The One with Strong Desire

It was the day after the team first had their training and the brothers were in Hayabusa's room. Earlier in the morning, Hanzo had went over to Hayabusa's room just to have a conversation with him.

"Hayabusa! Let's have a team fight today, you and Hanabi against me and Pharsa?" Hanzo suggested to his brother. Thinking that it was a great suggestion, Hayabusa agreed as not only will they experience how one would react to more than one opponent, it'll shorten their training time to get used to one another. Therefore, allowing them to complete their mission more quickly.

"Yes! I get to be with Pharsa!" Hanzo thought to himself. When he first saw Pharsa, he had fallen in love with her beauty and had been trying to impress her. Hence why he had suggested to be on the same team as Pharsa again. However, he knew that in a sense, it would be wrong for both brothers to love girls from the same family. It just didn't feel right but even that won't be able to stop his feelings towards Pharsa.

"Breakfast's ready!" Their mother's voice was heard along the hallway, inviting them as well as the girls, for breakfast. The boys jolted up, eager to have their first meal of the day, and opened the door to leave their room.

"Good morning," Pharsa said to the brothers as both she and Hanabi had left the room the same time the boys did. Hayabusa waved good morning to them while Hanzo was waving energetically.

"Good morning!" Hanzo replied excitedly, happy to see Pharsa and hear her voice. Together they walked to the dining table where the parents were waiting for them at. Over breakfast, Hanzo had been talking to Pharsa and even had been politely picking up meats and vegetables from the main plate to give it to her.

"You're so sweet to Pharsa! Hayabusa why not do the same to Hanabi?" The mother teased to which Hanabi politely declined the suggestion as Hayabusa was about to pick the food up. Nonetheless, Hayabusa still gave Hanabi the picked up food which she thanked him for. Afterwards, nothing much happened over breakfast and they left for their training session except that Hanzo chose to stay behind to have a talk with his parents.

"Mom, can I marry Pharsa?" Hanzo asked to his mother's surprise.

"What? Why? Are you being serious right now?" She asked back, surprised and in disbelief of her son's question.

"I'm being serious. I love her, I never felt this way towards anyone before!" Hanzo replied desperately.

"But your brother wants to marry Hanabi, does he not? I don't appreciate two of my boys marrying girls of the same family. What's more they're of the Scarlet sect." The mother tried reasoning with Hanzo.

"Why does he always get what he wants? So what if he wants to marry Hanabi, I want to marry Pharsa too!" Hanzo argued with his biased mother.

"No and that's final, Hanzo. Hayabusa has come of age where he needs to get married and bear a heir soon so his marriage comes before you. " His father finally voiced out his opinion to which he can't argue back. With that, Hanzo stomped off and out of the dining room.

-*-*- to the backyard -*-*-

"Hey Hanzo, what took you so long?" Hayabusa asked his brother who ignored him instead. Hayabusa thought nothing much of his brother's behaviour and proceeded with the sparring session. Throughout the session, he had been targeting Hayabusa, intending to cause grievous hurt to him out of jealousy.

"Hanzo, are you ok? You weren't like this yesterday," Pharsa asked him during their break.

"Yeah, I'm good, don't worry," he replied, happy that Pharsa had talked to him first. He thought deeply as to how he could get Pharsa in the end and suddenly remembered about Hayabusa's original marriage plans. "Maybe I could get the Onmyouji family to try for the marriage again!" he thought to himself, feeling happy once more. Hence, during his break he went to find the Onmyouji family to have a talk.

"Hey, are you ok? What happened between you and your brother?" Hanabi asked as she treated Hayabusa's cuts which he had gotten from his brother.

"I have no idea what happened. He probably had an argument with mom and dad." Hayabusa concluded. "I should go talk to them about it, I'll find you later." He said and then leaving to find his parents.

"I hope things are alright between them both, the tension was rough wasn't it?" Pharsa said.

"It was and I had a bad feeling but I don't know..." Hanabi replied. "Whatever it is, I do hope they get to overcome it. Shall we go and have a walk around the village?" Hanabi asked her sister and they left the grounds to explore the village.

-*-*- to Hayabusa and his parents -*-*-

"Mom, what happened to Hanzo?" Hayabusa asked his parents who were just having a conversation about the brothers.

"Son, you want to get married to Hanabi, do you not?" His Father asked suddenly.

"Of course, I do! What's this about?" Hayabusa curiously asked back.

"Have you talked to her about it? Has she accepted your proposal?" The Father questioned to which Hayabusa just shook his head in response. "When will you ask her?" His father asked.

"When the time's right. Isn't it too soon to ask now?" Hayabusa replied.

"It isn't. In our tradition, once the heir had reached a certain age, they are to get married and be ready to produce an heir. You've come to an age, Hayabusa." His father said in reply to his son.

"If Hanabi rejects you, we'll immediately call back the Onmyouji family. You have until the end of this year to get married, otherwise we will plan everything for you." His mother said, leaving Hayabusa speechless. Hayabusa left his parents feeling dumbfounded and thinking hard. He realised he had no choice but to ask Hanabi and propose to her even if it was too soon in his opinion.

