About Crystals and Stars (On hold)

2-2

Walking through the streets of Narukami, Mayura took in a deep breath in.

It felt so good, to get out of the estate.

Since she was little, she would often sneak out of the estate and hide herself within a coat, that she kept hidden in the trunk beneath the tree, she and Rokuro used for their secret correspondence. He had brought her the old and damaged coat, after she told him once, how she wanted to see the city at least one time, without guards accompanying her very step. With this new tool she had been able to go through the city without anyone guessing her true identity. She had enjoyed herself, asking Rokuro all kinds of question about the life in the city – the things she didn't knew besides the rough number of inhabitants, the number of licensed vendors or the amount of taxes. After her adventures she would always return to the estate unnoticed.

Opportunity makes a thief. And so she had often met with Rokuro in secret and stole herself away until the coat had someday almost fallen apart.

Mayura now thought about her brown-haired friend, whom she had left behind this time. Should she have taken him with her?

No, it was better this way.

She couldn't imagine, what the consequences might have been, if he would have run away with her.

It wasn't that he was a simple commoner or that it was forbidden for her to meet Rokuro at all. But he wasn't a royal family member.

Yet, he was a good childhood friend since the day her father had carried him home, where their physician nursed him back to health.

Despite being six years old Mayura had understood, that her father had found him on the street feverish and half starved to death. He was an orphan. And although Mayura didn't understand, why her father would bring this one in particular home, she welcomed the boy in. Every night she would read a story to him. And one day he had opened his eyes and smiled at her gratefully. They had been friends from that time onward and grew up together like brother and sister with him living in the servant quarters of the estate.

She just didn't want to take her chances and risk the life of her best friend. It was good this way. It would have been unacceptable, if he would have been punished for accompanying her. Besides, she could do this alone.

So now as she walked through the streets with her head hooded beneath a cape above her dark blue yukata, she enjoyed herself once more again like she used to, when she and Rokuro had sneaked out of the estate.

While passing through the streets, she stopped shortly here and there to smell fresh flower arrangements or admiring beautiful jewelry. Even after having walked so often this path, she was still amazed at the scenery of the street being filled with lots of different people.

She breathed in the smells of the market and danced with the sounds of a busy market street, being in step with the sound of life.

After dwelling for a little while in this breezy picture of life, she reminded herself of the reason, why she was here.

To travel to Tsuchimikado, call of the arrangement and negotiate peace, that was her task.

When she set off to her journey, she had just thought about heading to Tsuchimikado and laying down her arguments in front of the feudal lord Ikaruga to cancel this silly, arranged marriage. The problem was, which she now became slowly aware of, was, that there existed no direct way between Narukami and Tsuchimikado. Not only were they divided by sea, but due to the war there was no transportation way either. From one of the maids she heard about black marketeers selling the exotic goods of one nation to another. But how could she find someone like this?