tags: @JessieTargaryen

---

"Oho? I got plenty of beauty sleep last night. Can you not tell?"

The white haired woman laughed, striking an exaggerated pose as best she could with the kimono in her arms. Otherwise she stayed quiet as she awaited Fumiko's opinion, anticipation clear on her face, if a little dramatic. Though neither choice could be wrong, Sumiko nodded along in agreement once the decision was made like she'd expected that outcome all along.

"Excellent choice as always, Fumi-chan," she said, sounding quite pleased. Sumiko gently replaced the green garment, then held the purple close to her and spun in place as though she were dancing with a partner. "Purple, mysterious, noble and spiritual. Specifically, this is hashita-iro. The color is made from murasaki plants, and the threads woven silk. Aah, I'd love to try my hand at weaving something myself some time!"

Sumiko slowed her turns, the motion transforming into a soft swaying. She smiled at her friend. "I was thinking the scale pattern might be a little direct, but it always goes over well with the crowd."

Without further ado she carefully laid the kimono on the table, and went to rummage for a suitable cover to carry it in. The hastily cleaned up room was gradually returning to a more familiar state as Sumiko opened a sliding closet and pulled things out. Boxes to sort through, hangers removed, examined, and lightly tossed to the side. Eventually one cover seemed to satisfy her, and she began wrapping the kimono in it. When Fumiko brought up asking for some extra help, all the white haired woman thought at first was, good idea! 'Many hands make light work,' or so the saying went didn't it? Before Sumiko could say as much, Fumiko went on. The more excuses she made, the faster Sumiko's expression morphed into a knowing grin. When she turned back to the young Takamori, the poor girl could see a hint of mischief in Sumiko's eyes.

"That's the only reason, I'm sure," she said, her voice light and teasing. Did their little Fumiko have a crush? She'd have a lot of competition, apparently a lot of the village girls had a thing for Tsubasa. Some of the village boys too. Sumiko let out a goodnatured laugh at her friend's flustered words, scooping one of the crates of supplies off of the ground and depositing it into Fumiko's hands. "It's not a bad idea though. Everything is ready to move, we just have to move it!"

Of course between bundles of cloth, parchments, paints, brushes, and everything else that Sumiko deemed necessary, it would be easier said than done. Sumiko herself stood with her hands on her hips in the midst of the middle of it all with a can-do grin. That smile had promised many things, and this morning it promised to get everything delivery on time.

"Well, almost everything. I need to gather up the matched hair pieces, but that won't take long."

Her smile was still in place when she turned away again, diving into the drawer of a little vanity. It was a dark wooden thing, not the typical make of Heiseina's craftsmen, and the little scratches here and there proved it was put to good use.

"You can go ahead if you want. I wouldn't want to get in the way of you and strong, handsome Tsubasa-san," she giggled over her shoulder. If the young man agreed to help out then they'd make short work of moving everything, but if not it was no big deal - there had been years when Sumiko carried everything to and fro by herself, so she was confident it would get done with time to spare. Although, she would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate the help.

Ah ha! she raised an arm in triumph, a shimmering hair piece held between her fingers. The rest of the accessories would follow soon enough.

"You know Fumi-chan, you should show off a little more," the younger Hayashi sister said suddenly. Her eyes were still focused on her search, though her grin had melted to something a little softer. "Perform in the festivals sometime. I'm sure you would do great."

Her gaze flickered over to Fumiko. "It would draw you some attention too. You know, catch the eye of a certain someone!"

---

This was torment, surely somehow she had angered a mischievous Yokai. That was the only explanation that the young Takamori could find for why she was stuck in this mortifying situation. As Sumi teased her about her rather obvious feelings for Tsubasa, Fumiko could feel her face burning hotter and hotter. Her cheeks no doubt a borderline beacon, glowing to show off her embarrassment at being caught so obviously. As Sumiko went about her preparations, Fumiko could only watch in stunned silence as she tried to reign herself in and regain her typical composure. "I-In the way!?!" The girl demanded, sounding every bit as mortified as she looked at that moment. Deep breathes. Calm yourself. She chided herself, sucking down a series of deep breathes until the Takamori had seemed to find herself. Shaking her head with a little smile towards Sumiko, Fumi welcomed the change in subject. "I couldn't, Sumi-chan. 'Tis, not my place to show off, mine is to ensure the festival runs well, and our village enjoys itself. I have not the time to showing off..." She said, adding in a softer tone moments later. "Even if it seems fun..." Before letting out a soft sigh and a little shrug. "I'll run ahead and see if he is busy, don't you dare try to move this all on your own, Sumi-chan! I'll be back with help!" Fumiko said, a firm tone complimenting her hand with a lone finger held up to make her point known.

Moments later, after a polite farewell, Fumiko was back out of the house and heading towards the place she was certain to find Tsubasa, the forge. The young Takamori quickly made her way towards the little building, a sense of purpose on her features as she wasted not a moment making her way to her target. Unlike her path to the Hayashi estate, Fumiko did not stop to talk with various villagers, instead, she just gave a polite greeting as she passed. She had a mission! Go and visit Tsubasa, no... she was to recruit the man to help them. Not to indulge in any selfish desire to see the boy that might be on her mind. AS she made her path through their little village and drew nearer to the forge, Fumiko came to a halt. All she had was to round this corner and make her way a bit down the path to arrive. Despite the fact she was here to recruit him for work, Fumiko found herself pausing to straighten out her outfit. Another to run her fingers gently through her hair, ensuring all was in order and her appearance satisfactory. Gods. Was she really that infatuated with him? You have a job, Fumiko. Do it. Worry about your desires later. She chided herself, sucking in a soft sigh as she made her way around the corner.

