Chapter 54: A Cold Night

It was a rather cold morning, the winter had already started and snow was on the horizon. Usually people would be far too lazy to get up so early in the morning but today, the streets of the capital were filled with people even before the sun rose.

Every street and alley was decorated with red lanterns and festive decorations as the people celebrated as if it were a holiday. In fact, it was a holiday as the ruler of the land had announced the off for celebrations due to his daughter's wedding.

Just as the sun rose, the people rushed to meal centers to enjoy the festive meals arranged by the royal family. All through the city, young couples could be seen wandering the streets, seeking warmth on this cold winter morning, while the married couples were taking their kids and visiting relatives and friends and the old men and women would sit on the sides of the roads, wrapped in warm clothes, commenting on and discussing various things ranging from a crying child due to the poor parenting of young mothers to the state affairs and weather or not the country should go to war.

Naturally, among these topics was the topic of the royal wedding and how mismatched the couple was and how some other noble would make a better groom.

As the people enjoyed themselves in the festivities, the soldiers and ninjas petroled the streets, every nook and cranny to make sure there was no interruption to this royal event.

Naturally, Shin was among these ninjas but his role was more of a supervisor than a footman. Shin would oversee the security until the start of the ceremony where he will have to make an appearance due to both his identity as a noble and the prince consort.

The formal wedding ceremony was held in the afternoon where all the nobles of the land had either come themselves or sent their heirs to attend, after all this was an important place to build connections and alliances.

Shin was a popular commodity in this gathering as everyone wanted a piece of the ninja that defeated one of the legendary sannin. Shin tried to keep his smile but was quickly drained by the sweet poison that dripped from the tongue of every noble he talked with. All of them wanting to use him for their own means or giving him kind 'advice' in order to manipulate him. 'Honestly, it's like they have no idea what a ninja does. A genin could smell their rot a mile away.' Shin mentally sighed.

It was not that every noble was corrupt but more like every noble wanted what was best for them and if it just so happened to get someone else in trouble then too bad for the other person.

Shin sighed as he found an excuse to escape when one of the ninjas in Konoha attire signaled him. It was not like such things were important for him and he had already met anyone worth their salt so whomever was left was at the bottom of the barrel.

Shin escaped the gathering and heard the ninjas report before finding an alley to rest in. Shin looked up at the sky, the clouds were coming, "Looks like snow." he spoke to the empty alleyway but surprisingly got a response, "Is that one of your ninja magic, Lord Hirano? You can predict the weather?"

Shin looked over to see a girl dressed in simple robes and another girl dressed similarly which was hiding behind her.

Shin raised his eyebrow at the duo, "What are you doing Minori? Don't tell me you are trying to run away with the bride?" he joked but the girl on the back "eep"ed and hid closer to Minori.

"Of Course not, Yukina just wanted to see the festivities, I promise she would be back in an hour!" Minori pleaded.

Shin looked at the sky, there was still quite a while before the ceremony and there was no harm in them venturing out incognito so he agreed, "Fine, but you're not going alone." Shin decided to tag along, after all today was an important day and he could not leave anything to chance.

Minori happily agreed and Shin led the girls on a tour through the back streets, watching the festive sights from a distance but much closer than the Princess had ever seen them. After a round through the city, Shin took them to a noodle shop through the backdoor.

The shop was small and far from any of the main shopping centers but that is exactly why Shin preferred it.

As they entered the shop, an old man greeted Shin, "Lord Hirano! Welcome!" the elderly man bowed deeply.

"I hope you've been well, old Men." Shin nodded at the man with a kind smile.

"By your grace my lord." the man replied as he quickly prepared the kitchen without needing to be told, "I have all the items you requested my lord." The old man took out several vegetables, oils and sauces.

"Excellent as always, old Men, here." Shin tossed a pouch to the old man who caught it mid-air and tried to return it instantly.

"Why do you embarrass this old man, my lord? Kami-sama would curse me for taking money from you!" he tried to hand back the pouch but Shin just waved him off.

"It's just business old Men, why would Kami-sama curse you for this? Just accept it or else I won't come here anymore." Shin threatened and the old man relented.

The girls had no idea what was going on but it didn't take a genius to figure it out; Shin was helping the old man make a living with the excuse of using his kitchen.

Yukina was both surprised and embarrassed, it seemed like Shin knew more about this city than she did even though she had spent most of her life here and Shin hadn't even been here for more then a year. The amount of people that had recognised him on the streets was staggering, and all of them thanked Shin for having helped them with something. She had never seen or heard of a noble being treated this kindly by the people. All this only made her emotions burn brighter and her heart more heavier.

Ignoring the turmoil of the young princess's heart, Shin pulled up his sleeves and turned on the stoves. He had decided to make them the signature dish of Ping's noodle shop; the famous super special secret sauce noodles! Naturally, there is no special sauce but the recipe was real and Shin had studied under the master himself.

By the time the noodles hit the bowels and the girls tried it, the audience of the two girls, one cat and one old man had been drooling. Yukina especially covered her mouth as she turned redder and redder, whether it was from the heat of the flames, her thinking that drooling over food was unladylike or the fact that Shin had loosened his robes to combat the heat, who knows.

