Luckily for both Genji and Kogi, when you are young and infatuated, even a mutually inept kiss is exciting. Kogi's eyebrows, drawn together in concentration (that was the first mistake!) arch upward as she looks into Genji's eyes. "You are, too. You really are." She sounds almost surprised, as if t...

Bump! Not quite on the level of a wet fish, really. Genji is, well, warm-blooded, and good-looking, and smells a lot nicer, after all. But a truthful narrator is bound to admit that neither he nor Kogi actually knows what they are doing. Kogi is eager but also tense, in part precisely because this ...

Nezumi also make sense due to yumedo connection imo.

That said, I like 10 too

(oh yes)

Genji leaned in, gently tugging Kogi close, his warm lips meeting hers....like a wet fish.

IS THIS IT?!

Genji leaned in to her touch, while his own was gently, very gently, brushing past the scarred tissue. He seemed fascinated by her lips, his golden eyes lost and transfixed. "Mhm...well..perhaps you will too then." He smiled, it was a big, goofy smile. "You might regret it at some point, though." Hi...

Genji let out a low laugh.

"Seems like it, in a way."

Genji smiled. "On the wedding day, actually. She approached me at the reception, and we talked."

He fell silent, in thought. "The masked ball, I think."

"Certainly. Discussions have already started." There was enthusiasm in his voice.

He let his eyes falter, then his hand reached out to her. "Neh, mother."

If it costs too much to get together, I wonder if we could get the Kitsu shuggie school into the Stag instead?

Genji sighed. "I will request her to do so." His voice was soft, yet firm. "If nothing else, I can ask her to meet us after Kazuo-chan's gempukku."

A slow smile spread, mischief evident in his eyes. "Perhaps it would do good for Father and Uncle Bayushi to meet again after so many years as well."

Genji tensed a bit. "Perhaps, but if I am to truly take over for him, we are going to have a few more arguments about who was the rightest this time." He smiled. "And well..." He shrugged. There was some tension in him as she came closer. "She....well." He let out a breath. "For me, she is ever beau...

"Hai." He replied simply. A bit more than that, but enve he wasn't going to all in on her mother. "Perhaps, but...I love Father. He is wise, and bold, and brave, and powerful. Doesn't mean he's always right." He took another sip. "I spoke with Uncle Bayushi yesterday. Figured I haven't seen him in s...

Genji raised an eyebrow.

"Kogi-chan wears a veil all over. She has a wonderful mind, but a wily seductress she is not." He poked a finger in her direction. "And I should know, my mother is the most beautiful woman in the land."

Shameless buttering up? Sure!

"Well....yes. She is part of Uncle Bayushi's inner cirlce, or at least is a close advisor." He nodded along happily.

And lo and behold, he was met by a familiar face. "Ah, Doji-san! Busy at work, I see?"

Kinsen lifts herself up as she hears her son acting introspective and opening his heart. As soon as he mentions a certain someone, Kinsen scoots to his side touching cheek to cheek and says, in a provocative tone, "Ara, ara. A winter crush has swooped the Shining Prince off his feet, eeeeehhh~" htt...

"She is certainly all those qualities. She would make a wonderful wife of the stag." He took the cup, and took a sip. "But she would not make the best wife of Hantei Genji." He lowered the cup, bracing himself. "You know, mother, since I was little, I was told that one day, I will take over from my ...

Genji smiled. "Hai, that was a bad decision, but please trust me, that i thought this through." He took a deep breath. "Education, mainly. They are skilled warriors, but lacking in priests. The Seppun could train those blessed by the kami. Furthermore, their duty is one that serves the whole Empire,...

Genji has interest in this...though how much he can invest is still under debate. I have 1 "spare" which is up in the air, depending on...stuff.

Pang! She stops crushing the tea ladle against the bowl as guilt finally strikes her. Kinsen holds her breath as thoughts get slightly confused. Then, her eyes light up stronger and she locks sight with her son's same golden eyes. A deep breath, and Kinsen explains, "I didn't choose. I earned! I we...