it.

But there was another area she loved to explore.

Outside of the house, When she was permitted she would enter the garden. While it was unkempt like the rest of the house with flowers and rye grass growing wild, [F/N] thought that gave it charm.

There were a good few amount of large tree's casting shade around the small field the garden covered with lush green leaves covering them. Unfortunately she couldn't escape as the gardens were fenced off by large walls covered head to toe in a rather severe form of poison ivy, If she tried to climb them she'd be writhing on the ground in seconds.

The flowers were vividly coloured and bloomed in a wide spectrum. They radiated such a beautiful fragrance, With her favourites being the pink ones as they reminded her of her beloved sakura blossom.

But despite the beautiful aroma coming from them it just didn't have the same smell of her cherry blossoms, Leaving the lovely smell bittersweet instead. Besides, The tree's in the garden just weren't the type to produce the blooms.

She'd find a way to escape. When she does she'll find her way back home, Back to him.

A loud sizzle of the meat on the pan snapped [F/N] out of her reflection.

The meat had turned into a rich brown, Signalling it's medium rare condition. [F/N] groaned and wiped the sweat off her brow that built up while she daydreamed.

Slowly poking the meat over the side of the pan she pushed it over onto a plate to collect it. Scraping the last bits of the slabs off onto the plate she got up from her perched position on the floor while stretching her aching legs.

Wobbling in place she moved over to the old kitchen countertop and set the meat down to cool off. She sighed and leaned back onto the counter beside it.

She realised she'd started cooking the meat too early as the moon outside usually rung of the time her captor got home. This gave her time to herself.

For a normal person this would be a good thing, However to [F/N] it just meant more time for her and her thoughts. She didn't want to think anymore about her situation as it would just make her overthink more. She needed something to do.

Looking around the small main room for an opportunity she came up barren. She recalled all the books Kokushibo had occasionally brought back for her, She had read them all at least fifty times over and had basically memorised every word so she supposed that was a no go.

Clean the house again? Both the kitchen and the house were both as spotless as an abandoned house could get, There would be nothing to clean. Though, The other rooms in the house were abandoned and unexplored, Bound to have some dust in there.

She didn't even like cleaning, Not in the slightest. Though she figured her situation had brought on new hobbies despite how depressing of a hobby cleaning is.

Though as she looked at the door she recalled back to all of the disturbing traits of her imprisonment: The mystery meat, The carpet stain, The infestations. Who know if these are the only the things she found in three rooms then the rest of the house must host only the Gods knows.

She eyed the door as if she was a rabbit to a wolf. Slowly, She shuffled over to the shoji door. The inside birch handle seemed to resemble a open maw to her. The scolded herself in her mind.

It was just a door, It was just a room. Why are you afraid of entering a dusty old room? You shouldn't be feeling like this, It's totally irrational [F/N]. Pull yourself together.

She exhaled, She knew she was right. It was just a room. She never had this problem before, Maybe her kidnapping has shook her up more than she realised. Go in, You might even find something that could help you escape. Just rip the bandage off.

Steeling herself with the hope of escape she grabbed the open maw handle she roughly pushed it open. Instantly she was met with a dust cloud that made her cough and cover her mouth with her kimono sleeve as she desperately tried to waft the air away with her hand.

When the cloud finally settled she lifted her head up to peek inside the room.

Peering around the corner she looked inside to see a storage room of sorts, Or at least that's what it looked like.

The inside dimensions was of a rectangular shape with a high ceiling. Like the rest of the rooms it was completely covered in dust and cobwebs, [F/N] could also see the scuttling of tiny bugs running around the floor to which she squirmed.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, On top of it sat pots and pots of dead old plants of a wide variety, [F/N] wasn't surprised, With the large biodiversity of the garden outside she should of known the previous owner of this place had a green thumb.

On the far side of the wall was three storage cabinets, They were built with 'Swing open doors' and luckily had no locks on them. Noticing this [F/N]'s curiosity was piqued, The possibility of escape tools was tantalizing.

She took a few steps into the room, Deeming it not to be of any danger. Looking left and right to confirm this she tiptoed over to the storage cabinets and reached the first one.

