GUNS & ROSES | ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ

xxxi. ✓

𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒊.

(Flashback)

"Marku!" The name reverberated through the air, snapping the supreme leader of the Sakura Clan out of his reverie. His right-hand man and best friend, Ikuya, stood before him with a mischievous grin, knowing all too well that the nickname struck a chord with Marku. Annoyed, Marku crossed his arms and frowned.

"I thought I told you not to call me Marku, Ikuya! My name is Hiyori!"

Ikuya couldn't help but giggle, undeterred by his friend's vexation. Deep down, he knew that the nickname held a special place in Hiyori's heart—a reminder of someone dear.

"You should take that up with Riko. She loves calling you Marku," Ikuya quipped, settling down across from Hiyori. He reached for the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea, seemingly unaffected by the brewing tension.

"Ugh, that Riko. She's always messing with me," Hiyori grumbled, though Ikuya could hear every word. He simply chuckled.

"Well, she enjoys messing with you because she cares. Aren't you two... together?" Ikuya's playful gaze bore into Hiyori, causing his eyes to widen in horror.

"No way in hell! We're definitely not together. Don't you ever say that again! My father would kill me if he heard such a thing."

Ikuya let out a weary sigh, placing his empty cup back on the table. He stared intently at his best friend, the weight of their predicament hanging in the air. "Are you really going to let her go?"

Hiyori locked eyes with Ikuya, his gaze filled with a mix of despair and resignation. He slumped onto his cushioned seat and turned his gaze toward the window, where the cherry blossom tree swayed gently in the breeze.

"You know we can't, Ikuya. My parents would never allow it. It's tradition," Hiyori muttered, his voice tinged with sadness.

Ikuya followed Hiyori's gaze, the serene beauty of the cherry blossoms contrasting with the turmoil in their hearts. "So, you're really going to marry Sana?"

"I have to. It's not like I have a choice," Hiyori replied, his voice heavy with the weight of duty and obligation. Silence settled between them, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken truths they both understood.

The Sakura Clan was bound by rigid customs, adhering to strict rules that forbade marriages outside the clan. It was believed that straying from the traditions would invite misfortune upon their bloodline. Hiyori had always found these customs ludicrous.

Why couldn't people be free to love whomever they chose? Why couldn't they marry out of love rather than duty? The longing, the desire, the yearning—these were innate human emotions, yet their clan restricted them, stifling their very nature.

It seemed utterly preposterous, but Hiyori knew he had no choice. As the son of the previous clan's supreme leader, he was expected to carry on the traditions by marrying the daughter of another prominent clan member. 

The weight of tradition pressed heavily on his shoulders, burying his own desires beneath its suffocating embrace.

In the depths of his heart, Hiyori dreamed of a different reality, one where love transcended boundaries and traditions bent to the will of the heart. 

But for now, he was trapped within the confines of the Sakura Clan, torn between duty and his yearning for true love.

Since infancy, Fukuhara Hiyori and Minatozaki Sana had been bound together by an unbreakable thread of fate. Their families, in a display of alliance and power, had betrothed them to each other.