One thing that was clear though, was that the girls had never tasted something so flavourful in their entire lives! And this was after living a life of royal banquets at the palace.

Yukina kept reaching for the water, trying to combat the spicy soup until Shin handed her a can of fizzy juice but that only made things worse, as she had never had something like it before, she nearly knocked herself unconscious from the sensory overlord.

Shin laughed at her reactions as the girl wished to bury herself in the noodle bowl, if not for the spice,she might have actually tried.

It was an oddity that Shin could never get rid of, the noodles he made, while delicious, always came out spicier than he intended. It gave them a unique taste but it was different from the perfect blend of flavors Master Po had always made. On the contrary, his fellow disciple's noodles always came out sweet, much to her embarrassment as how in the world does one even make sweet noodles, without even using sugar? Master Po always laughed at her but always finished the entire bowl, telling her how he liked the flavor.

Shin looked up at the sky, 'Maybe I should visit him soon…' his heart was heavy at the thought. Po had always seen right through him, even when he didn't want him to.

"Hm?" Shin showed a confused expression as he saw a firework go off in the sky. "There are no fireworks scheduled until-! We are going to be late!" Shin exclaimed, they had spent too much time making noodles, it was way past the one hour they had agreed upon and the sun had already started to set and the ceremony was just after sunset.

"We have to leave now!" Shin commanded and grabbed the two girls by their waists, "Hold on!" He cautioned them before disappearing from the spot and appearing inside Yukina's room. The girls felt dizzy as they fell to the ground, Shin had used chi to reduce the effects on them but it was still a bit too much for the delicate girls.

Shin grabbed Yukina's hands and pulled her up, "Are you alright Yukina?" he asked in a worried tone. There was a shuffle of activity outside the room, "I'll see you tonight then." Shin gave her a smile before disappearing.

Just as Shin vanished, a servant came inside the room and yelled at Minori about the princess still not being ready and went away. Minori called the princess but seeing her dazed state, she got worried and shook her awake, "Princess! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked while scanning her from head to toe for any injuries.

"He…" Yukina muttered in a small voice as Minori stopped and looked at her, wanting her to continue. "H-he… said my name and…" the princess looked at her hands in a trance.

Minori however facepalmed herself, "What am I going to do with this lovesick girl!? Come on princess, remember what I said? Dreams are for night time! Come on now…" her expression darkened as she continued, "You have a wedding to get ready for…" Minori went to get makeup and the wedding dress for Yukina.

The princess broke away from her trance as she hung her face, 'Ah, that's right…' she thought to herself as Minori took her to the wooden bathtub and she disrobed and entered the scented water to bathe.

'I had enjoyed myself so much that I had forgotten why I went out today in the first place.' Minori washed her as Yukina stared at her own reflection in the water, 'To have one hour of freedom… before a lifetime of prison… I had forgotten.'

Yukina rose from the bathtub and Minori dried her off, the princess still stealing herself for what was to come, 'Dreams are for night, for living a life that can never be yours… this is my fate, I should accept it.' She was dressed in layers of robes, until the final red bride's robe that was covered in beautiful gold patterns of flowers.

'Dreams… until then, I will meet you in my dreams… my dreams of you…' she recited a verse from one of the letters her sister had received. She would always peek at them, read them as if they were sent to her.

She had never received letters like these, 'No, I did receive them. But Minori always hid them.' she looked at her servant who put layer after layer of makeup on her face, neck and arms. Minori's face was expressionless but Yukina knew her well to see the sadness hidden underneath.

'She thought I didn't know where she hid them but I knew, and I read them…' she remembered the letters sent by her fiance. There were no sweet words of love or promises of passion in them, 'No, there were promises… promises of a wedding night…' She felt like belching at the thought but she held it in, remembering the coarse and crooked words, no doubt written in a drunken stupor.

She got up from her chair and was led away by Minori, led to the last few moments of her life before it was no longer her's. Yukina entered the place where the ceremony would be held.

The sky was already dark, the stars hidden behind the layers of clouds, the cold winds drifting through the palace grounds, bringing a chill that caused many to shiver.

The lights shone brightly, the audience all eyeing the bride as she walked towards the stage, towards her groom. Yukina walked without a fault in herstep, the years of training coming back at this moment to make her the perfect bride. Her face showed no expression and her feet no hesitation. Even the winter chills passed her by with no effect.

She was now ready, she had steeled herself to forget the dreams and fantasies of an innocent girl that could never come true. Instead, she would now fulfill her role as a princess of the royal family, just as she had been trained to do since birth, just as her fate had ordained.

Her eyes landed on the man twice her age, a man known throughout the capital as a leecher, a man that wore a grin on his face with a broken tooth right in the front. He seemed balder then when she last saw him, his hair seemed thinner as if it had been carefully plucked so that he still had hair but he somehow still looked bald.

She felt his vile gaze, tearing away at her layers of clothing, trying to peer underneath, the gaze of a vile beast.

The bride reached the groom and the ceremony started, guest after guest came up to the stage to congratulate the happy couple and wish them many strong and healthy children.

