phases of the moon

I. The Family Protected by Mizuchi

Warm air hit Rin's face as he stepped off his horse, he looked up and gazed at the gate in front of him. The crest of the Fukuhara family staring right back at him, Mizuchi - a mystical sea serpent whose body twisted and turned like the waves of the calm ocean has its piercing, terrifying gaze on Rin. For a moment Rin felt his nervousness creep back from behind him,he tried to calm himself the whole way there, he couldn't let this emblem on the gate undo his grip on himself!

He knew however that he didn't have the upper hand here, the land his family had power over was landlocked by three more powerful clans. He was there to get on Lord Fukuhara's good side and marry his daughter...or atleast hope his father could convince his fellow daimyo to let him do so. Rin bit his lip in frustration, he knew that their marriage was just a social contract of alliance between their families. There isn't any love. There won't ever be love and Rin was raised to accept this fact.

"Stand up straight," His father's voice echoed as he stepped off his own decorated horse."Making these people our ally is essential to our family, never forget that."

"Of course, father." He replied as the gates opened.

***

Meeting Lord Fukuhara was definitely an experience on its own. He seemed to be as old as his own father, but there was something about his presence that radiated this aura of a strong, authoritarian figure.

He was stoic and unyielding as he spoke with them. Rin couldn't take it at all, everyone was so serious and foreboding that it felt like they were holding a war meeting and not arranging a marriage. Lord Fukuhara sat in front of them alone and it actually relieved Rin, he was unsure of what he should think when his wife-to-be entered the room.

He was presented paintings of her before, she was truly young and elegant, but paintings only portrayed the person's best traits, what if she was different? What if she was rude and irritable? What if she hated Rin's guts at first sight? And then that dooms them both to a miserable marriage?

"Father," a masculine voice interrupts them as the door to the room slid open.

There, a man stood tall and proud. He seems to be Rin's age as well, perhaps only a few years older at most. His hair is wavy, reminiscent of the waves that Mizuchi made on the emblem on the gate, and tied up tight into a ponytail. His long hair descended in what Rin could only describe as an elegant waterfall. The curls in front of his face framed his sharp eyes, the man's gaze directed only to his father. After noticing how wonderfully the man's hair framed him, Rin took notice of his clothes, which only seemed to elevate the elegance that the man portrayed.

His kimono was a dark and rich red. It was simple and carried nothing but the color but the simplicity of the kimono only drew more attention to the haori he wore. The cloth was black, the darkest black that Rin has ever seen, a rich and captivating void. This served an important purpose as it let the intricate golden embroidery on it shine even more. Mizuchi danced around the fabric of his haori, it twisted and turned like the water currents; a story was stitched into the man's clothes. Rin wanted to investigate both the haori and the man wearing it in closer detail. He wanted just a few more moments to sit in awe of the beauty a single person could hold.

"Yoshiteru," Lord Fukuhara replied before the man could continue his message. "Is this how I raised you? Greet our guests first." Rin managed to catch Yoshiteru's gaze on him, he felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked right into his captivating brown eyes. "Forgive my rudeness," He said in apology before stepping aside. "But I have brought my sister, like you instructed, father."

Another figure peeks behind Yoshiteru, a young woman that fit the paintings he saw perfectly. Yukiko entered the room, taking her place beside Lord Fukuhara. The formal introductions begin and Rin tries his best to keep his gaze on Yukiko, but his mind wanders back to Yoshiteru at the door. He looks back briefly to see that Yoshiteru had his eyes on him, his lips downturned as he closes the door to leave.