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2024-10-29 19:42:56Two days’ time has once more passed. I arrived home a little after midday from my work and am looking to pass the time. I decide to pick up the book Draco has gotten me and begin to read where I left off. When I hear noise, I am jerked out of my sleep. I had closed my eyes for but a moment after finishing this emotional tale. I get up from my kang and discover that my father is in the kitchen making dinner. I had slept through him coming in from work. As I watch him heat up the fish and rice I think about Draco’s book. I feel like there was another message for me there in the story. I just cannot quite put my finger on it.
When my father takes his seat, I slide the book across the table to him. Even though I wish to read it again I will wait until he has finished. I know it will be in no time at all that I will receive it back. He reads so much faster than I. As we eat our meal, we hear another knock at the door. My father looks at me in silent question if I am receiving him, I shake my head no. I am not ready to forgive Draco yet for not keeping his word. However, I am being a bit persuaded by his persistence I must admit. My father opens the door and blocks my view. “She doesn’t want to speak to you today either. She does not want to see you too. Why have you come again” he says this time. “I am here to bring her the next gift. I do apologize if I hurt her by not showing up. I had no choice in the matter. I still intend to court her sir. I still want her for my bride if she will have me. I understand why we she chooses not to see or speak to me. Would you just make sure she receives this gift also. I will bring another in two days’ time once more. “He pleads. “I will” my father replies. I see him reach his hands out and accept the gift. Then he quietly closes the door. Once again, he sits the gift on the table and eats his food. I will open it once I am done, I decide. I smile to myself as I see the blossom tucked into the twine that holds the paper together. They remind me of how happy we were on the first day of Hanami. Draco sounded so sad when talking to my father. I know he is hurting but then again so was I. Am I wrong in not forgiving him? I wonder as I finish my food. I will give him another chance. If he shows up once more then I will tell him at least. I need to see for myself if he deserves to be forgiven. I truly cannot continue to keep accepting his gifts if I no longer wish to be courted. I will decide before he returns how we will fare. “We are finished, open the gift” my father says. I think he is secretly hoping it is another book. I realize that while my mind was away, he has already cleared the table. I pull the package toward me on the table. I pull at the twine and then I open the paper to see a fabric inside. When I lift the fabric from the box, it is spreads to the floor and I gasp. It is an array of colors. The top is a slight pink tone, and it fades into a light purple. It then turns to a violet which runs into the darkest blue I have ever seen. Upon the blue parts of fabric are sparkles that look like stars. It is so beautiful I cannot help beaming with joy. On further inspection I notice that it is a kimono. Where would I possibly wear something of such superior quality to? Its fairness is far beyond anything I own. As I stand to go and hang it in my wardrobe a paper slips free. “I give you the sunset for upon its return each day we say goodbye waiting for the sweet hello of tomorrow. “~Draco p.s I’m sorry. I hug the note to my chest. When I look at my father, he nods to himself. “I see the difference…. The effort he is making Io. There is a chance that I was wrong in my assumptions about the boy. So, I offer you this, a gift can be used to buy love or for what I think is the case of these, to simply show one care. You must make the choice for yourself dear daughter of what you think” with that statement he leaves me and heads off to bed. That night I wonder. I wonder if being Draco’s bride is truly what I want. Will his explanation be enough to satisfy the pain he caused? If he receives my refusal to court, would he still make the effort? I cannot decide what I want for my future as of late, but I know that I still want him. Now I just have to decide in what capacity.
