Beauty And The Beast

Step 1: False Step

"As long as the sky still dwell up above, you women would never own a place on this throne. Remain low behind the cover as a tool, ignored yet luxuriously spoiled. Don't tell me you hate living a life like that, my pretty doll?"

"Be my legal guardian and become the next daimyō, and help me save this House."
An aloof, coldly desperate however elegant voice hit his eardrum, the echoes bouncing back and forth between the thin walls and the paperdoors, sending his senses discombobulated for a second.
A heavily embroidered pastel kimono clad on the slender form, covering the ivory, smooth skin underneath. Her long, straight black hair was groomed beautifully into a tight bun, adorned with an expensive and refined headpin across the dark tresses, leaving a few loose strands framing her face.
The aristocratic air around her was far more than visible, making him all more than taken off guard by the sudden, unexpected event.
Raidou scratched the back of his neck, looking uncertain, "I don't mean to be rude, but are you sure you got the right person?" By the next moment, he almost regret opening his mouth when she nonchalantly spoke one by one of his personal information.
"Raidou Namiashi of The Hidden Leaf, 35 years old, blood type; AB, pastime hobby; beers race, singing a ballad song whenever he's alone-"
"W-Wait! How did you-" In a matter of second, he was thrown off guard; dark shade of red dusted on his tanned face.
"Currently living on-site at ANBU Headquarters because your mother always comes for a visit at your place every week-"

Creak.

His big hand suddenly clamped over the alabaster skin of her face, silencing her. The honey-hued eyes which previously did not displayed much of emotion now had widened in shock when he pressed her against the wall, one finger pressed vertically on his lips, reassuring, while his eyes roamed wildly around the room, keenly searching for the thing that had disturbed his shinobi intuition.
He concluded, Someone's here.

10 minutes earlier.
"With this, the Allied Shinobi Forces Bestowal of Honors has come to an end."
Aoba exhaled in relief, reflexively moving his stiff neck to the side to relieve the tense there for looking up for so long. He throwed yet another look to the feudal lords from various lands and villages sitting in one, single line on the stage, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the other ninja dispersing from the place.
Then something clicked inside his head, "Hey, you guys hear about the rumors going on about the next Fire Daimyō?"
"Rumors?" Raidou asked as he nonchalantly tucked his gold medal into his pocket, uninterested, "What about it? Does it matter?"
"Of course it does." Aoba chided, looking at Raidou, "You should stop make light of their significance to our village, Raidou."
A smug grin pulled on Raidou's lips, "Really? Then, besides giving away medals and titles, what else do they do?"
"Man, you sure are cocky," Genma snorted, then holding up the gold piece in his hand, "Based on my calculation, this gold might at least worth a decent house with a few acres yard for our retirement days. If you really don't need that medal, don't hesitate to give it to me anytime now."
"And what makes you think that I don't need this piece of gold?" Raidou countered with raised eyebrow.
"Because you, my friend," Genma sling his arm over Raidou's shoulder, teasing grin on his face, "are gonna end up in nursing home when you're old. There's no need to build a house for your retirement, is there? Unless you have a family-"
Raidou's fist hit Genma's torso sharply and Genma immediately bend down in pain. Genma gave a bitter laugh.
"I was only joking bro. Please have mercy."
"Joke my ass. You think you're any better than me? We both are going to nursing home and die old together. How does that sound?" Raidou locked Genma's head with his arm, looking smug now.
"Aww you flattered me. You wanna be with me that badly?" Never to back down, Genma said with a teasing grin.
Raidou immediately let go of his hold over Genma's head and looked back in disgust, as though he just said he had a pus waiting to blow on his neck.
Aoba sighed between the two as they continued the verbal fight when just then two masked ninja with an unidentified black outfit appeared out of nowhere in front of them, instantly putting an end to their bickering.
"Raidou Namiashi," one of them spoke under the mask, making the aforesaid name raised his eyebrow in perplexment. He didn't even had the chance to speak out when the other masked man already placed a firm hold on his shoulder.
"The Lady is waiting for you."
"Lady?"

Raidou kept his hand on her mouth, catching the sight of moving shadows casted on the floor through the thin paperdoor, and it growed bigger in each step it took as it approached the door.
"You sure the Lady is in here?" A male, hoarse voice sounded from outside of the room, eliciting a sharp gasp from her, making him whirled back to her direction in confusion.
The man just outside the room had a wicked smirk on his face as he placed his hand on the door, "Did you waited for me to come here, my sweet doll?"
The door slid open.
"Sorry to keep you wai-"
The sight he was greeted upon caught him off guard.
His sweet, ever so obedient fiancee was wounding her delicate fingers into the hair and the neck of the scarred ninja, pulling him close as she kissed him sweetly by the lips, paying no heed to the man's fuming form as he stormed off the room with face red in anguish.
Noticing her fiance was gone she quickly pulled back, but to no avail when Raidou surprisingly snaked his arm around her waist, wanting more of her as he returned her kiss with such intensity that made her cheeks reddened.
Despite it all, she can sense the subtle gentleness in the gesture. She let her eyes open to peek on his face and possibly to read his intention, but only to see he was doing exactly the same as her. Her heart thumped wildly.
Even when the compound was suddenly surrounded by masked ninja, even when he was roughly pulled away from her by two ninja, despite her dishevelness, she tried to maintain her facial expression, looking glacial and distant.
As far as the distance of status and rank between the two.
"Arrest him."
Raidou's eyes grew wide in shock when the order fell from her lips yet he remained silent as the thought that all this was carefully planned by her was slowly make sense.
They both exchanged one last gaze before the daughter of Fire Daimyo tore her gaze away from him first. The obvious gesture had tugged the corner of his lips upward in a defeated, bitter smirk.
Just what did you get myself into, wicked woman?
She watched his broad back as he was brought away from the place, a glint of regret adorning her impassive face.
He's indeed the beautiful one.
And I'm the beast.

End of step 1