She ran her fingers over one of the hinged doors, Collecting a layer of dust while she searched for the handle. Finding the rise on the surface she gripped onto it and turned. Swinging the door open she peered inside to see the contents.

Inside there were several glass jars, All of them were of different sizes and shapes but in the end they all contained lots of kinds of herbs and spices, All of which were strangely still fresh.

Grabbing a few of the jars she examined them. The bottle's necks had a thin tag attached to them.

Paprika, Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Oregano, Brahmi, Tumeric, Nutmeg, Pepper.

All of which she recognised. While none of the contents appeared to be of any use to her escape plot they did give her something to use with the meat, Though Kokushibo didn't want any in his it didn't mean she couldn't season hers at all.

She slid the containers back into their cabinet and closed the door. Feeling somewhat satisfied with her finds she moved onto the next one.

Opening it up she looked inside to find.. Little colourful pouches. The pouches were scattered within the cabinet. They were a wide range of colours from blue to pink, They were there. All of them had little floral patterns sowed into them with care.

[F/N] raised an eyebrow. The pouches were just laying there without any holder like the spices, No nametag either. She also doubted they would actually have anything in there that would assist in her get away.

But she couldn't be lazy, She needed to check.

Collecting the pouches she scooped them up into her palms and brought them to her chest. Surveying their condition and rubbing a few of their contents through her fingers she found they all contained different textures. Finally deciding to check them she pried open the mouth of them and examined the contents.

And there were.. Seeds.

The outside colour of pouch she had opened was yellow and the insides were sunflower seeds.

[F/N] hummed, Only mildly surprised. She continued on to the other ones.

Blue? Ocean lilies. Red? Roses. Black? Dahlia's. Each of the small pouches had a colour corresponding to their contents. She put the opened ones back inside the cabinet and sieved through the rest.

Putting away orchids and tiger lilies she finally reached the final pouch.

It was a baby pink with silver threads adorning it. Testing its weight, She tossed it up into the air and it landed back with a light thud into her hand. It wasn't unlike the others, Not at all.

Pulling open the string around its neck she opened up.

Inside of the little pink pouch were seeds. Big and round, Resembling something like a walnut. There were a total of four in there.

Her eyes expanded to that of saucers. Her jaw went slack open. She recognised them, How could she not? They were cherry blossom seeds, Yoshino to be exact.

She felt her heartrate rise up in her chest, A pounding sensation filling her entire body. She felt as if an exfoliating light was rising up from her palms, A glimmering hope in the darkest days of her life, All radiating from inside the sack in her palms.

[F/N] squealed at the sight and couldn't help but rapidly stomp her foot being unable to contain her excitement.

She swiftly clawed out one of the little nut-like seeds and felt in around in her hands. A burst of giggles erupted from her and she spun around in place at the sight of it. Without any thought she knew what she had to do.

She stuffed the pouch in her her obi and rushed out the room with a new found speed. She needed to plant the seeds, She needed to grasp onto the cherry blossoms, She needed to smell them.

Completely forgetting her previous escape plan and ignoring the amount of time it would take to grow the tree she took no time when she ran out into the main room towards the main door.

And stopped dead in her tracks.

Standing in front of the wide open door stood Kokushibo. He glared straight at her, All six of his eyes scrutinizing her entire form.

[F/N] froze up, Her previous excitement dying in her throat. Her fault hit her like brick and made her head spin round and round. She forgot to greet him.. She forgot..

Her knee's almost buckled under the weight of her mistake. She tried to speak, But no words came out.

Kokushibo looked at her, Then around the room. He moved his clawed hand and she flinched.

"The meat has gone cold.." He commented, Pointing at the left out meat.

[F/N]'s lip trembled. Suddenly building up the courage to speak she let it spill out.

"I.. I'm so sorry I.. I.. Lost track of time.. Forgive me, Please.." She spoke fast and stuttered as she went. Her eyes started to water at the prospect of being locked back in that small, closed off space.

Kokushibo was unfazed. Looking straight through her.

"Its.. Fine.." He said and with that, He turned away and trod off down the hallway.