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The walk to her home was brief. On it we discussed some of our favorite things that we had read. When she told me that she had never read an actually book but only pieces of parchment given to her by her father, I had to give her a look of incredulity. Most of the people in my village bought books so often that I had never known there were those who could not afford it. After finding this out I was curious to know more about the differences of our villages that were only separated by a hill. So, I asked. “What would you say is a different custom that happens in your village from what you observed today.” As she pondered the question she explained “Well, I found it odd today that I didn’t see those at the celebration offering an embrace or even anyone holding hands. We see affection so often here that I thought it was normal.” At this I had to laugh. In my mind I could not fathom the image of others walking around in our village doing public displays of affection. “So, i
Io’s Cursed Betrayal Attraction-Io
The time of waiting for those two days seemed like an eternity. The parts of the day where I worked in the paddy fields were unable to distract my mind for once. I normally found the art of gathering husk of rice to be calming and a mindless action. At this time in March, we are still in the process of sowing our fields. The paddy fields must all be leveled before we began planting in a week’s time. This requires the men to use large rolling pins to make repeated paths across the land until it is all at the same depth. My job with the women consists of digging up small stones and other foreign objects that could impede the growth of the rice. As for the sections that are done being leveled, we must begin to flood them by carrying large basins of water to it from the river. This is a task that sometimes the men help with. As I stand in the field having poured my last basin of water into my section for the day, I take a look at the sun. It is almost high in the center of the sk
Io’s Cursed Betrayal Family-Draco
My heart races in my chest so loudly that it is a pounding my ears. I can feel my blood rushing underneath my skin as my body heats. The skin of my groin is stretched tight and even though my robes are loose from her tugging they suddenly feel like too much. As I take a deep breath, I run a hand through my hair to try to contain myself. “Io” I breath out her name. She slowly opens her eyes and bites her bottom lip. I feel myself harden further. As the air pauses, I remember her innocence. “Are you alright” I ask. As she blushes and looks away, I reach out a hand to turn her face back to mine but with hesitation I drop it back to my side. After a moment she meets my gaze again and nods softly. I clear the heat in my throat and lean back toward her. I look at her and notice a shine to her eyes that I have never seen before. Her hair has all been swept toward her back and tucked neatly behind her ears. There is a sheen of pink on her normally pale skin and the pink of her lips have d
Io’s Cursed Betrayal Scolding-Io
As I enter our hut, I rush to our bathing room to ready for supper. I realize how hungry I am as I was my hands and face as I have not eaten since morning. A part of me wishes that I could avoid sharing a meal with my father because he seems to be in a mood today. I feel as if he acted untoward to Draco today even though they had just met. I know my father is going to want to talk about my day. Specifically, I think the conversation will linger on the kiss I shared with Draco outside. I feel my cheeks heat at the small taste of him still on the tip of my tongue. Father looked so displeased. I am at a woman’s age. I have seen many of the others in my village kiss when being wooed. I have not the faintest idea in my mind to why my father would look at us in contempt for completing such an act. He should be happy for me that I have found someone. I decide that I may as well get the conversation over with. I take a deep breath and exit my room. When I enter the dining room, he ha
Io’s Cursed Betrayal The Set Up-Draco
When I return home, it is dark. As I look out my window at the stable, I see no horses. My mother has not returned. Food has been left on my bed by one of the servants. I sit down to eat. As I lift the lid I see smoked chicken, rice, and peas. It is still warm to the touch, and I am famished. I clear my plate quickly. As I pass by my wardrobe, I see that a servant has already been in to pack my bags for the trip tomorrow. I sigh. This is the generals silent command when we are to leave for a journey at daybreak. I know I need to get some sleep. As I lay on my kang so many thoughts run through my mind. I hope my mother returns in time for the trip so that it is not just me and the general. That would be a journey more dreadful than just going to meet my future bride. The thought has my emotions easily flip to anger. I do not want this. I will not label her as my bride. She will just be a girl that I meet tomorrow. A part of me hopes that things go bad, and my parents reth
Io’s Cursed Betrayal The Plan-Draco
As I follow Shee out into the hall I take another look at her figure now that she is standing. She is much shorter than I thought. Where the top of Io’s head reaches my shoulder, hers would barely come up to my chest. She has a very curvy figure and walks with a wide gate. As she takes a turn, I see an exit ahead that must lead to the outside of the grounds. She picks up her pace and I take longer strides to keep up. I find it odd that she is supposed to be giving me a tour and yet she has said nothing. As we round her hut I look around. The ground has been leveled into a path lined with rocks. On either side there are rows of pink peonies and lotus. The fragrance is soothing and appealing. As we walk a bit further down that path, I see servants tending horses in their stables. She heads in that direction as I follow. When we reach the stables, she finally speaks. “You are dismissed I wish to speak privately” she commands. Her voice is thick and breathy. As the servants leave
Io’s Cursed Betrayal Preparation-Io
