Chapter Text
A deep sigh broke the silence of the room.
"Dear Archons.. " he ran a hand through his hair as he placed down his pen.
Another crumpled paper joined the pile beside the troubled poet as he rested his head onto the palm of his hand. Fingers tapped at the edge of the table as he looked around in hopes of something, even a random object, would wake his mind.
The Shogunate wouldn't like it if he didn't have any work to show when the deadline comes. Thinking about it pressured him even more. Clearly he's experiencing writer's block. Such a shame, he never thought it would visit him again this soon.
A cool breeze entered from the window and carried a little gift; A single maple leaf. It's that time of the season again. He picked up the leaf to examine it. Ah, fall, his favorite season of all. The season of change, where leaves turn orange to red as they shed their leaves one by one, in preparation for the cold embrace of winter to come again.
Speaking of winter, someone came to mind, which brought a small smile upon his face; though they remind him of spring as well. As cool and calm as winter, yet as bright and sweet as spring. As his thoughts lingered, he couldn't help but want to write a poem about it.
Wait.
Now he's just getting distracted. When he said he wanted some inspiration to create a poem, he meant to write a poem for the SHOGUNATE not for his silly feelings. He sighed as he stood up. Maybe a good ol' nature walk can help him focus.
Walking along the path, he looked around to find some inspiration. He stopped and listened to his surroundings, the rustling leaves, birds chirping, and the gushing water by the stream. He takes a deep breath. Nature never fails to soothe him. Now he can focus on that poe-
"Oh Akahito-san" he turns to look beside him, his eyes meeting hers "I wasn't expecting to see you here so soon" she continued.
When did she get there? He was so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed. His heart started to beat faster but he pays no mind to it. "Sumizome-san" he smiled as he turned to face her with a bow.
"Fancy meeting you here. I could say the same as well."
She gave a light chuckle which only made the beating of his heart quicken, yet his face still has that soft smile he only gets when he's with her. He tries looking elsewhere, but his eyes slowly drift back to her, admiring the scenery and hoping she wouldn't notice his lingering gaze.
"Another writer's block?" she smiled as she tilted her head slightly, oblivious to the fact that he'd been stealing glances at her.
"Yes, at an unfortunate time too." He sighed, looking off into the distance.
"The deadline is a month away and I still have yet to create a decent draft," he continued.
"I'm sure you'll make it in time," she took the maple leaf off of his head and their eyes met again. She smiled once more and he could feel his face heating up a little.
"Are you experiencing writer's block too?" he asked, "We usually see each other here when we're having trouble with writing, after all."
"Oh uhm.." She looked to the side, "No, not really." He tilted his head out of curiosity.
"I just.. wanted to have a walk," she looked at the branches above them, avoiding his gaze. "Yes, that's all.”
"I see." he smiled at her. He doesn’t find her response suspicious at all, despite the sudden change of tone.
"Anyway," she cleared her throat. "Perhaps I could be of assistance to you with your poem?" she smiled again.
"Oh no need, I do not wish to trouble you." He shook his head, "And I'm sure you have other important things to look on to."
"You act as if we haven't helped each other before." She sighed, "I insist, you helped me create the final verse of my latest work, let me help you as well" she looked so eager to help him that it'd be rude to refuse. He nodded with a smile.
"Alright then, if you insist."
The two continued to walk down the path as they talked more on how they've been, how their families are doing, and just casual small talk. After a while they exchanged their thoughts about the scenery before them. Eventually they find a flat rock to sit and ponder on.
"What about a poem about the sea?" Sumizome said as she tilted her head. Akahito hummed, his face showing uncertainty. "I don't think I could work with that, at the moment.."
"The sky?"
"Hm.."
"Mountains"
"Eh.."
"Uhm... what about.."
She closes her eyes as she continues to think.
Akahito watches her think. "Don't push yourself," he laughs while she shakes her head in response. Though it concerned him at times, he always admired how much effort she put into helping others.
He looks around, seeing birds in their nest, squirrels jumping from one tree to another, and a small town below in the distance. He could see some people hanging up decorations for the next festival coming up. All of a sudden, something came into mind. He started to write in his little notebook.
Sumizome hears a flap of a page and turns to see him writing down his thoughts. Her eyes widen as she leans closer for a better look.
