The wedding was over, and Taiga wanted to<i>rip</i>the white kimono from around his shoulders. He'd been shown into the absurdly wide inner rooms he'd be sharing with his husband. The inner walls, ceilings and fusuma were far larger than Taiga had ever seen, arching grandly above his head, and Taiga's new room was right against the porch that fell off into the water, looking out over the sea.<br/><br/>Taiga looked into a mirror over the tansu cabinets and scowled, curling his fingers into the decorative ribbons artfully woven through his hair. He pulled out the pin made for his wedding and reflected on the realities of being sold.<br/><br/>His family's debts had piled up. His father was very loving, they were hatamoto class samurai, but his father had been too unwise with his lending and business practices. Taiga had tried to straighten the mess out as best he could, but finally it had reached a point where Taiga saw only one recourse.<br/><br/>The family he married into was in the midst of a feud with his cousins, kitsune on Mount Kurama, and it seemed inevitable that bloodshed would break out.<br/><br/>Taiga reached out to the son of that family, attempting to negotiate a joining that would quiet tensions and relieve the poverty his family was living with.<br/><br/>It had all worked out, it had all come together neatly, and now Taiga was their son-in-law over protests of the parents of his groom. The Hisoka debts were assumed, and relieved, the feud was over, and Taiga couldn't quiet the frustrations in his heart.<br/><br/>He was tearing at the delicate ribbons when the door slid open.<br/><br/>"I have brought you tea, master—oh don't do that, sir, you'll damage your hair," the entering servant said, sounding surprisingly upset by that possibility.<br/><br/>"Allow me, sir."<br/><br/>Taiga was perfectly quiet, folding his arms, annoyed at being found pawing at the ribbons. To the man's credit, he undid the decorations perfectly. When he was done, Taiga examined himself in the mirror and realized his hair looked better than it ever had.<br/><br/>"You like hair," he said to the servant.<br/><br/>"Yes, sir," he said, taken-aback and bowing.<br/><br/>"What's your name?"<br/><br/>"Masayoshi Crow, sir. But you can call me Crow."<br/><br/>Crow mutely began undoing the wedding knot on the obi, and Taiga watched him in the mirror. He was incredibly handsome, with a soft beard and long-lashed eyes, near perfect conformation.<br/><br/>Footsteps sounded outside the room. Taiga looked up, wondering if this would be his husband, who was more of a stranger to him than he'd like to admit.<br/><br/>Crow looked up too, smiling, and called out, "Come in, master. I will help you with your kimono, too."<br/><br/><i>He knows the sound of Kado's footsteps,</i>Taiga realized. He pressed his lips tight.