Chapter Text
As the fiancee of the head of the Yashiro Commission and the head of the Kamisato Clan, your life was relatively peaceful in a way. You didn’t have too many duties compared to Ayaka and your fiance. But as the eldest child in your household, you have responsibilities when it comes to your clan. For example, getting engaged to Kamisato Ayato is one of your responsibilities. Even though your engagement with the head of the Kamisato Clan was arranged, you did harbor some feelings for the young head of the Kamisato Clan.
But when it comes to Ayato, he doesn’t seem to express his emotions as much. The only time you’d see him show some sort of emotions was when he was with Thoma, Ayaka, or the blond traveler and his floating companion. As his fiancee, you wanted to be there for him no matter what, and you wanted to help him out as much as you could. But Ayato being Ayato, he would much rather do it on his own to complete his duties without any issues in the way.
“Lord Ayato, would you like to accompany me to the Komore Teahouse for some tea?” You ask, standing in front of his desk as you anxiously fiddled with your thumbs.
“Apologies, [Y/N], but I cannot accompany you to the Komore Teahouse. Perhaps you can ask my sister or Thoma to accompany you?” Said Ayato, not taking his eyes away from his paperwork.
You want to spend some time with your fiance, but he is so busy that the two of you hardly spend time with one another. Despite knowing things about Ayato (thanks to Ayaka and Thoma), Ayato doesn’t know much about you. Heck, he doesn’t even know what your favorite color was! You felt your heart sink into your chest at the rejection.
“O-Oh, what about next time?” You ask, giving Ayato a sad smile. Ayato stops writing on the document before looking up at you, humming to himself.
Ayato crosses his arms over his chest, “I can’t guarantee that a next time will happen, especially with how busy I am.” He murmurs, eyes scanning the littered paper across his desk. “I’m sure Ayaka and Thoma will gladly accompany you, [Y/N],” Ayato added before getting back to his paperwork.
“Oh, alright.” You whispered. You turned around and walked towards the door, feeling your heart clench in your chest. You closed the door behind you quietly before walking away. Even though Ayato has never fully expressed how he feels about you, you couldn’t help but assume that Ayato did not like you. Sure, he was nice to you, but he isn’t as relaxed around you as he was around his sister or Thoma.
Ayaka and Thoma peek from the corner, “So? What did he say?” Ayaka asks, approaching you with a small smile.
You gave Ayaka a fake smile and sighed softly, “Lord Ayato says that he’s busy and to have either you or Thoma accompany me to Komore Teahouse.” You reply. Ayaka’s shoulders slump while Thoma scratches the back of his head awkwardly.
As if he could read your mind, Thoma quickly speaks up softly, “You know he doesn’t hate you, right? As the head of the Kamisato Clan, he is quite busy. He has a lot on his plate, and sometimes he doesn’t have the time to take a break.” You give Thoma a weak smile and nod your head.
“I know, Thoma. But I can’t help but feel like that’s the case.” Your gaze falls onto the wooden floor of the Kamisato estate. “He would take tea breaks with you and Ayaka. But never with me, his fiancee.” You whispered.
“[Y/N]...” Ayaka frowns, approaching you but quickly comes to a halt when you shake your head. “I’m going to my room. If anyone needs anything, feel free to stop by the room.” You whispered, avoiding Ayaka and Thoma’s gaze as you walked around them.
Even your bedroom was separate from Ayato’s bedroom. Instead of sharing a bedroom and bed with one another like a couple, the two of you sleep in separate bedrooms. You couldn’t help but feel unwelcome to the Kamisato estate; some of the servants would act like you were invisible, while others were blatantly rude to you. If Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma were with you, the servants would be kind to you and would acknowledge your presence. Of course, the servants will only act this way whenever you’re alone. Of course, the servants will only act this way whenever you’re alone.
Here you are, lying in your bed in the dark bedroom, all alone with your thoughts.
You have thought about breaking off the engagement with the head of the Kamisato plenty of times due to the fact that the servants of the Kamisato Clan—excluding Thoma— hated you for no reason. Quite frankly, you were nice to them and treated them with respect. You didn’t know what you could have done to make most of the servants despise your guts with passion. You sighed to yourself and buried yourself further underneath your blanket, slowly dozing off.
Ayato walks out of his office with a sigh. A break is what Ayato needed after sitting at his desk all day while filling out paperwork and documents.
“Oh! Lord Ayato, it’s good to see you!” Thoma says, smiling at the young lord that was approaching him and Ayaka.