I wake slowly as the sun shines through my window. I stretch the soreness from yesterday’s demanding work out of my body. I stayed later than midday so I would receive my payment early and not have to work today. I wanted to look special for Draco so I decided it would be helpful if I had more time. I rise from my kang to head into the bathing room to prepare for my day. I plan to head into the village and buy a new dress today. It has been a long while since I bought something new to wear. I want it to look nice for Draco on our first day of courting. As I comb my hair, I hear my father in the other room moving around. He must be getting himself ready for his day of work in the fields. After the conversation that we had the day before yesterday we have not spoken. He knows today that I am going to see Draco. I want to avoid him because I know he will have more to say. When I am through untangling my hair, I carefully twist it into a bun. Satisfied that it will stay in pl
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I have experienced a lot in the twenty-five years I have had on this earth. Everyone knows the day I was born. They know where I lived and what I looked like. My adoptive parents were visited for years so others could ask questions about me. Everyone in the world was curious about the baby girl who hatched out of an egg filmed live to the world. People knew my name but because most didn't talk to me directly, I was alone.On the night I was born the world was in a state of shock when so many children hatched from eggs all across the world. We were all different shapes and sizes. What made us stand out from the rest were the unique features that we had. For some of us it was the startling beauty of our eyes. For others was their size or abilities that could be seen right away. The thing that made me stand out was my hair. It was a deep coal black with unnatural red streaks.A week before my sixth birthday my whole life changed. The home of my adoptive parents caught fire. Somehow I was
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As I come out of my memories from the past I find that I am still confused. I have more than paid my dues for the death of the boy that I love. The day I visited his mother at their estate I can still hardly remember after all this time. I remember telling her about the child as I fought the waves that had surrounded me in a deafening wave. The rest of that night as well as many nights are a blur to me now. “What am I supposed to do Draco? I do not know what your mother wants from me. I just want to rest and for this torment to end. I am so tired” I plead in the night to the statue of the boy I love. When I awoke the next morning after visiting his mother, I was in the middle of no where far from home. I laid naked in a field in extreme pain and disoriented. When I rose to stand I put my hands on my stomach only to find it flat. I cried as I realized that somehow I had lost my child. I wanted to return home, but I had no direction to where my home was. I remember walking for day
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Destruction-Kawa
Ahead on the slowly inclining slope we here a voice raised in the air. As we take a pause listening the night goes quiet. The guards signal us with a raised fist in the air to hold our positions. After a few seconds, their hands lower and we take a few steps. “Somebody please. Somebody please help me. Oh god, please. Please help me” Someone screams. The old man must know the scream because once he hears it he begins to run up the slope faster than I have seen someone his age move. The guards quickly rush after him with Santo-San behind him as they go. As we hear the cave I can hear a girl crying and as we reach the caves entrance a horrible scream pierces the air. With the guards at the ready in front of us there is a pause at the entrance of the cave in the dim light. To my left a lantern barely flickers. As I approach the men in front of me to see what has them so captured. I see the girl holding something. As I my eye adjust from the moonlight to the dim light of the cave I r
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Rescue-Kawa
The day four weeks ago still stays on repeat in my head. I have sat in his room since surrounded by all his things. In the evenings I sit in the sitting room and replay our conversations by the fire. I have cried at the pain I feel all this time. My boy is gone, and I have no one to blame for him leaving but myself. I have not spoken to anyone since that day. I live in the memories of my son. That day when Draco pushed me away after he found out the truth I had remained seated in my pride. I was hurt that he would speak to me, the woman who birthed him, in such a way. Normally, when he is hurt he runs to his tree to have some time to himself. I thought that he would go there to think and to get over what he had heard. As his ma I should have known that this time would be different. I had dismissed my lady maid as soon as Draco left the room so I could have time to think to myself. For a few moments I felt guilty at what I had done. That feeling was however fleeting and I soon ro
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A Rock in a Hard Place -Io
I have so many things running through my mind at the moment that I do not know how to feel. My world was rocked on its axis when I found out about his engagement. Now he has told me that the entire time he has been fighting against it, but his mother had her own agenda. For the moment, my anger breaks, and tears spring to my eyes. What could I have done to deserve such a fate? Why did it take him so long to come to me? I cant voice any of these questions as deep sobs are being wrenched from my throat at the pain I feel. I thought I had lost him. I never knew that something in this world could cause me so much pain. I feel Draco wrap his arms around me as I cry. Seeking comfort to my chaotic emotions I turn into his arms. I use him as my piece of solace as I try to let go of the pain. We sit down as he hums our song trying to soothe me further. Soon my tears dry up and all I sense is quiet. My heart is no longer kissing in my chest. For days I felt like my world was ending.