"Congratulations." Someone came up to congratulate and a crack appeared on her mask. She knew this voice, it had accompanied her days and haunted her nights.

"May this union tonight be fruitful." the cruel voice cursed her before leaving, escaping into the shadows.

The waves of guests showed no signs of stopping and somewhere deep in her heart, she wished they would never stop.

"It is a cold night, but don't worry my sweet wife, I will make sure you are warm the whole night~" a sickly voice whispered beside her ear. The onlookers teased the happy couple about being in love and the man beside her laughed.

No more cracks, no more dreams, no more fantasies. Not after today. She steeled her heart one last time.

The night grew colder and from the heavens fell the frozen tears of a dying heart.

The ceremony ended and the Bride entered the Litter that would take her to her new home. The Inoue mansion was within the city so it would be a short trip.

During the journey, she slid open her window ever so slightly and saw a shadow run across the roofs and one last thought, one last flickering flame of hope rose in her heart.

"The bride has arrived!" cried a heckler and the flame died out.

'You can save one princess but not the other? How very cruel.' she smiled.

The bride was led into the chamber, she would sit here and wait for her husband and the two would consummate the wedding, fulfilling their vows and responsibilities and from tomorrow would start their new life.

The room was simple with white paper walls and a view to the backyard to which the door had been left open and she could see the drifting snow, losing their way and falling into this prison with her. She wished they would fall elsewhere, somewhere they could reunite with their brethren in the rivers and the seas. But she was as helpless to help them as she was to help herself.

She waited in that room, was it for minutes or for hours, she did not know, until the door finally opened and the laying girl closed her eyes as a pigeon does in front of a cat. Wishing that what she imagined would not happen, but her wish would not be realized as she felt a presence laying down next to her.

A hand caressed her cheek and she flinched, her eyes shutting tighter as she prayed she had not been found. The hand traveled from her cheek to her neck and from there to chest as it started to undo her clothings.

She shivered, the cold assaulting her for the first time that night as she lost layer after layer of her warm comfort. The hands seemed to multiply, reaching everywhere, she felt weak and vulnerable. The hand caressed her arms, her legs, her torso, until they found their target and a strange sound escaped her lips.

The hands were gentler, kinder and warmer then she had ever expected them to be but that didn't make her task easier as a wet tongue assaulted her, traveling from her feet, upwards from her leg, her stomach and finally her neck as the fingers wreaked havoc elsewhere.

She struggled, she didn't wish to relent, she couldn't. She prayed for strength but the heavens were covered tonight and the gods that she prayed to, blind to her misery.

Her eyes were shocked open as the hands cupped her face and a gentle kiss was planted on her lips. She had not expected this and realized her blunder, she wanted to shut her eyes but the shock of what she saw froze her.

Before here was not an old man with broken teeth and a balding head, but a young man with long black hair with streaks of white. His eyes were kind and loving, his touch gentle and warm. "L-lord Hirano?" she equestined her vision, thinking it was an illusion or maybe she had fallen asleep, "is this a dream?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes~" whispered the sweet voice in her ear, "This is a dream, my dream… of you." He kissed her, sapping away her strength to resist as his hands traveled elsewhere and her inhibitions all released in a wave of pleasure.

She lay there panting, her body and mind a mess of emotions and sensations as she looked up at the person responsible, "Lord Hirano…" she muttered but the person seemed displeased as she hesitated before speaking once more, "S-Shin…"

"That's better." he kissed her once more and the princess was assaulted by another wave of pain and pleasure as her moans echoed through the room.

The winter cold felt distant as entwined bodies danced in a trance, engaging in a ritual of pleasure, free from all inhibitions, away from all the prying eyes and judging voices, away from all the restrictions of fates and responsibilities…

This was nothing more than a primal connection that delved into the very depths of her soul. She was lost in this, illusion or reality, it no longer matter, all that mattered was the now and the now was-

"?" She blinked, it was an unfamiliar roof. She felt cold and heavy, as if someone had put a heavy weight on her chest.

The room was bright from the morning light and she could see everything clearly but she did not recognise this place.

She looked down and saw the face of an ugly man with a balding head, drooling on her chest. She reeled in shock and backed away, straightening up her loose clothes and kicking away the drunk man who remained asleep, merely groaning at the disturbance.

Yukina straightened her robes, her mind confused between reality and illusion as the memories of last night came back to her. She inspected her body, then she looked at the man; his robe was wide open, the same as her's. She felt sick, she looked at the man and felt as if she would vomit if she stayed in that room, the smell of alcohol and sweat assaulting her, so she tied up her robes and left the room.

She opened the door to a strange house, she didn't know the layout and didn't want to meet anyone so she went back inside and out onto the backyard, covered in a layer of snow. She fell to her knees as tears fell onto the frozen ground.

Never in her entire life had she ever wanted a dream to be real and never in her entire life had she ever been so sure that it wasn't.

The girl cried, cold and alone, the warmth she had felt seemed so distant now. The dream of the last night shattered and along with it, whatever remained of her heart. She cried, but there was no one to calm her, no one to comfort her. No one to pat her back and tell her that everything was going to be ok.

She was alone.