[FIC] Hatsukoi - Chapter 3
Title: Hatsukoi (初恋)
Author: jessicaluthien
Pairing: Ryokura
Rating: PG-13, nothing's explicit!
Warnings: This is a mashup of Ooku with some elements of Chonmage Purin...XD Yes, I have crazy ideas sometimes...
Summary: Tsuruoka thinks that he has finally found love in the perfect man, his Matsushima-sama. However, when a bizzare stranger from another time period shows up out of nowhere in the Ooku, he finds himself strangely attracted to him. What will Tsuruoka do when he realizes that his love is real?
Chapter 3 - The Way of the Ooku
“…And these are the kitchens, where you will go to fetch me my food when the time is appropriate,” Tsuruoka was saying, gesturing at the large doorway to his right. He was giving a tour to Ryo, who was seemed to be already a bit overwhelmed by the size of the Ooku, staring at everything with wide-open eyes like a fish out of water. Tsuruoka chuckled softly to himself. It was cute seeing Ryo like this, completely off his guard and a little dependent. But, he didn’t worry too much - it was only a matter of time before Ryo would be traversing the halls of the Ooku with as much certainty as he, himself, did.
“Tsuruoka,” Ryo said suddenly, causing Tsuruoka to stop in his tracks and turn toward him, “why is it that so far, all the other workers and inhabitants of the Ooku are all men? Aren’t there any women workers or something?”
Tsuruoka expression grew serious as he pursed his lips. “No, there are no women in the Ooku. I’m not sure what kind of society your world is like, but here, something called the Red Pox has wiped out most of the young, male population of Japan, leaving the population of men to be only a quarter that of women. It is a sign of the Shogun’s power to be able to have all of us here, working for her, when there are so few men outside that are well and strong.”
Ryo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t seem right…Wouldn’t it be better if all these men were outside then, since there aren’t even enough outside to begin with?”
Tsuruoka shook his head. “There are some things in the Ooku that can’t and shouldn’t be questioned. Sometimes, it is best just to keep your head down and mind your own business. It’s one of the first things that you should learn while you are here. As long as your own life is satisfactory, if you gain enough of fame here or find your own comfortable niche, then that’s enough. Don’t worry about the others or the world outside.”
“But how can I do that?” exclaimed Ryo, his eyes blazing. “How can I do that when I’m always looking for a way to escape this place and to get back to my own time?”
Tsuruoka glanced away, unsettled by Ryo’s reaction. He looked toward the open-aired courtyard in the middle of the palace, where a large pond dotted with lotuses was being visited by exquisite-looking dragonflies. It seemed strange that such internal turmoil could be occurring next to such a peaceful, beautiful setting. Finally, he murmured, “I’m sorry, Ryo, but that’s just the way things are in the Ooku.” He sighed, turning back toward his new charge. “I know you want to get back to your own time, but can’t you try to enjoy your new life here? At least, for now?”
Ryo gazed at him steadily, his expression unreadable. Then, he looked away and said, his voice gruff, “I guess so...I mean, I can try.”
Tsuruoka smiled slightly, his lips turning up at the sides. “Good. Now, why don’t we continue on our tour?”
* * *
Tsuruoka left Ryo at the Pages’ Quarters, telling him that this would be the place that he would sleep and spend any down time that he may have. As he shut the door reluctantly behind him, Tsuruoka couldn’t help but worry a little over how Ryo would be accepted among the other pages; he certainly wasn’t anything like the rest of them.
But, as he headed back toward the Courtiers’ Quarters where he knew his Matsushima-sama would be waiting for him, he found any thoughts of worry slip his mind.
* * *
When the sliding door slammed shut behind him upon Tsuruoka’s departure, Ryo was left standing sheepishly upon the threshold, unsure what to make of what he saw. The room was of moderate size, with bedding piled up upon the sides, revealing the tatami floor. All around the room, in various stages of lounging around, were young men dressed in purple robes that were simpler and less luxurious than Tsuruoka’s and Matsushima’s. All of them had their hair done up in different-styled topknots, except for one page in the corner whose topknot was particularly narrow and whose head had been particularly shaven.
