Chapter Text
"The First Child"
From the eaves above him, a fuurin swayed lightly in the summer breeze and gave off its playful, delicate chime. Hanzo sat, awaiting the call of his father from the main hall. His parents were meeting with the leaders of the Yukimura clan that day for the same reason that countless other clans were streaming into their compound for the past few weeks since Hanzo's 14th birthday. All the clans in the land, at least the ones of any worth or clout were vying for favor from the Shimada clan, the most powerful in all of Japan. They best way to do this, short of declaring a feud, would be to marry their daughters into the family. And so, Hanzo had spent these precious days meeting with other families and their often frightened daughters to make arrangements for the future. There would be a betrothal now and clans would be married once Hanzo officially took over for his father. These meetings were just a formality and he dreaded every false moment of it. Ultimately, Hanzo's father would decide who would be the best match for his sons and most advantageous for the Shimada clan. In a few years, on Genji's own 14th birthday, his little brother would have to go through this ordeal, too. For Hanzo, being the eldest son, however, carried with it the weight of the future and success of his clan so he had to have a bride to match in wealth and connection. If it was within his power, he hoped Genji could be spared the machinations of it all.
Rather than being in the dojo practicing with Genji or in the tactical room, learning more about strategy and warfare from his uncles, here he was sitting cross-legged and cross-armed, in his formal presentation regalia, listening to the wind bell above. He just wanted it to be over but there was no telling when the line of suitors would end. Suddenly he caught something in the corner of his eye. A flash of black. He immediately sprang from his seat.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my garden?" he said, commanding an answer.
"Is this YOUR garden?" a small, clear voice asked in return.
A young girl peered at him from around the plum tree she was hiding behind. Her long black hair was loose about her back and was what gave her away, though the rest of her would have been hidden quite well behind the trunk of the tree. Her heart-shaped face was pale and her smile cheerful as she spoke. But it was her eyes that struck him most and he suddenly felt apprehensive as he stared. Her dark pupils were greatly dilated and her irises...they were a clouded, swirling gray. She didn't seem to be looking AT him, though; more through him.
"Yes, this is MY garden so tell me who you are before..."
"Hanzo-kun, I presume. You are so demanding." she interrupted.
He was aghast. No one had ever spoke to him so casually before, especially before being properly introduced.
"How dare you speak to me in such a way?" he responded, finally tearing his gaze away from her strange eyes and looking at her fully.
"Don't you think it's fitting that I should come and see who my sister is meant to marry? I am concerned about her welfare, is all," the offending stranger reasoned. "I need to see that her intended is worthy of her."
"And who is your sister?" he asked, almost amused.
"Keiko. Keiko Yukimura," she answered.
"Yukimura?" Hanzo asked aloud but mostly to himself. It was indeed the clan his parents were currently meeting with in the main hall. "You lie. The Yukimura clan has only one daughter of age; everyone knows that. So who does that make you?"
"I'm her eldest sister, Rin. By two years, in fact, which makes me a year older than even you, Hanzo-kun. I will always be her older sister, no matter what my father says. I will protect her even if I am just a ghost to him!" she replied, her smile leaving her at those last words.
He stared at her as she stood there in her defiance of him and seemingly of her own father. What a perplexing thing to say. But he did admire her protectiveness over her sister. Now that he was able to see her completely, he noticed she was not wearing a kimono displaying her status or house crest. She wore a simple white gi and blue dress underneath. Though her hair was loose, half was tied back in a pony-tail. She was clean, groomed, and carried herself well, as gentry would.
"Why should I believe you?" he asked, sincerely.
"You don't have to. It only matters that I know who I am, as does my sister. Do you plan to make her happy?"
"Do *I* plan..." he trailed off and genuinely chuckled. "I don't think you understand the true nature of this arrangement, if there even is one."
"You'd be blessed by the gods to have a chance to marry her," Rin corrected.
"Is that so?" he asked, fairly diverted for once in a long while. "But if you're the eldest daughter, why aren't you being presented instead of Keiko, " he interrogated. As he moved closer to her, he noticed that, even as he changed the distance between them, her gaze remained the same: unfocused and over his shoulder. It was then that he finally realized...
"You're blind," he said, flatly.
"What a revelation," she replied.
Hanzo wasn't about to let her get away with being so insufferable when he heard his father calling for him.
"You. Wait here, we're not done yet," he instructed as he turned to go to the meeting.
Rin sniffed but remained still.
In the main hall, around the center mat, the Shimada and Yukimura family were sitting, facing one another. Small tables were set before them with tea and delicate foods. His father nodded at him when he arrived and he quickly turned to closed the shoji doors behind him. Hanzo took his place at his father's right and kneeled. He was introduced to the Yukimura family, one by one until finally, he was made acquainted with Keiko, who knelt there quietly, with her eyes cast down.
From what Hanzo could tell, there was indeed a resemblance between Keiko and the girl he had just met outside. But Keiko somehow seemed frail, even sickly. Her face, though small and pretty also seemed gaunt; without a natural luster underneath the cosmetics. He thought he even caught her slightly sway while sitting, as if she were struggling to hold herself up. Perhaps the many layers of dress and fabric were weighing too heavily on her.
Finally, the formalities ended and he was excused to return to his quarters until he was called again. As expected, Rin was still there, waiting behind the plum tree trunk.
She perked up when she heard him walking toward her.
"Isn't Keiko pretty?" inquired Rin, as she looked toward the main hall. "I helped her choose her presentation dress this morning."
"Oh? And what does her dress look like, if I may ask?" said Hanzo, wryly.
Rin's lips turned up to one side. "You think I wouldn't know what my sister's favored dress would be? I could tell in her voice which one she liked most as I presented them to her one by one. I didn't have to see it....but she told me it was orange and green with a Koi pattern."
"Fair enough," he responded, clasping his hands behind his back, much like his father did when choosing to banter. "To answer your question, yes, your sister is quite pretty. But has she been ill lately?"
Rin's face returned to neutral and her lips set into a thin line. "She is getting better now. It wasn't anything serious. You'd be a fool to deny her."
"I'll remember that. And when will you get your turn at this game?" asked Hanzo, curious.
"I won't. I don't exist."