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The Wedding Day-Draco
So many things in life can just never go the way that you want them to. It does not matter if you have been good person or how hard you tried. So many calls the events of life that happen with no regard fate. Well, if this is fate then I do not want any part of it. I want nothing more than to go against fate and go after what I want. I just do not have what it takes to hurt people. All I want in this life is love and even that has been denied to me. As I lay on my kang and ponder the way the world revolves I am filled with a sad melancholy of what has become my life. Today is my wedding day. I always imagined that on this day I would be filled with excitement to be pledging my life to another for eternity. It is sad to say but in this moment, I feel nothing. For the last view days, I have found that I am unable to dredge up any emotion. I am just being the good boy who listens and follows directions. Without her this is what my life has become. She left without a word. Just one sm
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Broken-Io
When Draco leaves the room with his father I begin to fidget in my seat. His mother stares at me from across the room. She looks almost regal sitting there. Her brown hair is in a long braid drifting to the side and nearly touching the floor. Her kimono is made from the finest silk and when she moves it shimmers like water. She is a woman of true beauty. She has a symmetrical face with high cheek bones. As she sits there staring I can feel myself trimmer in my seat. The air is tight, and I feel as if I am caught in a tough wave. In the tense silence I clear my throat ready to speak. “I.. I feel as if I have angered you and that was not my intention. I am here because I love Draco and wish to marry him” I stammer. At my statement she purses her lips into a thin line. I can immediately tell she does not care about my intentions for her son. I really wish Draco were here. I do not know how to get through to her. “I will speak plainly girl so hear me well. You are not fit to marry
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The Parents-Draco
Everything has to be perfect today. I find myself in such a giddy mood I know that it is affecting everyone in my home. Today Io will be coming for dinner to meet my parents. I have had the servants pick flowers from my mother’s gardens and set them around the house to give it a sweet aroma. I also had the chef prepare some of the smoked meats with rice and vegetables. For dessert we will be having a variety of mochi sweets. As I look at the position of the sun outside the window my stomach churns with nervous energy that she will be arriving any moment. I head to the dining room to check on the placements and ensure everything is ready. When I am satisfied with what is done I see my parents coming down the stairs in matching kimonos. They have decided to wear the kimonos that symbolized the water that my mother uses to heal. Both of them are draped with lines of gold to show our wealth. I chose to wear a simple dark blue kimono with the family crest in gold over my right pectoral
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Everything-Io
My breath is coming fast from my lungs. I can feel the stretch of my womanhood around his member. Draco lies still above me. His eyes are closed, and his cool breath hits my face. When he opens his eyes I can see the love in his gaze. I squirm against the amount of heat the look gives me. His breath hitches at my movements. “I’m sorry Io” he says. Then he kisses me hard. His lips tug against mine in smooth motion. When he takes my bottom lip in between his teeth he pushes further into me. Pain. In this instant that is all I feel. I cry into his kiss as he rubs his lips against mine. I break the kiss as I feel tears slowly leak from my eyes. I can hear Draco apologizing as he rubs his fingers through my hair and kisses the tears that fall upon my cheeks. “Breathe my love. Just breathe” he soothes. I take a deep breath in a rush to fill my lungs. As I try to breathe through the pain my legs rub against the outside of his in an attempt to relieve the ache I feel between my le