-*-*- to Hanzo -*-*-

"Is Kagura in? Can I speak to her?" Hanzo asked the helpers of the Onmyouji family who went to get Kagura. Moments after, Kagura emerged and walked towards Hanzo.

"You're Hanzo, Hayabusa's brother, are you not?" She asked upon facing him.

"I am, I have something I want to check with you. Are you giving up on your marriage with my brother?" Hanzo asked to her surprise.

"I- What's this about?" Kagura defended herself, she does not want to look like a pathetic girl who is trying so hard at an impossible love.

"Please, I need your help! Please, persuade your parents and my parents, make them approve of your marriage with my brother. I've tried persuading my parents but it didn't work out, they're in love with Hanabi and Hayabusa," Hanzo begged. Kagura was taken aback as she had not expected Hayabusa's brother to be the one desperately wanting their marriage to happen.

"I will talk to my parents about it, but can I ask why this sudden request? Don't you want your brother to be happy?" Kagura asked, suspicious with his actions.

"Hayabusa always get whatever he wants, I only wanted to marry the woman I love but I can't. He get to be the next heir and even get to choose whom he wants to marry but not me. It's unfair," Hanzo said in reply. "Do try your best in persuading your parents, I got to go now," and he left Kagura to her thoughts.

"Oh right! Mom and dad were looking for someone with a strong desire, maybe he is the one?" Kagura said out loud after realising the situation. "I got to tell them this!" Kagura said as she hurried off to find her parents.

-*-*- to Hayabusa -*-*-

"I should be able to do this, right? I hope she doesn't reject me... but even if she does there's nothing I could do but let it be," Hayabusa said to himself as he paced back and forth in front of the girl's door. He was too deep in his thoughts, having deep conversations with himself that he had not realised that the girls were back.

"Hayabusa, what are you doing here?" Pharsa asked as the girls approached him with hands full of shopping bags.

"Oh! Sorry, I was waiting for your return. I need to talk with Hanabi, can I steal her for a moment?" Hayabusa replied.

"Oh sure, but let us put our stuff down first before she goes to you, alright?" Pharsa said, laughing at his flushed face.

"Right, sorry, I'll open the door for you," he replied feeling embarrassed as he was too into wanting to talk to Hanabi that he had not realised they were troubled with carrying heavy stuff. He held the door opened for them to enter their rooms and place down their heavy bags.

"Don't worry, I'll unpack these, you go with him," Pharsa said to Hanabi who mouthed a thanks to her in return. Hanabi closed the door to their room and went to Hayabusa who was waiting for her.

"Let's go to the backyard, I want to talk to you," Hayabusa said, holding her hands and leading her to the backyard.

"Are you ok? There seems to be a lot in your mind. How are things between you and Hanzo now?" Hanabi asked worriedly.

"Oh, I haven't seen Hanzo yet and my parents didn't say anything about what happened either," he replied, having a long pause as he tried to form his sentences for the real purpose they were out in the backyard for.

"I see... hopefully things are better now that he had cooled off," Hanabi said, wishing for things to be fine.

"Hanabi, I know it's too early to say this, but I knew from the moment I met you that I would want to spend my life with you. There are things we still don't know about each other yet but we can always find out along the way, I don't mind that. There may be obstacles along the way, but I know you and I can overcome it for I would do anything for you. I don't want anything else but to be with you, Hanabi," Hayabusa suddenly said to Hanabi who was surprised and speechless from the sudden confession. "I just want to know one thing, do you feel the same for me?" He added.

"I do..." Hanabi softly said, feeling shy of the sudden outburst. Hayabusa might not have heard it as he still waited for her answer. Hanabi realising that repeated her words, "I do love you and I do feel the same."

Hayabusa smiled wide at his feelings being reciprocated and popped the question, "though it's soon, would you marry me?"

"What? So early!" Hanabi said, face flushed so red that she almost looked like a tomato. She had not expected a proposal right after the sudden confession, her heart barely had the time to slow down after the confession and now that he had proposed, her heart might jolly well jump out of her body already.

"I know it's early, but I really love you and want to be with you. I have to get married with you this year otherwise I won't be able to be with you at all, I don't want that," Hayabusa confessed. Hanabi felt thankful and relief that he thought of her so much and really wanted to be with her which was shown through his actions and words. She just felt so happy that she was able to experience this and to have met him.

"I will," she finally replied him, smiling and tearing up in happiness. Hayabusa immediately hugged her, happy that he would be able to spend his life with her, forever.

"I will pamper you, I will love you and I will care for you so much that you won't regret choosing to marry me this soon!" Hayabusa promised, before planting a kiss on her lips. He slot in the family ring on her ring finger and took her hand to kiss it. Both of them were smiling brightly in each other's presence.

Not that far away, a pair of eyes watched the couple's moment in envy, wanting the same for themselves.