The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them,

but to be indifferent to them:

that's the essence of inhumanity.

- George Bernard Shaw

Makoto sighed and peered through the flaps of the carriage. Outside the forest thatbordered the small dirt road slowly passed by and a Mori Soldier keeping his horse at a trot directly beside the carriage occasionally blocked her view. Finding nothing outside had changed since they had turned onto the road earlier that evening Makoto was forced to once again turn her eyes to the small yet extravagant area within the carriage. The floor was covered with a padded green silk cover for comfort, the frame and flaps were made of fine rich reddish brown wood with detailed designs painted on. In a corner her attendant for the journey Old Lady Yuki slept fitfully with her back to the rear frame. Her expensive kimono and thick of facial makeup covered literally any distinguishing feature the women had. However Makoto was full aware of the stern cold dark grey eyes hidden beneath the thick layers of eye makeup and the equally stone cold heart within. Old Lady Yuki was vastly known as been one of the most fiercely traditional and disagreeable ladies in all of the land and without a doubt the women live up to her title and then some. Before even leaving the castle Makoto had received a though rough lecture about what and who she 'would' be as the wife of the Mori Lord under Lady Yuki's care.

First she was to never meet the gaze of her husband, or any other high ranking Lord who may visit the castle, directly but keep her eyes and head submissively down unless given permission by her husband to do so. To meet a Lords eye directly was after all a rude and disrespectful move for any one to make especially a lady. But to your husband?

Second she was to never question her husband or his wishes only that she should, only when given permission to speak or asked a question of course, ask when and what she was to do. But how does one attain permission without a question to receive it?

Third she was to discard her mother's family's reputation for siring daughters and give Lord Motonari a proper heir, a son, when the time came. An heir! Makoto had blushed darkly at as she remembered Lady Yuki's statement, or rather the insinuation in the statement. However her thoughts quickly turned to much darker matters.

'A son .Can I give him a son?' She nervously stared ahead of her; her eyes glazed over with memories of the past.

Her mother, Lady Kioko, had never been able to give her father a son. Their five daughters were evidence enough to her mother's efforts to sire an heir to the Tsuki clan. A testament in most eyes of her mothers failure to accomplish her duties as a wife. However for the world it was her father's current legitimate heir, Makoto's half brother, who signified her mother's failure. Of course as a child no-one had thought or had enough foolish courage to say anything to Makoto or her sisters on the matter of their very presence on this earth being considered by society an inconvenience. Indeed it would be long after her brother was born when her father second wife fell ill she would learn of her fathers second wife's very existence and only after her soul departed to the relm of the kami a week or so later understand what it mean's for a women if her husband had another wife or wives. She would never forget what was said about her sisters, her and mother at the funeral. How many people had scowled down on them as they stood trembling and terrified clutching the fabric their mother's kimono around her knees. What people had whispered and said in voices far from discreet about her mother shaming the clan with her presence there and how if there had ever been a true wife to their father Lord Katoro it was the superior women who had given them all an heir. And she would never, never forget how later that night after tucking them into bed and assuming they were all asleep her mother had gone into the other room slide the shoji door shut and wept.

'Ugh! Makoto Tsuki what are you doing thinking on this so much? This arrangement...what good will thinking of the past do for you? Oh what if...oh kami this is really happening isn't it!' At that moment the fate awaiting the young princess in Chugoku was clear to her, or at least as clearly vague as it was to any person. She would wed a shadow in a sense. A man she knew nothing of besides what she'd overheard her parents say the night before a stranger. A stranger who would-

'Oh Kami!' Her breathe caught.

This faceless stranger would be the man she shared her bed with. The man who was to-she couldn't think past that her mind whirling and a queasy feeling settling in her stomach.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." She softly whispered the words over and over again like a mantra and a prayer until finally she could take it no more and she opened her mouth to call for the one person who had always been able to sooth her fears. The call for her mother died on her lips a second before it left her mouth. Replaced not a moment later by a muffled sob. Her mother wasn't there and there was no use in calling out for her.

'Mother I'm scared!' Wrapping her arms around her small form she took tense gasping breathes and tried desperately to keep herself from going hysterical.