"Looks like you have something in mind already." She watched him continue to write on his paper. Some have crossed out words and some were blotched with ink. She doesn't really know what Akahito is writing about, but whatever it is, she can surely see how focused he is while writing.
There were some trial and errors, especially with connecting the subjects he had in mind, but after a while, and some more thought about the structure and choice of words for the poem, he managed to write a draft after an hour or two. Meanwhile, Sumizome admired her surroundings and enjoyed the silence.
"I think I got it." Akahito grinned while looking at the notebook he's holding.
"Oh-?" Sumizome observes as Akahito places a hand on his chin reflectively.
"Mhm.. but maybe I should rewrite the last verse.." he rewrote the last line while Sumizome just watched.
"There." he smiled.
"Oh!" She clasps both of her hands together, smiling with him. Akahito feels more relaxed now that he's done with the draft. "Thank Archons.." he chuckled with relief.
"I wasn't able to provide any assistance after all," she lightly laughed while Akahito shook his head, "No, no.. with all honesty, you were a big help."
"Eh?" she looked confused.
"Yes," he smiled. "I don't think the idea will come to mind if you weren't here"
"Is that so? May I see?" she peers over his shoulder for a closer look, and Akahito hid the notebook behind his back.
"You'll get to read it once I pass it to the Shogun." Sumizome crossed her arms, earning a chuckle from Akahito.
"What? You're being a bit mean Akahito-san," her face turned into a small frown.
"My apologies, but I'd prefer if you read it when I'm 100% satisfied with it." she raised a brow "Oh.. alright then."
She still can't help but wonder what his poem is about and how she even helped him. Meanwhile, Akahito is surprised with how sudden the idea came to mind. If there was someone watching them, they might think the poem is about Sumizome, but it isn’t, really. It's just another poem that he'd normally write, just nature and a bit of storytelling. Though if you squint enough, you could see that it's somehow inspired by her as well.
"Well, I look forward to reading it!" she beamed, "With how you write, I'm sure it'll be a nice read- no pressure, though." she covers her mouth, regretting her statement. He can't help but laugh a little.
"I'm curious, don't you find it tiring that my poems are usually about nature?" Akahito said half-jokingly, slightly wondering about Sumizome’s thoughts. He sometimes gets comments about his subject choice, even though he's mostly known for creating nature themed poems. People wondered if he would ever widen his range of themes someday. He doesn't really mind the comments of others, he writes whatever he wants to write. Artistic freedom is forever engraved in his heart when it comes to writing.
"Hm?" The question caught her off guard. "No, I don't. What made you think that?"
"Ah, my apologies, I didn't mean to sound so rude as to assume that you might find my poems tiring." He scratches his head bashfully. "I'm just.. genuinely curious"
She giggled. "It's alright, I find your poems really wonderful, they're well written and well thought about"
"Oh?"
"Yes, your theme is mostly about nature but.." she paused.
"You don't just write about what you see, you add emotions to it. You have a story to tell on each verse you write and I find that really amusing. It can make you think more about the context, since I think you usually leave the story to the readers to interpret it however they like." she smiled.
Akahito took a moment to register her words. He knows she reads his poems but he never thought that she'll enjoy reading them that much. Her praise made him feel like he won in a lottery or something. Kind of exaggerated, but still. He’s happy to know that she likes his work.
"I see.. I'm glad to know you enjoy reading them." He smiled back at her and she nodded.
"I can see how passionate you are with poetry from the way you write them, I can't help but admire you for that," She sighed.
"Ah.. you're being too kind" he laughed sheepishly. She looked at him and raised a brow. "But I'm just being honest," she crossed her arms.
"You write really well too, you know," he replied also crossing his arms to mimic her "If my mind wasn't tired from all that brainstorming, I could've made a full explanation for my claim"
"Oh really?" He nodded in response.
They both looked at each other, not saying a word. Sumizome slowly squinted her eyes and after a long pause, she giggled, breaking the small tension in the air.
"If you say so, Akahito-san."
Akahito blinked twice before also giving out a chuckle. Imagine, two well-known poets in all of Inazuma are having a small childish fight over who writes better. No one would believe such an idea, they're both from prestigious clans after all. Akahito and Sumizome, bickering? That's also hard to believe since they're both always calm and collected. That'll be so out of character for them.
