italicized means flashback
"Oh my, this is unexpected. A jasmine and pear blossom fusion?" Rien asks in delightful tone, a small smile painting his lips in a small smile. "The pear blossom stems from the Rose family while the jasmine stems from the Olive family." Slowly, he scooped both infants on either of his arms, gently swaying them in his hold.
One infant had white hair with light green tips and the other infant had white hair but with yellow tips. The infant with light green tips stared up at him with wide eyes while the infant with yellow tips' eyes slowly began to water with tears.
"From now on, you're named Rika and you'll be Riku. Named after the flowers that you both have blossomed from." He declares. However, the small smile painted on his lips swapped for a shocked expression. "How could I have missed it...you two look alike. The flower is capable of producing twins!" He exclaims yet his facial expression softened once more as he turns to look down at the twin infants.
"Rika, Riku, remember this. All of us are family."
"You didn't have to pick a fight with Mu Dan like that. You know I would always ignore him and his remarks towards me." Rika spoke, clad in a bright yellow colored silk bikini. Throwing her arms around his lean and muscular figure, hugging Riku tightly in her arms. As she hugs him tightly, she could feel his arms slowly wrap around her slender figure, hugging her back.
"Hey" Rika spoke, resting her head above his shoulder. "Can you promise me one thing?"
Riku remains silent for a moment, resting his chin on top of her shoulder. "Anything." He replies.
Leaning away from the hug, she raises her pinky finger up between them. "Promise me that when either the two of us are in danger, we'll come to the each other's aid."
Almost immediately, Riku raises his pinky finger up and intertwines it with hers. Although his action may have been done rather quick, he meant the promise. Ever since he learned from Mei and Rien how he and Rika were born from the same flower but different ovary, he never viewed anyone else as his sibling. He knows that one day they will go down to a different path but in his power, he will continue to support her. Their bond remaining forever.
. . . . . . . . . . ♡
"Excuses!" Roared an attendant. "If you're dissatisfied, you can leave. This is voluntary."
Whatever happens, Rika won't leave this tent nor beach. Even if it meant that she would have to wait for another week, maybe even a month or more, she'll continue following through and through. Riku is always there to aid her.
A seven foot tall man with red and yellow peonies over his ireizumi tattoo's stood up from the sandy shore. "I'm going out. This is creepy." He bids, turning around on his heels as he prepares to leave. Unlike him, Rika never found Horai to be creepy. Granted the island is beautiful, but what lingers is what makes it creepy. Maybe if she and Riku aren't Tensen's, then they would have been long dead already.
"I'd rather die in front of my henchmen waiting for me at the jail-"
And in one swift movement, a man with long maroon hair swung his sword and decapitated his head.
"I forgot to mention one thing." Said the attendant. "When you go ashore, you will be accompanied by an escort."
"An escort?"
Immediately, all heads turn to face the man with long maroon hair standing in the middle.
"Your death sentence has already been decided. The same applies on the island. Which means that..." In one motion of his arms, the Asaemons sheated their katanas out. Feeling a blade on her nape, averting her gaze, Rika sees Riku pointing his blade towards her. The action doesn't surprise her.
"Do you have the balls to kill me?" She asks him.
"You're all I have, Rika." Is his response. "I'm your twin brother before an Asaemon."
"If you make any odd moves on the island, you will be beheaded on the spot. Yamada Asaemon will accompany you as watchmen. So don't get any funny ideas. Don't forget that you're dealing with the Yamada Clan. If you turn on them, you will end up like him. If you kill your escort intentionally or by accident, you will be beheaded. You will not be allowed on the return trip unless you are accompanied by your executioner."
"So who were you talking to earlier?" It was Riku's turn to ask her a question.
"Hm? Oh. Someone who's very interesting." Is Rika's reply.
Just as Rika watches the Tokugawa call for his attendant, a bad feeling immediately washes over her. It was as if her bound wrists wants to hold onto the clothes that Riku wears, beg him to at least hide behind his back. If her hunch is correct, she wouldn't know what to do.
Her silent and visible stress did not go unnoticed by Riku. Gritting his own teeth as he distances the blade of his katana a little away from Rika's nape. Hold around the handle of his katana tightening, knuckles turning white in the process.
"Sorry, I have one more thing." The attendant spoke. "We need to arrow down the number before we leave for the island. Not everyone will be able to land on the island. The capacity of the ship and the number of watchmen are limited. So I need you to narrow down the number of people now."
Rika's hands begins to tremble and her breathing begins to turn heavy. No, she isn't ready for anything like this. If anything, she resented fighting. The heavy use of body is Riku's point of expertise, he will most likely survive if their roles are swapped. But seeing as they aren't, Rika has to deal with the idea of being thrown into an unplanned battle royale.
There is simply no need to use a brain. It is now a kill or be killed moment. Slowly, she raises her trembling hands, biting down on her thumb as she uneasily looks down at the ground.
"Narrow down?"
"You don't get it do you?" Rika hears a male voice speak. "In other words, get rid of the wimps here, right now. Get it?"
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Look. The fact that he's not saying anything proves it to be."
"Riku, please save me." Rika whispers, her figure beginning to shudder.
"He's telling us to kill each other! You'll die if you're too slow."
"You'd do much better than me if you're in my position, I'll die before I can get back to Horai." Rika begs, lifting her head up to look at her twin brother. Clasping both of her hands. "Riku, please save me."
"Well, it can't be helped if you take it that way. If you die here, it means you're useless anyway." The attendant replies.
Tilting his head down, Riku's jaw tenses. It is true that if he were in Rika's position right now, he wouldn't have any problems trimming the numbers down. They may be twins but they still have differences.
During their time in Horai, Riku preferred training over studying. Rika preferred studying over training.
"Oh, and don't take off your ropes."
Turning her body around, sitting on the sandy shore at Riku's feet, Rika watches each and every criminal kill one another. Her breath hitching and her eyes wide. As long as she remains seated by Riku's feet, surely no criminal could catch onto her. Thinking that that would be the least Riku could do for her. They are still surrounded by other Asaemon's, if he helped her, it would only be seen as an act of betrayal.
As blood begins to splat on the sand and dead bodies falling down on the ground, Rika swallows what feels like a lump on her throat. Seeing people fighting like this reminded her of their training back in Horai when they were still children. Whenever she'd spar with them, it would always be her end who'd have blood spilling out of the corner of her mouth, having holes inside her chest, getting her head cut off. As she isn't exactly on board with their methods of sparring, she had to put up with it. Even if she is always at defeat, Rika had put up with it.
As blood splatters in front of her feet, she raises her legs a little higher. Scooting herself a little more closer to Riku in the process. Maybe if she hanged closer to him, she wouldn't be noticed.
A beefy bald man with a long white goatee grinned widely at her scared expression and cowering figure. "Why, hello there."