“It’s good to see you after you’ve holed yourself up in your office.” Ayaka jokes; Ayato chuckles and shakes his head, sitting beside Ayaka.
Thoma pours a cup of tea for both Ayaka and Ayato, “So, what are you doing out of your office?” Thoma asks, handing the teacup over to both Ayato and Ayaka. “Are you taking a break from your work? It’s good to have a rest after long hours of working.” Thoma adds, smiling at the head of the Kamisato Clan.
Ayato picks up the cup of steaming hot tea and blows on the hot beverage before taking a small sip from the cup. Ayato hums for a moment before the thought comes to him, “Ah, yes. Both [Y/N] and I have been invited for some tea with the Takahashi Clan. I was going to inform her of the meeting with the Takahashi Clan, but it seems like she’s not around.” Ayato murmurs, looking around the estate. It was quiet, and he didn’t hear the sound of your voice anywhere in the estate. “Where is she, by the way?” Ayato asks.
“[Y/N] went to her room. She should still be in her bedroom; I didn’t see her leave the room after leaving your office.” Ayaka replies, taking a small sip from her teacup elegantly.
“She seems dejected after leaving your office.” Thoma blurts out. Ayaka and Ayato look over at Thoma; Ayato looks confused, while Ayaka looks like she wants to slap Thoma for blurting out the comment.
Ayato strokes his chin with his right hand and hums to himself, “Oh? Is there a reason why she looks dejected?” Ayato asks. Thoma and Ayaka stare at Ayato, expressionless. Either Ayato is dense, or he’s oblivious as to how you felt after Ayato has rejected your offer of having tea together at Komore Teahouse.
“Should I tell him?” Thoma whispers to Ayaka; she shakes her head before covering her face with her fan.
“Let him figure it out himself! After all, she is his fiancee, and he needs to learn how to decipher his future wife’s emotions.” Ayaka whispers back to Thoma. Thoma whispers a soft “ oh ” while nodding his head. Ayato raised his eyebrows at his sister and retainer as they were whispering quite loudly to one another. Despite the whisper between Thoma and Ayaka being loud, Ayato couldn’t catch on to what they were saying to one another.
Ayaka clears her throat loudly, “So! When will you and [Y/N] have tea with the Takahashi Clan?” Placing her fan down on the table in front of her.
“I believe the Takahashi Clan is coming to the Kamisato Estate tomorrow. Therefore, I will need to inform [Y/N] about the meeting.” Ayato says, setting his teacup down on the wooden table before getting up from his seat.
Before Ayato could go to your room, one of the servants approached Ayato with a file in his hand. “Lord Ayato, the Hiiragi Clan have dropped off a document for you to go over in the next meeting.” He hands over the document to Ayato.
Ayato sighs softly and nods his head, “Alright, I’ll fill this document right away.” Ayato says. He looks over at Ayaka and Thoma, “Please inform [Y/N] about the meeting tomorrow.” Ayato says. Thoma and Ayaka nod their heads at Ayato’s request; Ayato gives them a small smile before walking back to his office with the document in his hands.
“Just when Ayato was going to visit his fiancee, his attention is needed elsewhere.” Thoma sighs dramatically, looking over at Ayaka. “How disappointing.” Thoma sighs softly, shaking his head.
You were woken up from your nap at the sound of knocking coming from your bedroom door. Thoma had stopped by your bedroom to inform you of the meeting with the Takahashi Clan. You were flabbergasted at the mention of Ayato being at the meeting with the Takahashi Clan; it wasn’t like you didn’t expect Ayato to be there with you, but you were shocked to hear that you’ll be having tea with your fiance present.
Needless to say, you’re pretty nervous about having tea with your fiance and the Takahashi Clan. You didn’t know what to expect, but luckily Thoma and Ayaka were there to help you ease your nerves a little bit. Even though Thoma had informed you about the meeting, you didn’t really catch a glimpse of your fiance since you’ve left his office. You were hoping to speak to him at least once more before the next day, but it seems like you won’t be seeing the head of the Kamisato Clan until the tea meeting with the Takahashi Clan.
“Cheer up, [Y/N]! You’ll see my brother tomorrow when the two of you are in a tea meeting with the Takahashi's! Big brother had received a document from the Hiiragi Clan not long ago. He needed to review and fill out the document before the next meeting between the Kamisato Clan and the Hiiragi Clan.” Ayaka gives you a small smile and places a comforting hand on your shoulders.