Ryo inclined his head, giving a low bow. “Um…Greetings, everyone. I’m new here. My name is Ryo.”
As soon as he spoke, there were some hushed murmurings among the room’s inhabitants, which he assumed were the other pages of the Ooku. He wrinkled his brow slightly. “Is there something wrong?” he asked, a little annoyed that the pages were gossiping amongst themselves like a gaggle of schoolgirls.
“Wrong?” replied one of the pages who was sitting closest to the door. He was a little heavy set and had on a rather oily expression. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong! It’s just…” He stood, his eyes narrowing as an expression that Ryo didn’t particularly like crossed his face. “…it’s not every day when we see such a peculiar-looking samurai! I mean, look at his hair, everyone! Isn’t this short hair so distasteful? What, did someone lop it all off in your sleep or something?”
“Lop it off in my sleep?” exclaimed Ryo, irritated now. “What are you talking about? Where I come from, this kind of hairstyle is completely normal! It’s you all who have the weird-ass hairdos, in my opinion!” In his anger, Ryo had marched straight up to the insulting page and was prodding his chest with his finger.
The page looked at him distastefully. “What a lack of manners you have, sir! You speak and act so coarsely! I’m not even sure if I have seen country bumpkins carry on as you do. You aren’t going to last long in the Ooku. I’m sure of it!”
“Oh, do be quiet! There’s no need to piss off every new inductee into the Ooku when they get here,” came a voice from behind them.
Ryo turned and saw that this new outburst had come from the page with the narrow topknot, who had been sitting quietly in the corner with an older, but kinder-looking page. The page with the narrow topknot gestured at him to sit next to him, and Ryo nodded, lowering himself down next to his savior.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling gratefully, “for helping me out back there.”
The page with the narrow topknot patted Ryo on the shoulder reassuringly. “No, it’s fine. They were nasty to me, too, when I first got here a week ago.” He withdrew his hand from Ryo’s shoulder and gestured at himself and then the man next to him “I’m Mizuno, by the way, and this is my friend, Sugishita.”
“Nice to meet you,” answered Ryo. “I’m Ryo.”
“Ryo?” questioned the man known as Sugishita thoughtfully. “Is that a surname? I’ve never heard of it before.”
Ryo shook his head. “No, it’s my given name. But, apparently, my actual surname, ‘Nishikido’, is currently in use in the Ooku, so Matsushima-sama told me just to go by ‘Ryo’ instead.”
Sugishita nodded his understanding. “Interesting…Well, it’ll certainly allow you to stick out amongst the rest of us. Maybe you’ll be able to fight your way up the social hierarchy to become a groom of the bedchamber. I’ve seen others do it before, and usually, they all had some peculiarity about them that set them apart from all the others. You and Mizuno are both blessed with good looks, so it’s entirely possible for the two of you.”
“But, what about you?” asked Ryo.
Sugishita laughed wryly. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve already decided that it’s my fate to stay as a lowly page until the rest of my life. I’m already grateful of my existence here, so it’s okay with me.”
“Don’t talk like that, Sugishita,” said Mizuno. “You’re just going to make the whole atmosphere depressed.”
“Too late,” joked Ryo, making both Mizuno and Sugishita break out into laughter.
When their laughter finally subsided, Mizuno said, still gasping a little for air, “You seem like a good man, Ryo. Don’t worry too much about the others. We’ll do our best to help you learn the way of the Ooku, even though I’m still a newcomer, myself.”
“Thank you,” said Ryo sincerely, “I really do appreciate it.”
Sugishita smiled, picking himself off the ground. “Okay, enough of this sentimental talk. Now it’s time to do our afternoon duties.”