[F/N] felt herself instantly relax as soon as he left the room. While the meat wasn't hot anymore and she'd need to heat it up, She wasn't punished or yelled at for failing to both greet him at the door and making the meat how he liked. She thanked whatever kami was looking over her.

However she noticed from the small crack of the closed door that the sun was rising. She wouldn't be able to go outside into the garden to plant the seeds.

At least, Not while Kokushibo is aware.

☆♡☆

It was the early hours of the morning, Only a few hours after [F/N] got a hold on the cherry blossom seeds.

Like every night before then her captor had dragged [F/N] back to their shared bedroom and had forced her onto the futon. As usual nothing came of it. It was just him facing away from her towards the wall while she looked the other way.

Normally this would end with her eventually falling into a dreamless slumber, But today she had a plan.

She decided to wait for Kokushibo to fall asleep, A task which she assumed would be boring but easy. But had turned out to be the complete opposite.

She herself had stilled her breath and relaxed her movements, Trying to make it seem that she herself was deep into REM. But this seemed to work a bit too well as Kokushibo bought into it.

She felt him run his claws through her hair, She had to steel her nerves just so she wouldn't squirm away from him. He kept moving around in bed, Too. Repeatedly repositioning himself to include her in his sleeping position: Wrapping his arms around her waist, Resting her head on his shoulder, Spooning. All of which made her want to vomit.

I should of just waited until night time to plant it. She thought. She was right as well. It would be much more convenient if she did wait, But her mind tossed it like a used cigarette immediately. She needed to plant the seeds, She needed her cherry blossoms.

In the end however he couldn't find a comfortable position, So he just reverted back to the original stare-at-the-wall form.

She had waited another two hours after that, Just to make sure he was asleep. Once she finally felt sure she had put her next step into motion.

Literally, She had to be extremely cautious in her steps as the floorboards had a tendency to creak. One single move could ruin everything.

Getting up, Slowly, Carefully. She swung her legs over onto the floorboards and pressed her feet down softly.

She waited.

No sound came. She was in the clear.

Fully getting up from the bed she creeped ever so sluggishly towards the main door, Carefully making sure not to touch any of the floorboards that were particularly old.

Reaching the door, The hardest part had came around.

The doorknob, The accursed doorknob. Every time [F/N] would turn it around to leave the mechanisms inside would create such a churn of noise so loud that you could hear it from the kitchen.

As gently as she could she relaxed her hand over the doorknob. Gripping it she began to gradually turn it, So slow you could barely see it move. The mechanisms from behind the door started to sound out too, Lowered and muffled by [F/N]'s sluggish pace but still enough to make a low scraping noise on the wood.

She winced at the sound, Her pace going even slower until she turned it around the entire way.

She pulled it open gently, Her hand still on the doorknob. The threat of the mechanisms reversing hung over her head like a guillotine, The sharp blade seeming to lower every time the noise jolted in volume.

She let the knob go. Glancing back at the slumbering demon, She found him still dead asleep on the futon.

She grinned, Wild and toothy. She was free to go.

She walked off down the hallway towards the front door. Pulling out the small baby pink pouch from her obi she confirmed it was still there. The adrenaline of the situation ran through her and the raw excitement of her find elated her so much so that she felt she was floating.

Reaching the door she swung it open and rushed out into the garden. It was early morning. Though you couldn't tell due to the thick blanketing clouds, So thick that it didn't even let a single crack of sunlight dawn through. As she ran barefoot, Stomping on the wild overgrowths of grass she noted that the soil seemed dry today.

[F/N] frowned, These weren't good agriculture conditions. But that didn't waver her stride nor did it shake her determination in the slightest, She was confident in her goal.

Running past the wild bursts of flower growth and foliage she reached the heart of the garden: A little rocky hill with a clearing at the top, The perfect position for a Yoshino blossom tree to be perched.

She swatted away hair strands blowing in her face from the light breeze, Tripping only once or twice on the way up she reached the top.

Falling to her knees, Dirtying her old kimono in the process she brushed away the grass to find the perfect spot.

Finding a small little dip located in the exact middle point she deemed it good enough to dig in.

