《• ʀ ᴇ ʙ ɪ ʀ ᴛ ʜ •》[ ᴍᴜᴢᴀɴ x ᴏᴄ ]

C20- ☆Flowers for the Dead☆

Heian Period, in the late 700's

Long black hair that shines underneath the moonlight and a fair of dark lavender eyes that wavered between colors in shade and light. These were features that could be considered the highlights of the only daughter of the old merchant that lives in the east of the village.

She was an innocent beauty, the frail kind yet she wasn't weak or softspoken like all woman should be. Her smile was as radiant as the sun and as calming as the moon. It is only when she would purse her lips and smile slightly that the glow in her eyes would appear and it would simply enhance her striking beauty like a hidden secret.

She was a young woman who was unmarried and many had tried to court her, to win her hand in marriage but her father was a stubborn fool. A stubborn fool who loves his only daughter and would not want her to live the rest of her life choosing the wrong man to be wed.

And as a father, the man knows that he needed to be sure, that his dearest daughter would be in safe hands in the event that his body fails him. He isn't stupid or naive. He was no doctor but he knows the limits of the human body and as someone who has lived as a merchant for a long, long time, he was able to pick up a few pieces of knowledge outside his field.

Trading with various people could help you attain information. Sometimes it's nothing but gossips amd rumors and sometimes it could range from the most expensive silks to the most expensive medicines.

He knows that he's sick and no medicine could cure his dying body. His daughter who was still unmarried, his sweet, sweet little Mimi who followed him everywhere and studied medicine just for him. He would not want to leave such a kind soul alone in this world and being her father, he knows that Mimi would weep and cry for his death.

It would break her. The child grew up without a mother and even without a proper female role model, Mimi was able to become a fine maiden.

Many wanted to covet her simply for her reputation and beauty. While some knew that she was the daughter of an old rich merchant who was one step away from kicking the bucket. They want her money and what her body could offer.

He would not let them. He would not let them have her and he would be stubborn like a fool until the very end if it meant protecting her dearest daughter from harm.

But Mimi was strong and independent. He wanted to protect her but how could he when his body was this frail?

"Otou-sama, did you drink your medicine like I told you?"

"Otou-sama! If your back is hurting, just tell me and I'll massage your muscles."

"H-Huh..? Otou-sama, please calm down! You're coughing blood!"

"Otou-sama, you'll stay with me, right? You're my Otou-sama afterall. We've always been together."

His poor child whose love for him was boundless. As a father, he feels guilt inside him knowing that he was caging her.

She could do so much more and be happy.

His dear Mimi was at the proper age of getting married and before he ends up dying, he would find her a proper man that could make her happy.

-------

"Otou-sama, why...? But I don't want t--"