"Really though, your work is wonderful to read." His shoulders relaxed and he rested both of his palms onto the rock they were sitting on.
"Why thank you" she said with a soft smile on her face. She looked back to the scenery before them, watching the sunset.
The universe must be teasing him right now. There's no way that the sunset and the wind are working together to create the scene before him. It's like he's experiencing something out of a romance novel (he’s read some before) where the wind is being gentle so as to not ruin their hair, the sun slowly starts to set and also gives off beautiful lighting everywhere, and no one else is there but the two of them.
Wow, that sounds scripted.
"Ah, I think it's time for us to head back" Akahito returns from his daze after hearing that. Sumizome stood up and cleared some of the dirt off her kimono.
"Wait, Sumizome-" he stood up and stopped mid sentence.
Sumizome looked at him, expecting something.
"Yes?"
Akahito took a moment before opening his mouth "I.." he trailed off. Something's holding him back again. He always gets that feeling whenever he gets placed into the situation he's in right now and it's already bothering him a little. He wanted to tell her, really. 'It's now or never right?' That's what he always thought.
"I.. want to thank you again.." he looked down for a moment.
Dammit, Akahito.
".. For your presence and assistance. I really appreciate it," he looked up and forced a small smile.
"Oh.. I didn't really do anything, but of course!" she sounded a little disappointed, but why would she be?
"I already told you that you've helped me a lot. Maybe I could.. treat you to some ramen next time, as thanks?" Okay, that came out of nowhere, but he already said it.
Sumizome stared at him before her face lit up. "I would love that! Wait I mean- it's okay, you don't have to buy me anything. I just really wanted to help."
"But getting some ramen together sounds nice-" she smiled while clasping her hands together to which he chuckled.
"I'm free this weekend, but- I don't know about you.." she looked to the side.
"I think I'm also free. Thanks to you, I’ve managed to get most of my work done after all." she looked back at him as he replied.
"Okay, so.. this weekend?" She asks, just to be sure.
"This weekend it is."
The doors burst open as Akahito was pushed into the room. The guards held both of his arms so tightly that it hurt.
"Your excellency, we have brought him." the soldiers pushed him down to his knees.
The shogun didn't look at them. "Leave." she said, her eyes still on the papers that she's holding. The soldiers bowed and abruptly left Akahito in the room. His hands are tied behind his back.
Akahito wants to speak, but something tells him he must stay quiet.
"Are you mocking me, Akahito?" her voice echoed throughout the room. She glared at him as she walked towards him.
"Your excellency, I'm afraid I do not understand," his eyebrows furrowed. The Shogun stopped and showed him the papers.
"How could you do such a heinous crime and plagiarize another person's work?"
Akahito widened his eyes. Plagiarized? He would never do that.
"There must be a misunderstanding, my works are always original and I would never plagiarize anyone's work," the Shogun's face showed doubt in his statement.
"You say that when it was you, yourself who passed this poem."
"I-" he tries to speak, but was shut down immediately.
"Silence. You have no right to defend yourself when this is clear evidence about your crime." she pointed the papers at him. Her face showed no other emotion but disgust. The atmosphere of the room felt heavy and somewhat electrifying, literally.
She turned her back again as she walked back to her desk.
"You are exiled from this land."
Those words rang into his ears over and over. His entire career, shattered, just like that. His life is over, all his future plans, gone. What will he do then? He doesn't know, he's too downhearted to think. How could this happen? He knows he passed his original work a few days ago, he double- no, triple-checked everything. He made sure he wasn't stealing another poet's words. Sumizome was there when he wrote the poem. Things weren’t adding up.
Did someone frame him? If so then, why? What did he do to deserve this?
He was so deep in thought, he snapped out of it when the guards grabbed both of his arms and pulled him out of the room.
"Never step foot on my land again!" were the final words he heard before the doors shut.
As they were walking, the servants they passed by were whispering. Some looked angry and disgusted, the walls do have ears. People won't trust him anymore.
"Akahito-san..?" he looked up to see Sumizome, looking at him confused.
She wouldn't trust him anymore.