[F/N] started to claw and scratch at the dirt with her bare nails, Pushing away soil left and right not caring about the mess she made. She knew she needed a hole at least a few feet deep.

She tossed the pouch to the side of the hole, Seeds rattling around inside it.

She dug further and further down, Soil was building up beside the dip that soon turned into a crevice. Soon enough though her nails hit a harder part of the soil and began to be proven useless.

[F/N] near-growled at the impasse. Thinking quickly, She extracted one of the sharp-tipped hairpins from her messed hair. Ignoring the hair flopping over from the removed support she raised the pin high up above her head.

Bringing it back to gather momentum she quickly brought it back down-

She froze. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.

She didn't need to turn around to know about the katana only inches away from her neck, Ready to pierce her skin at any moment.

"What exactly.. Do you think you're doing?" Kokushibo hissed. He was angry, He was so angry. His entire being shook with it. The blade he pointed directly at the back of her neck shook along with him.

[F/N]'s heart seemed to stop beating and her jaw lay open. His kimono wove in tandem to the wind and was brought apart from his rage. The hairpin she held dropped to the ground with a clang!

"I.. I.." She sputtered. She didn't dare turn around. She didn't dare turn around to see his bared teeth, His wide eyes scrutinising every atom of her, His free hand twitching around itching to dig into her skin.

A sound similar to what a feral animal would make rose from within his throat. The blade inched closer.

"An answer.. Now." He spat, Taking a step closer.

Despite his words he didn't wait for one. Alternating his blade to his other hand he reached down beside her he grabbed the pouch. [F/N] gasped.

"W-Wait!" She exclaimed. He brought the pouch up to his face to examine it. [F/N] tried to grasp and grab at the pouch but was nonchalantly shook off by Kokushibo, Who paid her no mind.

He wretched the mouth of the sack open and brought out one of the walnut-like seeds, Holding it with two claws up to his middle eyes. He ignored [F/N]'s protests, She felt her entire being break. Her one chance of comfort destroyed before her.

She broke down into quiet tears, Her retaliation growing weaker and weaker until she just slumped over on her knees.

"What.. What is this?" He asked, Not taking his eyes off the nut. "It's a cherry blossom seed.." [F/N] muttered through her soft cries. Kokushibo looked down at her, His face cooling off only a singe. He lowered the seed down to instead clutch it in his hand.

"You came out here.. To do gardening?" His voice sounded off, Like he was deep in thought. [F/N] nodded.

"Why?" He asked. The question seemed to elude [F/N]'s response. A war waged on in her mind, One side fighting to stay silent the other to just tell the truth. She shook it off, Going for the third party.

"Does it matter to you?" She said, Her voice a tone of defeat. In her somewhat right mind she would of never spoke to him with that level of audacity, But now it just seemed futile.

Kokushibo sucked in air through his teeth and huffed as if it was a stupid question.

"You are my wife.. I expect there to be no secrets hiding from me." He answered so casually.

"I am not your wife.. I've told you this before. There was no marriage, You kidnapped me." She sighed. Every inch of fear she had seemed pushed to the side now.

Kokushibo lowered his sword, He took a step forward closer to her. "..Why do you like them so much?" He asked, Ignoring her previous remark which would get her reprimanded. Her eyes narrowed, This brought on a sense of confusion to [F/N].

"Why do you want to know.." She repeated her previous question through her sniffles, Still looking down at the grass.

"Back at that courtesan house.. Your room was filled to the brim with those flowers. I had assumed it was a theme… That wretched old woman gave you to make you stand out.. From the other Oiran's in the area.." He explained.

"But I was proven otherwise when instead of escaping.. You came out to plant one of the tree's." His voice was filled with puzzlement.

[F/N] had nothing to say at his words, Nothing at all.

"Let me make you a deal." He proclaimed, His voice finally making [F/N]'s head rise up from the ground to look up at his looming figure. A deal? Her face scrunched up in confusion while she awaited his response.

"If you explain to me.. The reason for your love of sakura blossoms.. And start refering to me by my proper title.. I will let you plant this seed here.. As well as bringing you back whatever you desire when I leave the house. " He laid the bargain out in front of her. It wasn't the deal that puzzled her to no end, But instead his unyielding determination to know why she adored the blossoms.