“Right! Ayato was going to stop by your bedroom to inform you about having tea with the Takahashi Clan, but he received a document from the Hiiragi Clan and needed to review it.” Thoma adds, nodding his head. Thoma mentioning Ayato planning on stopping by your bedroom to inform you about having tea with the Takahashi Clan almost soothed your doubts, but not entirely, unfortunately.
After Thoma and Ayaka had informed you about the meeting the next day, you remained in your bedroom for the rest of the evening up until the following day. Because the other Kamisato Clan servants weren’t fond of you, Thoma had offered to help you be prepared for the meeting with Ayaka’s assistance. You were nervous about having tea with the Takahashi Clan with Ayato by your side. Though, being nervous would be an understatement. Your heart was racing against your chest as Ayaka gathered up your hair and put it in a neat bun.
“How are you feeling? Are you excited to have tea with my brother and the Takahashi Clan?” Ayaka asks, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
You laughed nervously, “I am, but I’m also very nervous.” You said, fighting the urge to scratch your face out of habit. “This is going to be the first time Lord Ayato and I have tea together as an engaged couple.” You said softly.
Ayaka gave you a sympathetic smile as Thoma patted your shoulders lightly, “You got this, [Y/N]! Everything will go perfectly fine, and both you and Ayato will be able to have some tea together!” Thoma gives you a reassuring smile.
You let out an exasperated sigh, “I hope so!” You slump down in your seat. The silence was quickly replaced with the sound of knocking coming from the door. Thoma walked towards the door and slid the door open, revealing Ayato. Your heart starts to race within your chest at the mere sight of your fiance standing at the entrance of your bedroom.
Thoma lets out a surprised noise, “Lord Ayato! What a pleasant surprise to see you here!” Thoma quickly glances over at you and Ayaka with wide eyes.
Ayaka quickly approaches Thoma and Ayato, “Ayato! What can we do for you?” Ayaka asks, smiling up at her brother.
Ayato chuckles, “I am here to escort my fiancee to the room where the tea meeting with the Takahashi will take place.” Ayato says, looking over Thoma and Ayaka’s shoulders. When the two of you made eye contact, you could feel your face turn red under his gaze.
“O-Oh? You wanted to walk me there? I thought we would be meeting up in the room separately.” You murmured, getting up from your seat.
Ayato nods his head, “Yes, that is correct! After all, we are engaged, and the Takahashi Clan would scrutinize the both of us if we were to arrive at different times.” Ayato replies, holding his arm out for you to take.
“Very well then.” You murmured, linking your arms with the head of the Yashiro Commission. Both you and Ayato walk out of your bedroom and towards the room where the tea meeting will be held with the Takahashi Clan. You could feel Ayato’s burning gaze on you as you tried to avoid his eyes, feeling yourself becoming flustered under his gaze. The Kamisato Clan and the Takahashi Clan were not on the best terms; therefore, the Takahashi Clan have organized this meeting to quell the tension between the two clans.
The silence between you and Ayato was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. You didn’t know what to say to Ayato, primarily when the both of you didn’t interact as much as you’d like for the both of you to have. Ayato has decided to break that silence.
Clearing his throat softly, he looks over down at you. “How are you feeling?” He asks; you look up at him quizically.
“I’m feeling fine, Lord Ayato. A little bit nervous regarding the meeting with the Takahashi Clan.” You reply, looking away from him with a soft sigh.
“I see…” Ayato trails off as the both of you approach the sliding door of the room where the meeting was being held.
You looked over at Ayato, “Are the Takahashi’s here?” You ask; Ayato nods his head as the servants grab onto the sliding doors.
“Indeed, they are. But no need to worry, I have not seen them yet. This will be the first time you and I meet them face-to-face.” Ayato says; you nod your head, sighing in relief. You were worried that the Takahashi Clan had met Ayato before you were in the same room as them. Not only would that raise some questions, but it would also raise some speculations between you and the young head of the Kamisato Clan.
Once the doors slid open, both you and Ayato began to greet the Takahashi Clan members; Takahashi Akihiko and Takahashi Yui. You sat down beside Ayato while Akihiko and Yui sat across from you and Ayato. What you noticed when you have arrived in the room where the meeting was held, the servants of the Kamisato Clan had already poured the teas into the teacups. You thought it was odd because usually, the servants of the Kamisato Clan would pour tea once everyone had settled into their seats rather than before anyone had arrived in the room. It was peculiar. Nonetheless, you didn’t say anything and took a sip from the teacup.
“The tea is delicious.” You murmur to yourself, taking another sip from the tea.
“I’m glad to hear that you like it, Ms. [Y/N]!” Yui smiles at you, her eyes sparkling with happiness. You smile back at Yui, taking a sip from the tea once more.