- - -
I hope you liked this part! Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting! :D
Author: jessicaluthien
Pairing: Ryokura
Rating: PG-13, nothing's explicit!
Warnings: This is a mashup of Ooku with some elements of Chonmage Purin...XD Yes, I have crazy ideas sometimes...
Summary: Tsuruoka thinks that he has finally found love in the perfect man, his Matsushima-sama. However, when a bizzare stranger from another time period shows up out of nowhere in the Ooku, he finds himself strangely attracted to him. What will Tsuruoka do when he realizes that his love is real?
Chapter 3 - The Way of the Ooku
“…And these are the kitchens, where you will go to fetch me my food when the time is appropriate,” Tsuruoka was saying, gesturing at the large doorway to his right. He was giving a tour to Ryo, who was seemed to be already a bit overwhelmed by the size of the Ooku, staring at everything with wide-open eyes like a fish out of water. Tsuruoka chuckled softly to himself. It was cute seeing Ryo like this, completely off his guard and a little dependent. But, he didn’t worry too much - it was only a matter of time before Ryo would be traversing the halls of the Ooku with as much certainty as he, himself, did.
“Tsuruoka,” Ryo said suddenly, causing Tsuruoka to stop in his tracks and turn toward him, “why is it that so far, all the other workers and inhabitants of the Ooku are all men? Aren’t there any women workers or something?”
Tsuruoka expression grew serious as he pursed his lips. “No, there are no women in the Ooku. I’m not sure what kind of society your world is like, but here, something called the Red Pox has wiped out most of the young, male population of Japan, leaving the population of men to be only a quarter that of women. It is a sign of the Shogun’s power to be able to have all of us here, working for her, when there are so few men outside that are well and strong.”
Ryo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t seem right…Wouldn’t it be better if all these men were outside then, since there aren’t even enough outside to begin with?”
Tsuruoka shook his head. “There are some things in the Ooku that can’t and shouldn’t be questioned. Sometimes, it is best just to keep your head down and mind your own business. It’s one of the first things that you should learn while you are here. As long as your own life is satisfactory, if you gain enough of fame here or find your own comfortable niche, then that’s enough. Don’t worry about the others or the world outside.”
“But how can I do that?” exclaimed Ryo, his eyes blazing. “How can I do that when I’m always looking for a way to escape this place and to get back to my own time?”
Tsuruoka glanced away, unsettled by Ryo’s reaction. He looked toward the open-aired courtyard in the middle of the palace, where a large pond dotted with lotuses was being visited by exquisite-looking dragonflies. It seemed strange that such internal turmoil could be occurring next to such a peaceful, beautiful setting. Finally, he murmured, “I’m sorry, Ryo, but that’s just the way things are in the Ooku.” He sighed, turning back toward his new charge. “I know you want to get back to your own time, but can’t you try to enjoy your new life here? At least, for now?”
Ryo gazed at him steadily, his expression unreadable. Then, he looked away and said, his voice gruff, “I guess so...I mean, I can try.”
Tsuruoka smiled slightly, his lips turning up at the sides. “Good. Now, why don’t we continue on our tour?”
* * *
Tsuruoka left Ryo at the Pages’ Quarters, telling him that this would be the place that he would sleep and spend any down time that he may have. As he shut the door reluctantly behind him, Tsuruoka couldn’t help but worry a little over how Ryo would be accepted among the other pages; he certainly wasn’t anything like the rest of them.
But, as he headed back toward the Courtiers’ Quarters where he knew his Matsushima-sama would be waiting for him, he found any thoughts of worry slip his mind.
* * *
When the sliding door slammed shut behind him upon Tsuruoka’s departure, Ryo was left standing sheepishly upon the threshold, unsure what to make of what he saw. The room was of moderate size, with bedding piled up upon the sides, revealing the tatami floor. All around the room, in various stages of lounging around, were young men dressed in purple robes that were simpler and less luxurious than Tsuruoka’s and Matsushima’s. All of them had their hair done up in different-styled topknots, except for one page in the corner whose topknot was particularly narrow and whose head had been particularly shaven.