"Why do you even want to know about it? It doesn't matter to you at all." Her final question escaped her lips. He stood quiet for only a moment as he pondered her words. Kokushibo's expression seemed to grow light as he looked at her.

"Because despite your silly beliefs.. I care about you. And I wish to know about you, To be a good husband for you" He said.

This pierced through [F/N] harder than anything his katana could of done. Her shoulders loosened up and she nodded.

"Alright then. I accept the deal."

☆♡☆

[F/N] layed by the boiling pot hanging over the fire, Swinging her legs around and fidgeting with her hands.

The clouds that had barely obscured the sky earlier had grown into a raging storm, One that neither she or her father predicted. The rain was heavy and came down like bullets along with the wind which was harsh and unforgiving. Outside the cherry tree branches hit each other back and forth creating loud rustling noises.

Along with the semi-boiled water she could smell the rain mixing with the wildlife from the halfway opened window. She kept glancing out it to see if she could catch a glimpse of her mother returning with the rice.

Her dad had commanded her to keep an eye on the water, And for the first ten minutes she did. However eventually her young mind grew bored and wandered off to other things.

[F/N] groaned and flopped her arms to her side.

"Dad, When's mum gonna be back?" [F/N] exclaimed with a lilt of annoyance.

Her dad stood over by the kitchen counter clutching a good few clovers of bay leaves in his hands.

"Don't know, Sweetheart. You know how your mother is with taking her time." Kyuusei replied. He shifted through the bay leaves and got to the very last one, Staring at them blankly for a moment he sighed. He turned back to his daughter.

"Be right back, [F/N]." He called out to her before turning away and walking towards the shoji door. [F/N] watched him slide it open and walk through.

Once he shut it closed, She perked up from lying down on the floorboards and got up.

Ignoring the boiling pot of water she rushed over to the open window. Gripping onto the frame she tried hauling her small self up onto the ledge, Failing twice before finally being able to pull her little body up onto the frame.

She looked out into the wild weather of the night and took it as nothing big. Jumping down onto the other side she pranced out into the rife atmosphere in search of her mother.

She ran off onto the rough stone path, Tripping both from the heavy winds and the jagged rocks. She had to pause just to regain her balance, However when she did she took off further down the path.

[F/N] ignored her soaked kimono and the hair whipping around her as she carefully maneuvered the stones. Lightning echoed out in the distance, But the noise didn't rock her from her path.

The warm light of her house grew farther and farther away, The cold chill of the night grew stronger the more she went.

Eventually reaching the peak of the ledge they sat on she looked out over the forest below. Her hair blowing around in her face made it hard to see below. When she finally gathered it all together she finally got a look below.

She saw the small shed there, Lightly rocking back and forth on its structure. The candles weren't lit inside implying her mother wasn't there.

[F/N] groaned, But suddenly she spotted her mother through the rain and wind.

She lay unconscious at the bottom of the hill, Her arms and legs spread out on her stomach. The bag of rice was spilt out a little way beside her. [F/N]'s eyes widened, Panic rising up into her chest. She heard her father yell out from behind her, But she ignored him and his calls.

"Mum! Mum!" She yelled out over the storm noise. Carefully, She made her way down the hill to get a better look at her. Climbing down onto a lower rock she narrowed her eyes to-

She wasn't unconscious

She wasn't unconscious.

Seishi's neck was twisted 180, Her broken neckbone dug out from her flesh making her head look barely attached. She lay in a thick puddle of blood diluted only by the rainwater. She had fallen on the path.

[F/N] screamed.

"MUM! MUM!" She wailed. Running down the path not caring about her stumbles and wobbles as she went.

She reached her mothers corpse, Her head was facing up while her body faced down. Her visage excreted fear, A final terrifying sculpture. [F/N] gripped onto her body and sobbed, Pulling at her kimono and burying her face into her mothers shoulder.

"[F/N]!" Her father had finally reached the scene and stood still at the top of the hill. He looked down on the rest of his family and he yelled, A loud guttural yell.

