(This is gonna change, but it works for now)
In Feudal Era Japan, witchcraft is not seen as a spiritual journey such as buddhism. Witches are feared, as is the case with most countries and time periods. Born in the era of misunderstanding and hardsh...
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The current Emperor of Japan, Akihito, and his wife, Michiko. Their reigning name is Heisei. I couldn't find a surname.
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The next week my father spent wooing Conbo as if he were a suitor. With ribbon dancers and large dragon formations, my father further made a fool of himself. Conbo had seemed to grow tired of him quickly and sought refuge elsewhere during the night. Father had made a habit of waking him early to show the demon his exotic entertainments.
While Conbo stayed with us, my presence was requested few times. My father hardly liked to have me around. His growing aggression had been noticed more often than not by the servants and our esteemed guest. Within the few days I had been forced to make a show of myself, my father had shared his low opinion of the way I dress. The way my hair had been styled that day and the way I would speak, if I had at all, were always topics for his aggravation.
My new lion friend, who's new name had been given by Hina, Ifan, was much more use to human contact now and he had made fast friends with the children. The monks had been much more welcoming of him than the servants, but that was to be expected. They were always more open to change than the servants and my father. It was a trait I admired in them.
The monks weren't happy to have Conbo here, but they tolerated him and spoke with him. Though the interactions were brief, Conbo had said he liked their conversation. They were beginning to warm to him nicely, even the eldest of their members. Fukoku, the elder monk of our faction, has taken a liking to him. I've seen them speaking many times before, when the sun is setting. It seems the only time they could conveen.
The area Fukoku would walk with Conbo was just outside my room. Stones littered the blessed grounds and glistened in the setting sun. An old cherry blossom stood to the left of the open area, casting a soft shadow of its petals on the ground. Their walks seemed to always pull my attention from my works. The spells and projects seem to become less important when Conbo make his way slowly pass my window.
His focused eyes glistened in the sunlight as them gleamed a Fukoku. His pitch black skin shined and the purple and red of his robes shifted gently in the cool wind. Conbo was graceful and beautiful. His demon status and his aura could make any man or woman cower in his shadow. Human and demon alike.
Fukoku, usually dressed in a dark red robe, would grasp his prayer beads in his hand and fiddle with them as they walked. The soft jingle of the beads against each other could be heard as well. The simple time they spent together was clearly the only time Conbo was truly enjoying himself.
My father had started to notice their walks and the amount of time our guest was spending with the monk and has tried to keep them from one another. In all honesty, he was behaving like a child. If all attention was not on him the man would demand it. It was pathetic.
A knock at my room door called my attention. The smell of some sort of fish twisted in the air and my stomach rumbled. I turned to face the entrance and beckoned the person to enter. Hina opened the door. Her soft black hair hid her face for a moment as she shifted to stand and pick up the tray of food. She entered and placed the tray and a pillow down for me. Bowing low, she asked if there was anything she could do for me.
"Has there been any developments with our guest and my father?" I asked as I walked to the tray and sat on the pillow.
"Mr. Conbo has told your father about his master's proposal. He has demanded for Master Gontsu to give up his land and your hand in marriage. I am unsure if he has agreed to the terms." Hina's soft voice delivered the news. The silence that followed seemed to make her uncomfortable.
He wants me to marry his master. A typical request of this era. Love has been dead for a long while now. It make little sense though. Conbo's master is a demon, obviously, and they hardly go out of their way to make contact with us humans. It's a curious thought. I'd be the wife of a demon.
Laughible.
"How. . . indecent." I spat as my thoughts rushed my mind.
"I believe he will soon. Our guest has grown impatient with him." Hina pronounced.