“Mister Kamisato, you’re not going to take another sip of your tea?” Akihiko asks, looking at the head of the Kamisato Clan curiously.
Ayato chuckles and takes a small sip of his tea before responding, “Mister Takahashi, although the tea is quite delicious, I couldn’t help but admire my fiancee admiring the tea.” Ayato says, looking over at you. Your face heats up at the mention of your name and at the way Ayato gazes at you.
“What do you think of the tea, dear?” Ayato asks, the nickname caught you off guard, but you quickly recovered.
“It’s delicious! I think you might have to start buying me more of this tea, honey.” You giggled softly; Ayato smiled at you and reached over to your left hand, gently squeezing it. You blushed and interlocked your fingers with his, feeling heat creeping up your neck.
“Oh, you two are just too cute!” Yui squeals, smiling at the two of you widely. “Don’t you agree, Akihiko?” Yui nudges him lightly; Akihiko hums in agreement while sipping from his teacup.
“Indeed! They are quite a cute couple.” Akihiko says, smiling behind his teacup.
The meeting went smoothly, and soon, the conference has come to an end. You and Ayato stood by the entrance of the Kamisato Estate, bidding the two members of the Takahashi Clan goodbye. Once the horse-drawn carriage was out of sight, you couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
“The meeting went better than I thought!” You said, stretching.
“It did indeed. I have work to get back to if you'll excuse me.” Ayato says, turning around to walk away. He stops midway and looks back at you with a small smile on his face, “I’m glad you had a good time. I had a good time too.” Ayato says, walking back into the estate.
You felt your heart flutter at the sight of Ayato’s smile; you watched him slowly disappear from the vicinity. You walked back into the estate, ignoring the looks the servants were giving you. Days after the meeting, you did not feel well. You did not have the energy to get out of bed, your head was constantly hurting, you felt sick to your stomach, and you did not have any appetite left in you.
It was like something had sucked the life out of you, thus, making you feel much weaker. Because you didn’t leave your bedroom for days, Ayaka and Thoma paid you a visit. You felt so tired that you did not open your eyes when you heard your bedroom door slide open.
“Dear archons!” Ayaka gasps.
“Are you okay, [Y/N]!?” Thoma asks, approaching the side of your bed. Thoma pressed the back of his hand on your forehead and looked over at Ayaka worriedly. “She has a fever,” Thoma murmurs, standing up over you. You cracked your eyes opened and looked up at Ayaka and Thoma tiredly. You were so tired that you couldn’t focus on the sight in front of you.
“How could she possibly come down with a fever?” Ayaka asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I don’t know, but we’ll have to inform Lord Ayato of his fiancee falling ill,” Thoma says; Ayaka nods her head and watches Thoma quickly walk out of your bedroom and towards Ayato’s office. While Thoma was informing Ayato of your condition, Ayaka watched over you to make sure you were still alive. With the current state you’re in, Ayaka was worried that you could succumb to the illness you’ve had.
All of the color that was in you was completely drained from your body. You looked almost gray, lifeless even. It was a terrifying sight to see. You seemed fine a few days ago, but now, you look… dead. What could have possibly caused you to fall so ill that you almost looked like a corpse. Ayaka pressed her fingers against your wrist to feel your pulse; it was faint, alarmingly faint.
Thoma busts through the door of Ayato’s office, startling the head of the Kamisato Clan. Thoma was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with each breath he took. “L-Lord A-Ayato!” Thoma wheezes, walking closer to where Ayato stood.
“Yes, Thoma? What’s wrong?” Ayato places his pen down on the table, looking at the blond male quizically.
“I-It’s [Y/N]!” Thoma breathes. “She’s fallen severely ill!” Ayato immediately got up from his seat and dashed out of his office, with Thoma following close behind. The minute Ayato walked into your bedroom, Ayaka looked like she was going to burst into tears.
“Oh, good! You’re here!” Ayaka sighs in relief, looking over to where you lay. Ayato approached you and knelt beside you, gently brushing his thumb over your pale cheeks. Your skin was hot to the touch, and tiny beads of sweat were forming on your forehead.
“[Y/N]? Can you hear me? It’s Ayato.” Ayato murmurs, caressing your face with the palm of his hands. You whimpered in response, face scrunching up in pain. Ayato feels his heart dropping in his chest.
“A-Ayato?” You whispered, wincing at the feeling of your scratchy throat. Every part of your body was hurting. Your limbs felt heavy, and you didn’t know how to express your discomfort without feeling excruciating pain throughout your entire body. Before Ayato could say something, your body began to wrack with coughs. You winced when Ayato gently pulled you up on your bed, cradling you in his arms.
