It's been a little over a year, since Sakuma Saori came to serve the Date clan as a poison taster. Thankfully that didn't last long, when Lord Kojuro saw she had gotten the clan Lord to actually eat more than one bowl of food. She immediately became a page to Lord Kojoru and was making meals for Lord Date Masamune and making sure she gets her page work done as well. She recently became a cook in the kitchen, when one of the older cooks had fallen ill and they needed someone to fill in for them. Lord Kojuro gave her permission to do so.
She stood over the stove, stirring a pot of miso soup for dinner, her mind lost in a daydream. Cooks around her were fire roasting fish, steaming vegetables and rice, creating a swirl of motion that she didn't even noticed a maid named Umeko, staring at her, till she poked her in the cheek, startling her that the spoon clattered against the pot.
"Were you daydreaming, Saori?" she asked with a playful grin.
She adverted her eyes from the maid as a blush crept on her cheeks making them a cherry blossom pink.
Umeko dramatically dropped her jaw in shock. "The ever focused Sakuma Saori was daydreaming with cooking? Now I've seen everything." she giggled. "That's not like you to go off and daydream while cooking."
"I know, Umeko," she groaned, "but I can't help it. It's been happening for awhile now and I can't seem to stop myself from doing it."
Umeko crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, when did you first realize you were daydreaming during work?" she asked.
Saori bit her lower lip, she couldn't tell her that they started when she realized her feelings for a certain samurai warrior.
"Hey, Doll."
'Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.' she thought.
Both women turned their heads towards the door to see Lord Date Shigezane, cousin to Lord Date Masamune and the object of her daydreams.
"Good evening Lord Shigezane, what can we help you with?" Umeko said with cheeriness and obvious devotion.
Saori glanced at the maid from the corner of her eyes and saw she had a blush and a demure smile on her face. She inwardly sighs, she knew Umeko had a crush on the black haired lord, who wouldn't. He made everyone feel at ease in his presence and was a jokester, but any girl would fall for his real smile when he showed it and Saori was the only woman in the castle to ever see it when the three friends were together and could relax even in front of her.
Shigezane walked into the kitchen, hands behind his back, his head titled to the side, his eyes moved around the kitchen, looking for something. "I was looking for something that Lord Masamune requested. Maybe one of you ladies have seen it?" he asked with a mischievous tone.
"We'd be happy to help. What are you looking for?" asked Umeko with extra enthusiasm.
Saori rolled her eyes, trying to play off the fact her heart was pounding as he drew closer to them. She passed the spoon off to a now waiting cook. "Does he want his mochi now?" she asked him with a smile.
He shook his head and knelt down in front of her, his eyes never leaving hers. She shot him a confused look. He gave her a cocky grin and then placed his right shoulder against her hips, his arms wrapping around her thighs and lifting her up, causing her upper half of her body to fall over his shoulders like a rag doll.
He started walking away from a stunned Umeko, "Thanks for the help!" he said over his empty shoulder.
Saori finally came to realize that Shigezane was carrying her around the corridors, not even ashamed about it. She started pounding her fists into his back, her legs kicking wildly.