Drawing near to the forge, Fumiko went over her mental list of tasks for the day. Recruit Tsubasa, help Sumi-chan set up for the day, report back to Uncle, change into an outfit appropriate for the fesitivites, and no doubt a few other tasks for the day. She had not a doubt in her mind that she would be busy that day, but frankly, Fumiko rather liked that idea. She'd much rather be helping the village prepare instead of sitting about bored. Once she finished all of her tasks and got to enjoy the festival, then she could relax a bit. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she could see if Tsubasa might indulge her with a da-

Fumiko came to a halt as she drew near to the forge and saw that Tsubasa was accompanied by another. Seimei Keiko. While Fumiko did not harbor any particular distrust for the girl for her heritage, the Takamori was not overly fond of how the girl interacted with most of the village. Yet, even that was not enough to justify the irrational annoyance that Fumiko found bubbling within herself at the sight of Tsubasa and her spending time together. How badly she wanted to demand why they were together, what the girl had wanted with Tsubasa. Yet, Fumiko bit back such comments and approached the duo with a pleasant expression on her features. A warm smile, even if her eyes were noticeably colder for even the slightest of moments as they fell over Keiko. Pausing her approaching the give a respectful bow towards each of the two, Fumiko stepped in during a lull in their conversation. "Pardon me Seimei-san, Senga-san. I'm sure you're both a bit busy." Fumiko started, a slight shift in tone to emphasize the 'both' part of her statement, but one subtle enough to slip past unless one was paying close attention. "But Hayashi-san and I were hoping we could get some help transporting her things in preparation for her performance." She explained, gaze shifting between the two, and lingering on the taller boy for a bit longer. "Admittedly, I had come for Senga-san's help, but I'm certain another pair of hands would speed things along even better, Semei-san!" Fumiko added, a bit of cheer finding its way into her voice as a small smile graced her lips.

Her attention then turned back on Tsubasa as she gave him a friendly, yet dazzling little grin. "If you're busy, Senga-san, I can simply steal another. You just happened to be the first person on my mind to help!" She added, before looking between the two once more. "So, can we borrow the two of you for a moment?"

---

Fumiko's blood ran cold, her eyes widening in sudden surprise as she watched Keiko move in towards Tsubasa. Wrapping herself around his arm, and flaunting that they were going to the festival together. A date, she specified. Moreso, the young Takamori saw the girl sprout a smug little grin on her features. At that moment, she saw red. Emotions that the young Takamori was not entirely familiar with coursed through her veins. Anger, she knew that familiar emotion. That demon that had haunted much of her young life, one she thought she had firmly tucked away. Though still, there was another emotion that Fumi found herself not all that familiar with coursing through her veins. Jealousy. How had Keiko managed to win over Tsubasa, what did this girl have that she didn't have herself? How could she have lost a race she didn't even know she was participating in? Thoughts raced through Fumiko's mind faster than birds racing across the sky after each other.

Then as Tsubasa spoke up, Fumiko felt the crushing final blow struck upon herself. While he was being his usual lovable and sweet self, offering to help without even batting an eye, his comments about them returning to get ready for the festival together. His little affectionate nickname for her, gods. It was like they were trying to rub it into Fumiko's fact that they were going together. Though she had come here to seek help, that focus was soon lost in the young Takamori's mind. As instead it was overtaken with a host of negative thoughts over Tsubasa and Keiko's clear attachment to each other.

That little bitch dared to move in and brag about her attachment to Tsuba-...

An unnaturally hostile thought coursed through the girl's mind and shocked her in the next moment. The language and pure vitriol with which she thought about the other were completely unlike herself. Hurt still obvious in her eyes, Fumiko took a few moments to compose herself with a couple of steadying breaths. Finally, after a few moments longer of awkward silence, the girl finally spoke up for the first time since Keiko made her move. "Ah, well I would much hate to interrupt your enjoyment of the festivities together!" She said with a forced smile and cheerful tone. "So please, do not feel pressured to come and assist with setup. While the help would no doubt be appreciated, I did not have any intention of interrupting a date. For that, you both have my apologies." She said, looking between the two in anticipation of their response.

After all, she was a Lady. Moreso, she had a duty to Heisenina and its inhabitants. Such behavior was not fitting of her, nor was it something she could abide by. She had to take the high road in this situation.

Even if that road hurt.

---

Kenichi understood that the sensation he felt was not strictly an authentic representation of what was happening. While not a surgeon by any means, the doctor's apprentice knew the rough anatomy of where the different internal organs were and what was necessary to treat issues revolving around different parts of the body. He had read much in his youth, and heard the various symptoms from the various patients in the village. But in that awkward moment of fumbling words and awkward placating between the two youths, Kenichi could have sworn he felt his heart drop down into his stomach. He did his best to hide his feelings, leaning on his crutch a bit more as his legs felt the strain from the sensation rock him to his core. He kept his awkward smile plastered on his face, jumping in and interrupting her the moment he had some room in to respond.

"No, no... I understand. I should have scheduled... er, no, no, I just meant to deliver the medicine. I will not keep you."

Kenichi turned his body away from Oyuki, his gaze falling back down the stairs as his cheeks grew hotter and redder by the moment. He couldn't quite place the feelings churning in his abdomen, but he could tell they were unpleasant regardless. The only clear thought running through his mind is he needed to be away. For the briefest of moments, tucking up into a ball and just rolling down the hillside seemed like a reasonable option. Of course, the analytical and reasonable side won out as the doctor's apprentice gave a slight bow facing away from Lady Oyuki. "I wish you well, Lady Oyuki. I will be off."

With such a simple goodbye, Kenichi took a deep breath and began moving down the stairs as quick as his legs would allow, internalizing his grunts and frustrations as he descended from the shrine and towards the village below.