"So it's finally occurred to you has it?"Makoto jerked her head up as the unmistakably ancient voice of Lady Yuki reached her ears. Lady Yuki's position against the rear frame on the carriage and her stature remained both remained the same as they had as she slept the only difference being her awaked state. But as always no emotion was revealed in her face only a mask of make up about as useful as a blank kabuki mask in distinguishing what the older woman was feeling if anything at all however her gaze was entirely different. Old Lady Yuki's cold grey eyes met Makoto's frantic blue and in that moment Makoto knew the older was sizing her up. For what she had no clue but there was no mistaking that kind of gaze... she'd seen it enough in her life to know.

"Well has it?" Lady Yuki's voice raised making her question more of a demand but just as before her stature was emotionless. The air suddenly felt as if it had rushed out of Makoto's lungs and though she tried to put force behind her answer the words left her throat a broken whimper of a whisper.

"Y-yes!"

"Damned fools the lot of them!" The words left Lady Yuki's mouth in an abrupt and angry hiss followed by a string of emotional statements that left Makoto gasping like a fish out of water in shock.

"She's ready, she's ready her parents say-she says-they all say! Fools the lot of you! You're not ready! We'd be better off laying a wounded bird in front of a starving cat! You're not ready and neither would any young girl be in your position!" After she was done Lady Yuki heaved a sigh and once again met Makoto's eyes.

"I won't lie to you princess your in a very grave situation here and it doesn't help that most of the girls your age are already married and have a secure position by now. You my dear have neither of these and even if you achieve the first the second will be a terrible hurdle for you and I fear the problems that will come from it." Makoto knew these things more than anyone she'd watched other girls her age marry years ago and give birth to their own children but as the years went on and the number of single girls grew smaller and smaller Makoto had soon found herself the only single girl her age she knew. This had of course made Makoto the precipitant of unwanted attention recording her marital status and until three months ago, when her father finally started searching for a suitable marriage arrangement, members of the Tsuki clan she was sure expected her to be a wallflower. But in truth she herself had started to suspect she would as well and had often wondered why she hadn't been married years ago.

"I'm afraid I won't be near as soft on you as your original nurse might have been bu-"

"I never had a nurse."

"Pardon? My mother refused for me to be raised with a nurse she raised me on her own and I never needed or wanted a nurse as I got older." Lady Yuki groaned.

"Well get used to it you'll be married to a daimyo and as his wife you'll have many servants and I can guarantee you their will be no shortage of hidden eyes and ears... but I swear to you for as long as I serve you princess I will do everything in my power to keep you where your family needs you. In Lord Motonari's good graces. All you need do for me in return is to listen and obey for I can't tell you anything but the truth now and that is from the moment you step out of this carriage you will become a pawn on a shoji board for whoever will wish to use you. Now tell me will you accept my help?" Makoto needed no time to think the decision over.

"Yes!"

"Princess Makoto, Lady Yuki?" The deep voice of a soldier outside stopped any further conversation between the two women. Makoto turned to face the direction the voice came from and responded instantly.

"Yes?"

"We've arrived at the castle milady and should arrive at our destination soon."

"I see. Oh thank you very much!"

"Y-your welcome milady!"

Makoto sighed and turned around to find Lady Yuki giving her a pleased look.

"What?"

"You socialize well...that's good it's a rare gift among our class to be able to talk to others outside our own circles. It will serve you well, you will find, in attaining allies you'll see soon what I mean. Now go and take a look outside quickly so you won't gape at everything when we arrive!" Blushing hotly Makoto turned once again to the carriage flap and attentively lifted it up on the side and got her first real view of the place that would be her home. The instant her eyes met the place that would be her home from that day on her breath caught.

Chugoku was nothing like anything she'd ever seen. In front of her a extremely large town spread over like a blanket at the bottom of the hill the procession slowly made its way down. Why this town alone was three times the size of the town before her father's castle she was certain and if possible even busier! A glance to the right revealed a large port with dozens of ships coming in and out she also notice many more ships being built in a dockyard!

"What is this place called?" She glanced up at the soldier on horseback as she asked and watched him jump a bit in surprise before glancing toward her. After several seconds of patiently waiting as the soldier gaped like a fish out of water she received her response.

"It-Itsukushima is what it's called milady."

Itsukushima even the name was impressive! After several more seconds of staring at the town in wonder she move her gaze farther and froze. If the town of Itsukushima had caused her to falter the castle stopped her cold. She could never imagine a more beautiful structure. From what she could see the castle was built from the edge of the beach out into the shallow water of the sea. A large temple arch stood over the bridge to the castle in front of a red front gate. Behind it the large castle stood larger than life. Turning once again to the soldier on a horse she asked the question she couldn't quite believe.

