Love of the Samurai

Chapter 1

"One mochi coming right on up!" the street vendor exclaimed as he readied the mochi to Kento's request. He happily handed over the savory white mochi and Kento took it in his hand, Kento used his other hand to drop a couple of coins in the vendor's hands.

The two of us continued to walk along the street admiring the delicate cherry blossom trees that bordered the road. Kento turned to face me before saying,"Yuu-chan open up wide!" I happily agreed and opened my mouth, biting into the mochi that he had fed me, and savoring the sweet taste as we continued to walk the streets of Kyoto.

I unconsciously hummed, "Mmm...." which got a chuckle out of Kento.

"Someone likes it." He teased, taking the rest of the mochi I didn't eat and scarfing it down. He dusted his hands in order to get rid of the sticky white powder.

I turned to face Kento and replied back, "I love it Kento-kun."

He smiled handsomely as he looked at me, "You have some soybean powder on your face. Here." He lightly traced the outline of my lips with his fingers before using his hands to wipe away the powder. I blushed at his daunting action.

"A-arigatou..." I spoke softly as I averted my head to the ground. Within a millisecond, Kento swiftly bent down and kissed my cheek lovingly, causing my blush to grow even more pink.

"You're so cute Yuu-chan." Kento said as he rubbed my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kento and I were stepping into the courtyard of my family's castle at dusk. The once blue sky began to turn a light coral color. I began to open my mouth to say my farewells to Kento when my father's servant,Yuuta, dashed towards me.

He stopped in front of us to catch his breath before saying, "My lady, Lord Tanaka would like to speak with you and Lord Nakajima."

Kento and I exchanged glances, curious from the sudden message. What could my father want with him?

We took our wooden sandals off before walking on the hard wooden floor, being careful not to slide my feet against it. Yuuta directed us to my father's quarters, where the three of us bowed before entering. The room was filled with various samurai armor and katanas along with our well-known family possessions. Yuuta sat in the back of the room by the sliding door while Kento and I walked towards my father. We bowed once again and sat side by side on the pillow in front of him.

"Nakajima-san, your father and I spoke earlier today and discussed matters between our clans. We decided to settle an alliance by having you and my daughter get married" his father said, sending a small and knowing smile my way. I didn't know what to think. I was shocked from the sudden agreement then the light feeling of bliss overwhelmed it as I processed what my father had just said. I turned my head to see Kento, his countenance was overjoyed.

We turned back to face my father, and we both bowed out forehead touching the woven bamboo flooring simultaneously and shouted, "ARIGATO-GOZAIMASHITA!"

My father lifted his hand up and we raised our heads off the ground. We returned back to our formal sitting positions, "The ceremony will commence the week after the Nanbu and Akashi alliances go to war. The Nanbu alliance will gather together tomorrow for the announcement of this marriage."

We stood up from the pillow seats and bowed before leaving, Yuuta trailing behind us.

The Nanbu alliance and Akashi alliance have been fighting for centuries. The Nanbu alliance consists of the Takada clan, the Kikuchi clan, and most recently the Nakajima clan. The Akashi alliance consists of the Sato clan, the Matsushima clan, and the Yo clan. Only our clan leaders know how all of this started and why it's been continuing for so long. Many wars and rivalries with other clans have never lasted as long as ours.

"Thank you Yuuta, you are excused" I said when I noticed him behind me. He bowed and walked the other direction.

We had reached the outside of the Takada castle when Kento turned to face me, I stopped where I stood to face him. He stared at me intimidatingly and I backed away from him instinctively. Quick as lightning and as gentle as a soft breeze he pinned my right hand to the wall. The impact ringing through my ears. He leaned over dangerously close before whispering, "So, will I be seeing you tomorrow?"

I stuttered, trying to find the correct words, "Ye-s..."

"What was that? I can't hear you." he taunted while slowly rubbing my hand with the timing of his words.

My cheeks flushed a rose color at his teasing. "Yes." I managed to audibly say.

Kento used his other hand to lift my chin upwards, and captured my lips in a deep and passionate kiss. I was awestruck, my mind completely blank. He pulled back too quickly and whispered once again, "You're so cute Yuu-chan." He spun on his heels and sauntered away.

"Until then my fiancé!" He shouted without turning back. I watched him go until even his silhouette had disappeared.

I turned around and walked to my quarters, my fingertips reaching up to touch my lips, knowing that Kento had just touched them only moments ago.