Ryo inclined his head, giving a low bow. “Um…Greetings, everyone. I’m new here. My name is Ryo.”
As soon as he spoke, there were some hushed murmurings among the room’s inhabitants, which he assumed were the other pages of the Ooku. He wrinkled his brow slightly. “Is there something wrong?” he asked, a little annoyed that the pages were gossiping amongst themselves like a gaggle of schoolgirls.
“Wrong?” replied one of the pages who was sitting closest to the door. He was a little heavy set and had on a rather oily expression. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong! It’s just…” He stood, his eyes narrowing as an expression that Ryo didn’t particularly like crossed his face. “…it’s not every day when we see such a peculiar-looking samurai! I mean, look at his hair, everyone! Isn’t this short hair so distasteful? What, did someone lop it all off in your sleep or something?”
“Lop it off in my sleep?” exclaimed Ryo, irritated now. “What are you talking about? Where I come from, this kind of hairstyle is completely normal! It’s you all who have the weird-ass hairdos, in my opinion!” In his anger, Ryo had marched straight up to the insulting page and was prodding his chest with his finger.
The page looked at him distastefully. “What a lack of manners you have, sir! You speak and act so coarsely! I’m not even sure if I have seen country bumpkins carry on as you do. You aren’t going to last long in the Ooku. I’m sure of it!”
“Oh, do be quiet! There’s no need to piss off every new inductee into the Ooku when they get here,” came a voice from behind them.
Ryo turned and saw that this new outburst had come from the page with the narrow topknot, who had been sitting quietly in the corner with an older, but kinder-looking page. The page with the narrow topknot gestured at him to sit next to him, and Ryo nodded, lowering himself down next to his savior.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling gratefully, “for helping me out back there.”
The page with the narrow topknot patted Ryo on the shoulder reassuringly. “No, it’s fine. They were nasty to me, too, when I first got here a week ago.” He withdrew his hand from Ryo’s shoulder and gestured at himself and then the man next to him “I’m Mizuno, by the way, and this is my friend, Sugishita.”
“Nice to meet you,” answered Ryo. “I’m Ryo.”
“Ryo?” questioned the man known as Sugishita thoughtfully. “Is that a surname? I’ve never heard of it before.”
Ryo shook his head. “No, it’s my given name. But, apparently, my actual surname, ‘Nishikido’, is currently in use in the Ooku, so Matsushima-sama told me just to go by ‘Ryo’ instead.”
Sugishita nodded his understanding. “Interesting…Well, it’ll certainly allow you to stick out amongst the rest of us. Maybe you’ll be able to fight your way up the social hierarchy to become a groom of the bedchamber. I’ve seen others do it before, and usually, they all had some peculiarity about them that set them apart from all the others. You and Mizuno are both blessed with good looks, so it’s entirely possible for the two of you.”
“But, what about you?” asked Ryo.
Sugishita laughed wryly. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve already decided that it’s my fate to stay as a lowly page until the rest of my life. I’m already grateful of my existence here, so it’s okay with me.”
“Don’t talk like that, Sugishita,” said Mizuno. “You’re just going to make the whole atmosphere depressed.”
“Too late,” joked Ryo, making both Mizuno and Sugishita break out into laughter.
When their laughter finally subsided, Mizuno said, still gasping a little for air, “You seem like a good man, Ryo. Don’t worry too much about the others. We’ll do our best to help you learn the way of the Ooku, even though I’m still a newcomer, myself.”
“Thank you,” said Ryo sincerely, “I really do appreciate it.”
Sugishita smiled, picking himself off the ground. “Okay, enough of this sentimental talk. Now it’s time to do our afternoon duties.”
- - -
I hope you liked this part! Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting! :D