They passed by her, Akahito gave her one last weak smile before the main doors closed.
He wouldn’t be able to see her again, hear her laugh and her humming melody, write poems and share each other's thoughts, work-related or not.
He didn't even get the chance to tell her his true feelings.
To be fair he had lots of chances already, but it just didn't feel right to him at that moment.
Maybe he's just a coward and is just finding excuses.
Maybe it's a sign that she doesn't deserve him.
He's exiled now, after all.
Maybe it is best if he kept his feelings to himself. He doesn't want to bother her. Telling her now when he's now exiled will just make it complicated for the both of them.
Maybe in another universe, where life treats them more kindly, he could tell her.
If that other Akahito is not a coward like him.
"I don't understand," She placed the poem onto her desk as she paced around her office.
When she heard about Akahito being exiled due to plagiarizing someone's work, she knew that couldn’t be true. She was there when he wrote the poem. She got lucky when she passed by a servant that was about to throw away a pile of papers, along with Akahito's poem. It took a lot of pleading for the servant to give it to her since the Shogun really wanted to dispose of it.
"He would never do such a thing," she said as she went back to the poem and tried to stop her tears from falling. She searched high and low to see any defects with the papers, there must be some sort of sign that would clean his tarnished name.
Akahito is a good man and would never do something so absurd as to plagiarize someone's work. He puts his heart and soul when writing, how could he suddenly resort on committing such a crime? That's not the Akahito she knows, he knows better than that, He's--
"Huh."
Her thoughts stopped when she just realized how much tears were streaming down her face that it dripped on the paper. She quickly wiped away her tears but froze when she noticed something.
The ink got smudged.
They always use a special kind of ink and paper to prevent smudging. It's a special document for the Shogunate after all. Now that her mind is clearer, she notices that Akahito's red seal isn't on the paper as well.
He always puts his seal on his works.
Wait.
She quickly left her office to find the nearby stream by her home. As she immersed the papers in the rushing cold water of the stream, the ink slowly got messier. The other poems with the red seal were still clean, no smudge whatsoever.
Akahito didn't commit plagiarism.
He was framed.
She removed the papers from the stream. Her shoulders felt heavier.
She found the truth, but it was too late. She couldn't save him from being exiled from their land. She saw Aoi No Okina passing by, writing with the notebook in hand but she paid no mind to him.
She couldn't get another chance to write poems with Akahito, eat ramen together, or attend festivals.
She couldn't see him again anymore. His smile was her favorite.
She couldn't get another chance to tell him how she truly felt about him.
She shouldn't have waited that long for the right time to come. Maybe she should've been more brave.
One thing's for sure is that all she has now is regret.
If they'll get to see each other again, be it this life or the next, she will tell him.
She hopes she will even get that chance again.
Many years have passed, the Shogunate still standing strong and just another day in the Kamisato Estate.
Little Ayaka walked through the halls, holding her temari ball which she named "Moriwakamaru". Her brother, Ayato, is in a meeting with their father and another man that she doesn't remember the name of.
When she tried eavesdropping, she couldn't understand anything, but she could hear how stressed the two adults' voices were. She left quickly, so as to not get caught.
As she walked down the halls, she heard a high pitched tune coming from their garden. She carefully walked to see what was going on and there she saw a boy using a leaf as an.. instrument?
The boy must've noticed her presence since he stopped and quickly looked behind him "Ah- My apologies I thought no one was around," he let go of the leaf.
Now that she can see his face, he looked familiar. Strange, she barely leaves the house, so how could he be familiar to her?
"Hello," she said as she walked through the garden towards him.
"I am Kamisato Ayaka," she smiled.
The boy stared at her, she looked familiar. That's strange, he already knows her name but this is the first time he saw her in person and this close.
He snapped off from his thoughts and saw how confused she looked at him.
"Ah- sorry…" he looked away feeling flustered, why is he suddenly all flustered?
"What's your name?" she asked, her head tilted to the side a little. He immediately looked back at her and bowed.
"I am Kaedehara Kazuha, it's a pleasure to meet you Kamisato-san.”
She blinked twice from how quickly he recovered and his sudden formalities made her a bit nervous too. She cleared her throat and chuckled.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Kaedehara-san."