He rushed down the pathway and quickly enveloped his daughter in a hug, Shielding her away from the corpse of her mother. [F/N] latched onto her father and sobbed inconsolably.

"S-Seishi.. Seishi, My love.. It should of been me.. It should of been me.. I'm so, so sorry." Kyuusei cried, Looking upon the cold dead look of his wife. [F/N] cried along with him, Crying out for her mother to come back.

She shut her eyes tight, Hoping that when she opened them she'd awaken in her mothers arms. Wanting to be lightly scolded for staying up too late.

But when she opened them that never happened, Just the cold rainwater and the shaking arms of her father hugging her tight.

She cried. The last thing she remembered was the faint scent of her mothers cherry blossom perfume, Fading out into the iron smell of her mangled corpse.

☆♡☆

It was a sleepless night.

The morning after, The storm clouds dispersed away. Bringing in the warm sun shining over the revitalised forest.

The irony stung the both of them, As today was the day they'd need to carry her mother's cadaver to its burial site.

Her father had held [F/N] the entire night, Trying to find the words to console her when he knew none could comfort either of them. So instead they sat like that until the first eye of dawn.

After that they made their way back down to the death site. Picking up Seishi's cold body he pulled her close to him, He tried his best to put on a strong face for his daughter but he couldn't help the silent tears and hiccups erupting from his throat as he carried his wife's body through the forest.

[F/N] tailed behind him, Repeatedly calling out for her mother in small sobs. She repeatedly wiped away her tears with her sleeve yet they kept flooding out anyways.

They decided on the massive weeping sakura sat in the core of the woods as Seishi's final resting place, It was her most prized tree as it towered over all the other ones around it.

The digging of the grave took a good few hours for her father to complete, During that time he never said a single word and never for a second took his eyes off of his task.

Once the grave was finally done he had looked into his wife's eyes for a final time and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. He softly apologised to her, Professing his guilt over her death and how he loved her so.

He lowered her body into the grave and shut her eyes. Once both [F/N] and him said their final goodbyes, He got to filling the grave with a sombre expression.

After that her father had grown sad and bitter, The previous light and warmth that his presence radiated had grown cold. Most days he wouldn't leave his bed. He never said anything either, Not much anyways.

Unlike the cherry tree's symbolising life and renewal, Her mother had not come back to them in the spring.

This went on for years, It never ended. His depression had grown so severe that he had lost his job, Both for his horrible attendance and his sombre attitude. This had left the sole provider to be [F/N]

Her mothers death hit her terribly, She had broken down crying for weeks on end afterwards. She'd lay by her grave for hours on end, Only straying to go to sleep. Even then there were some days she'd fall asleep by her grave.

When the money ran out however, Is when [F/N] was forced to pick herself up and start providing for the both of them. She had to, For both her survival and her fathers.

To make money she had came up with a custom kind of tea blend made out of the sakura leaves surrounding her house. A sweet yet earthy blend that a lot of the younger and elder women seemed to love. It brought in money, Not a lot but enough to get by.

Everyday she'd travel out from the forest down to the village, Go door to door trying to advertise her blend of Sakurayu to the villagers. Then come home to make dinner for her and her father.

This cycle went on for years until she was a young woman. If it wasn't pity, She knew some of the villagers criticized her for being the one to take care of her parents. It didn't matter though.

She needed to take care of her father, Cause if she didn't, Nobody else would.

However one day, Years later. The village nearby had made merchant deals with hers. Trading food, Clothing the exact same sakura tea blend that [F/N] worked hard to make.

Unfortunately the villagers loved the imported tea more than [F/N]'s homemade blend, This had absolutely destroyed [F/N]'s income and instantly threw her into a panic.

The money she had made before had suddenly disappeared. So when she heard gossip from some of the younger girls at the village about the courtesan houses in the big city, She knew what she needed to do.

The next morning she kissed her father on the forehead, Leaving a letter and the last savings of money to keep him going while she was gone.

With that, She stowed away on a carriage ride going all the way to Heian-Kyo. In search of a better life.

All while she rubbed the soft pink petals, The same ones that always told her she was safe. Safe in the arms of her mother.

☆♡☆

[F/N] was crying now, Tears rolled down her face as she spilt out her past for her captor to hear.

