Post by Kurogane on Dec 16, 2020 6:45:39 GMT -8
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THE PAST: FIVE YEARS AGO
ESTATE OF THE SPARROW CLAN
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THE PAST: FIVE YEARS AGO
ESTATE OF THE SPARROW CLAN
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There was a sweet scent in the air. The flowers were in bloom in the garden and their perfume filled the estate. It wafted everywhere, in every hall, filling every nook and cranny, and made it so anyone in the area would feel almost compelled to stop, take a deep breath, and appreciate the scents of yet another peaceful spring living on the Sparrow clan estate.
The gardens were his mother’s pride and joy; they were a beautifully manicured garden area that surrounded the main house of the estate on three sides. The garden included paved walkways, koi ponds filled with bright colored koi fish, and over the ponds spanned beautiful arched red bridges that connected one area of the garden to the next as if they were separate land masses. There was an orchard which was filled with tall proud apple trees as well as various other fruit trees, but the apple trees had been planted there, allegedly, by the first head of the clan when they first broke ground and built the estate.
There was a greenhouse, in which the staff grew herbs and fruits and vegetables.
Not far from the greenhouse was a spot that Anko held close to her heart; it was something she added to the garden many years ago and it was her daughter’s namesake; it was a beautiful lane, a road or more like a path that had the space for vehicles and horses. This particular stretch of pathway was behind the house and connected the main house to the temple farther back in the estate. That lane was flanked by dozens of beautiful cherry blossom trees which would bloom a bright pink during certain times of the year and everyone would go out and set up picnic areas and relax under them.
The fish were collecting in one part of the pond, near one of the red bridges; Hotaru was standing on the bridge, and much like puppies, the fish came rushing to where he stood. They knew, somehow, that when someone stood there, it meant that they were about to get some food and thus they came. The fish were quite large, beautifully colored scales shined bright in the day’s light, and as he stood on the bridge looking down at them, the bag of promised food in his small childish hands, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized with the fish. The biggest ones were a beautiful coloration of oranges, golds, reds, yellows which made it appear, as they writhed beneath the water, as if they were flames burning and churning underneath the waves of the pond.
The diminutive silver haired youth, grinning wide, tossed small handfuls of food down into the fish churned water, and the fish jumped and splashed about and ate it, nibbling up the food as it was tossed down to them.
Hotaru had been so busy tossing small handfuls of food down to the writhing splashing fish that he almost had missed the arrival of the carriage. He caught a glint in his peripheral vision and peered over and saw the light shining off the carriage’s windows; it was being pulled by five large animals, not horses. These strange beasts were ones that he had not seen before, at least not anywhere in his estate. But he knew where they did exist. These massive beasts were birds, immense birds. Their bodies were covered in brilliant yellow and gold feathers, though the one in the front appeared to have multi-colored plumage. Their clawed feet were large and their legs were strong. They pulled the carriage along with ease and as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the estate’s main doors, Hotaru had run off the bridge and toward the carriage, remaining somewhat out of sight to see the birds, the tall fowls gave loud chirps and cries.
The bird’s voices rang out clearly, sounding something akin to a hawk or an eagle yet more melodious. They stamped their feet softly at the earth and then remained still, calm, as the man driving the carriage, or at least holding the reins, stepped down and went to open the carriage doors.
A tall man smoothly climbed out of the still carriage. He was dressed in black, his hair was black, long, and pulled back at his shoulders. He was wearing a long overcoat with oversized buttons. His hands were covered in black gloves. He had on glasses, they sat low on his nose and in his lips he had a long thin cigar or cigarette, Hotaru didn’t know. He knew the man had taken a nice long drag of it and then expelled a plume of smoke from the corner of his lips before he nodded politely to the carriage driver.
The man in black turned then and reached out, holding a hand out which was taken by a woman that followed in climbing out of the carriage. She was dressed more colorfully. She was clad in a very elaborate kimono; he had never seen anyone wear it in person before but he knew just what type of kimono she was clad in. It was one he had seen pictures of, artist portrayals of, in his mother’s books in her library. It was a multi-layered kimono worn by noble women, and it was draped over her body elegantly. She moved fluidly with it, as if she was fully accustomed to its weight, and she stepped out of the carriage with ease.
“They arrived already?” The voice almost caused Hotaru to jump out of his skin. He peered back over his shoulder; there stood Sakura. She had been so quiet that he hadn’t even noticed that she had snuck up on him until she made her presence known.
“Yeah,” He stuck his tongue out at her then turned back to the people standing in front of the carriage.
“That’s the eldest son of the Phoenix clan,” Sakura’s voice piped up again, speaking softly so her brother could hear but the visitors could not; she said this, pointing out the man whom had stepped out of the carriage first, the man in black with the long hair, “That woman is his mother.”
She was his mother? She didn’t look all that old; her hair was dark and long and her face lacked any visible wrinkling or signs of aging. She looked, maybe, to be in her late thirties, at most.
Someone else was climbing out of the carriage. This time it was a boy; he was around Hotaru’s height, maybe a bit taller by a few inches. The boy had raven hair and his eyes were shamrock green.
What was that? Hotaru felt something in his chest, a certain tightening. His heart was beating so loud that he was afraid everyone would hear it; and his cheeks felt hot, growing warmer by the second.
“Who’s that?” He asked timidly, not wanting to look at his elder sibling. He was blushing, he knew it.
“That’s his kid brother, Hishimo,” Sakura replied, a small smile playing on her face; she could already see the rosy coloration her brother’s cheeks had become, “You should go say hi; he’s a good kid.”
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