“Ayaka, please inform the Clans that I’ll be canceling the meeting until [Y/N] recovers. Thoma, please fetch some medicine for [Y/N].” Ayato orders, looking over to where Ayaka and Thoma stood. Thoma and Ayaka nod their heads before exiting your bedroom.
“Hisashi,” Ayato says; the Shuumatsuban ninja emerges from the shadows and nods his head. “Please look into [Y/N]’s family background to see if there are any possible diseases or illnesses that could have been passed down from her family,” Ayato says; Hisashi nods his head before disappearing in thin air.
You have been ill for days, perhaps even weeks. Every day, you grew weaker and weaker. You could no longer take care of yourself, nor could you open your eyes. You are so tired, and you feel like your body is going to give up on you at any moment. While you were lying in bed, sick and unable to care for yourself, Ayato was there by your side the entire time.
He would help Thoma feed you; he would check on your temperature, feed you medicine, and make sure that you were still alive and breathing. Hisashi then informed Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma that your family had no prior history of diseases or illnesses. It made your mysterious illness suspicious. Ayato had no other choice but to bring in the best doctors from Inazuma to get your diagnosis as Hisashi continued his investigation.
Ayato refused to leave your side, even if it was for a bathroom break, a shower, or food; Ayato did not want to leave your side at all. Quite frankly, he was afraid to leave your side because he feared that something would happen to you if he left the room for only a minute. Thoma had to pry Ayato away from you to take a break from being by your side constantly.
“Who knew that Ayato cares this much about [Y/N].” Thoma huffs, plopping down beside Ayaka.
Ayaka laughs softly, “Ayato may not show it, but he truly does care for [Y/N]. He’s not the best with his emotions. He may seem cold on the exterior and seem stuck up, but he really cares about [Y/N].” Ayaka says.
Later that night, Hisashi finally made an appearance as Ayato was tucking you into bed. You were out cold; your slow breaths were making Ayato anxious. Ayato couldn’t help but fear for the worse.
“She’s been poisoned,” Hisashi states. Ayato’s head snaps towards Hisashi’s direction, eyes widening in disbelief.
“By who?!” Ayato demands, standing up from where he knelt earlier.
“From my investigations and what I have gathered, the last time [Y/N] was feeling well was when the two of you had tea with the Takahashi Clan. After the meeting, [Y/N] started to show symptoms of feeling ill. She has been poisoned, but I am not too sure about who exactly had poisoned her.” Hisashi states, looking over to where you lay.
Ayato raises his eyebrows, “Is it not one of the Takahashi Clan members?” Ayato crosses his arms over his chest.
“I believe that they were planning on poisoning you, Lord Ayato. The drinks must have gotten mixed up, and your fiancee was the one that was poisoned instead of you.” Hisashi crosses his arms over his chest. Ayato hums, his eyebrows furrowing.
“The poison is supposed to slowly kill those who have ingested it, rather than killing the victim in an instant,” Hisashi adds.
“Please send out a letter to the Takahashi Clan and conduct a thorough search on them. In the meantime, please inform Thoma to bring the doctors to the estate.” Ayato says. Hisashi nods his head before walking away. Ayato sighs in defeat and sits down beside you on your bed, brushing hair strands away from your face.
“You’re in this position because of me. It was all my fault that I couldn’t protect you.” Ayato grabs your hand and gently squeezes it, pressing his lips on your knuckles. You cracked your eyes opened and interlocked your fingers with his, giving him a weak smile. Even though you weren’t in the best conditions, seeing that you could still smile despite being very weak made him feel slightly relieved.
“We’ll find a concoction to reverse the poison. Hopefully, you’ll be okay afterward; then, I can escort you to Komore Teahouse and have some tea with you all you want.” Ayato whispers, planting a kiss on your forehead.
“Just, please, be okay. I don’t want to see you in pain anymore.” Ayato pleaded, tears blurring his vision. “Especially when that pain is because of me.” Tears roll down his cheeks, landing on your forehead.
You whimpered, reaching up weakly to brush his tears away. He grabs your hands and presses a kiss on your hand. “I want you to know that I do care about you. I’ve always cared about you, and I just want you to be safe.”
“Ayato..” You whispered; Ayato buries his face into the crook of your neck, his arms wrapping around your body.
“Once we find the culprit, I’ll make sure to punish them severely and make them regret hurting you,” Ayato murmurs into your ears, pressing his lips against your cheeks.