Behind the Poems

Red • Part 1

Settings : -
Venue : Old village in Kyoto, Japan
Era : Sengoku Era c.1467 - c. 1603

Normal people would associate the color red with love. Well, not me.

My father is a warlord and he has taught me in a way that I would only ever see red as blood and nothing else.

That is, until she appeared in my life; like she was destined to change it.

"Taoru-kun," she interrupted my thoughts, her voice soft and beautiful, "what are you thinking about?"

The solemn expression she used on me seemed to suggest that I was fathoming something really important, probably about the world or something.

The thing is, I was thinking about the world. Only not the world we live in. It was my world, and she is my world.

"I wish I could tell you, but I shouldn't, Kagami-san," I said solemnly, holding up pretense.

She nodded. "My father can be pretty strict when it comes to defense," she said knowingly.

There! She thought that I was thinking about General Asato's defense against his long-time rival, General Tokugawa. No, I wouldn't want to get involved in that.

But I lied all the same. "Yes, he is."

"You shouldn't worry about that, though," she said. "Your only job is to protect me, Taoru-kun." She smiled at me in playful way, and all my insides kinda -well- melted.

I smiled at her. "I will protect you with all my life, Kagami-san," I promised.

She stood up on tiptoe and kissed the side of my cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, "but you shouldn't." She turned away. "I was born a prisoner anyway."

Right on cue, an old lady dressed in clad kimono came in. She bowed with respect in front of Kagami-san and said, "It's time for embroidery class, Kagami-san."

Kagami nodded, then made her way out after smiling sadly at me.

Kagami have never wanted any of this. She wants to breathe in free air, do what she likes, but it has never, and will never be that way. She's not a prisoner, but close to one. Everything she does is controlled and she is protected, in and out.

It's the very reason why I've got to know Kagami in the first place. I've been appointed by her father to protect his only daughter from harm. Though he very much knew that he was signing up for harm himself when he challenged General Tokugawa, so it didn't make much sense.

I wasn't going to accept the job. General Asato is an acquaintance of my father, so when he asked for a favor, my father couldn't refuse.

But the thing is, I can.

On the first day when I arrived in General Asato's place, I had it planned. I was going to tell him that no, I was meant for something big. I was meant to lead a battle someday; I was born a samurai. I couldn't just stay in his house to protect his bratty, arrogant daughter who didn't even know how to dodge if an arrow was directed at her-

Just as I was rehearsing the script in my head, his daughter politely made her way towards me, her footsteps so light that since I was running through my script and all, I didn't notice her until she was standing right in front of me, ushering me in.

By then it was too late. It took me one look at her to know that I was doomed.

Because damn, she was that beautiful.