"After that I just.. I found a house with vacancy and they took me in.. Then I just.. Worked my way up until I was Oiran." She choked out, Her face dug deep into her own palms.

Kokushibo held her close in his arms, He had started doing so once she had broke down at the explanation of her mothers death. He showed no emotion on his face, But his actions seemed to speak loudly enough for him.

"I-I sent money to my father when I could.. I haven't seen him in years.." She cried, Nuzzling closer into his chest. They were so close that she was basically sitting on his lap. She didn't care anymore, She needed the comfort and if it meant ignoring the morality of the situation to get it then she would never think another thought about it.

"Please.. I don't know how long it has been but I need to go back to the Oiran house.. I need to get the money for him.." She looked up at him, Tears in her eyes.

Kokushibo hummed, Moving an arm up to her shoulder he rubbed circles trying to provide comfort.

"I am unable to bring you back.." He said. [F/N] looked away from him, Sniffling. She knew it wasn't a matter of him being unable, It was a matter of he didn't want to.

"But I will be able to provide the money you seek." He finished. She looked back, Her eyes wide and full of life.

"What..?" She asked, Seeking confirmation of his words. He only nodded.

"If money is.. what you need then I can provide it.. It is no hassle for me" He proclaimed, Looking back into her own eyes.

[F/N] smiled, A wide, Genuine smile graced her face. A light blossoming within her like the leaves of her sacred tree.

"You.. You mean it?" She whispered, Looking deep into his eyes which only held the truth.

"Of course.. I do. As part of our deal.. Whatever you want." He replied, His voice contained such obsession care that she just couldn't see before. She melted in his hold.

"Also as a part of our deal.. I do believe its time for you to plant that seed." He said, Bringing up the seed he had in his hand he presented it to her like a wedding ring.

She smiled wider and took it from his palms.

Turning around, Still in his hold she looked down at the half dug hole. Picking up her hairpin to start digging again she was stopped by a gentle grasp on her wrist.

"Use this instead.." Kokushibo said, Handing over a small dagger. "It would be better than a hairpin.."

She thanked him and got to work. Using the wide surface area of the dagger she dug at a much better pace, Kokushibo watched her every movement the entire time.

Once she had dug a big enough hole she examined the knife. Kokushibo presented his hand, Signalling her to give back the knife. She held the hilt tight. Looking once at his hand then to the knife.

She sighed and dropped the knife into his hands. He nodded and tucked the knife away somewhere she couldn't see.

"Alright then.." She muttered, Holding the seed up to both of their eyes she reached the final step.

"Just let it go.." He replied, The same quiet tone echoing back at her. She looked at the seed and remembered her situation. The kidnapping, The living conditions, The punishment. All of it came back to her.

It was an awful feeling, Something she wanted to push away, Something she didn't want to feel ever again.

Knowing she was too wrapped up in her own mind to make the last move he guided her hands down to the crevice. He rested his head on her own, Her back up against his chest from where they sat.

He nudged the seed from her grasp and it fell into the hole. She snapped out of it and looked down to see the seed had been planted. "That was not so hard.. Was it?" He asked, Though he did not expect an answer.

She shook her head, The frown on her face was barely visible. Slowly, She began to refill the dug out hole covering the seed so it could grow in the right conditions.

She felt Kokushibo wrap his arms around her midsection, A sensation she had jolted at. It was an action she did not expect, Leaving her stiff.

Once the hole was fully covered and the seed was set to grow she was left to her own thoughts as she was embraced by her captor now husband.

This was fine, It wasn't okay. Gods, it was not okay by any means or context that could be given. She had been kidnapped and tortured for an amount of time she couldn't even remember, But it was fine. Just fine.

If the only thing she needed to do to provide for her father was become this man's wife, Then she would do as she had promised.

Though as her mind wandered off to her now gone plan of escape, The torture she had endured during her stay here she felt that same, Horrid feeling bubble up inside her.

She hated it, She hated it so much.

She tried to recall the aroma of the cherry blossoms, Imagining the sweet subtle smell invade her senses and take over her entire being head to toe.

And suddenly, Everything was fine.

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