"Is that the castle?"

"Yes Itsukushima castle madam." Back in professional mode the soldier merely answered Makoto's question without a single glance however the Tsuki clan princess was much to enthralled in her surroundings to notice.

"Alright princess. Come back inside." With one last glance outside Makoto moved the carriage flap back in place and turned ounce again to Lady Yuki in a pout.

"My name isn't princess it's Makoto, Lady Yuki!" Lady Yuki who had once again retained her emotionless personality merely reached for an expensively decorated wooden makeup box and placed it on her lap only then did she reply however her tone remained firm and businesslike.

"Very well Lady Makoto you will be in private if you wish. Who am I to deny the wish of my lady? However there is one condition only to this agreement."

"Yes?"

"Remain in here until we reach the castle and remember the three steps I told you so that you may make a grand impression on your husband when you meet."

Many agonizingly slow minutes later after a quick switch to a lift-able carriage so that they might make it over the beach and up the steps. Makoto found herself quite alone in the small carriage space seconds away from meeting the Mori Lord with a throbbing head from Lady Yuki's 'delicate' styling of her hair. The only thing keeping her calm was the constant swish and swoof of Lady Yuki's skirts as she walked beside the carriage as the heavy thumps of the soldiers carrying the carriages shoes. Suddenly a swift cry of halt stopped the procession. The sound of her breathing and the thump of the carriage as it was set down on wood filled her ears. Then the unmistakable sound of Lady Yuki's skirts and a soft pat on the shoji door signaled her entrance. With a deep calming breath Makoto delicately stepped out of the carriage into her new life. Or at least that's what should have happened because at that very moment Makoto's foot caught on the front of her kimono and she found herself not only out of the carriage but also sprawled flat on her stomach on the ground. A moment of silence passed before gasps of shock filled the air and Makoto was sure even though she couldn't hear her growl of frustration from Lady Yuki. Suddenly absorbing the situation several soldiers, judging by their heavy footfalls and the clanking or armor rushed over to help her.

"Arigoto." She whispered and one took her hand and helped her up. Her face she was sure gave the color of a red spider lily flower a run for its money at the moment.

'What does he think of me or anyone for that matter right now?' And at that moment Makoto made her second grave error of the day. She looked up and sky blue eyes met cold calculating brown.

Realizing what she'd done a second too late and that Lady Yuki's first rule was broken she thought for a moment on pretending she hadn't just done what she did. Makoto gave up the thought a second later when a low murmur went through the crowd and instead observed for the moment the man before her who was without a doubt to become her husband Motonari Mori. He was a man of average height had a thin yet muscled build along with perfect posture and was wearing a light green kimono and sandals. His face was lightly tan with a sharp nose and narrowed eyes with thin dark eyebrows above them his mouth was also a sharp structure but had a softened quality to the sides. Framing his face dark layered straight brown hair fell to his lower neck but what held her attention were his eyes a seemingly brown vault locking away his feelings from the outside world yet penetrated all others they met. And at that moment she had an urge she'd never felt before more than anything else Makoto simple wanted the man before her to smile. And it was at that moment she opened her mouth and accidentally spoke her mind, solidly braking rule number two on Lady Yuki's list and though-roughly embarrassing her entire clan and herself.

"What kind of father do you think you'd make?" Startled gasps of shock and laughter filled the area. A ladies shriek of horror from behind her and a thump alerted her that Lady Yuki had fainted dead away. For the second time that day Makoto's face filled with heat and turned a deep red glancing down for a moment she nervously bit her bottom lip before peering up at Motonari she saw that he was impassive as ever the only different being a slight lowering of his eyebrows at last he opened his mouth and spoke in a deep and rasphy voice.

"I trust you will play the part you are given well Lady Makoto. I have no use for a worthless pawn on my board." She didn't understand why she wasn't afraid or upset by his words it was as if she was someone else at that moment and she hoped that whatever it was it wasn't moving her in the wrong direction.

"My lord I will strive to be your most valued piece." And to the astonished stares of all present except for the still unconscious Lady Yuki, Makoto gave the her fiancé a small charming smile. Motonari never batted an eye.